Mama, dada, I'm ready for a nap schedule!

Awake span naps, versus time of day naps?

When your baby is little, it’s amazing how quickly she’ll be ready for another nap. It’s a good rule of thumb that most are ready for a snooze about 70-90 minutes after waking. In fact, the 90 minute awake span technique — which we teach in Chapter 3 of the book and in the 0-4 month online class — is a game-changer for babies and their exhausted parents in the early months.

But what happens next?  How do you know when your growing baby is ready to move from napping based on how long he’s been awake, to a nap schedule based on the clock?

As usual, following your baby’s cues will show you the way. Here are 5 signs from your baby that he is ready for a “time of day” nap schedule, versus an “awake span” schedule.

1. I’m about 5 – 6 months old.
   Your baby’s circadian system—her internal clock that regulates sleeping and waking —has matured a great deal by this age. Now she’s moved from the erratic sleep patterns of her early months into much more predictable, by-the-clock timing for bedtime and morning wake time. Other developmental areas are also surging forward at break neck speed. She is sucking her fingers or thumb, moving her body to get comfy, and is unswaddled. By this age or soon, she is rolling and becoming comfortable with her physical prowess and newfound freedom. All of these lovely skills contribute to her ability to self soothe.

2. I can fall asleep on my own!
   Once your baby is doing what he is built to do – fall asleep on his own (if this isn’t happening, you can use the Sleep Wave technique in the book or the 4-24 online class), you’re well on your way to much more predictable and scheduled naps. That’s because when babies are accessing their innate capacity to fall sleep without outside help from you (rocking, bouncing, swinging, stroller, etc.), they sleep longer and more deeply. They also are able to put themselves back to sleep after a sleep cycle or being awakened by a loud noise. If they fall asleep in their familiar sleep space, using their helpful sleep associations (rolling and finding their own body position, etc), they know just what to do to go back to sleep.

3. My naps are starting to get longer.
   What a welcome change! You thought it would never happen but those dreaded 30-minute power naps are finally starting to stretch out. When most of your baby’s naps are at least an hour in length, this is another indication a time of day nap schedule is best.

4. My morning wake up time is settling in – finally!
   Why oh why do little ones think 5:00am is a good time to start the day? This is very normal, but the good news is with maturity, self-soothing to sleep, and a consistent pattern of response from you, your early riser will start sleeping to at least his 11-hour mark (11 hours since bedtime)—which is what we want him to do. Once your little one is predictably ‘finishing his night’ and waking at about the same time each morning, this sets the stage for tolerating a longer awake span and being ready to move into time of day naps. If your baby is an early riser, see our blog on this topic.

5. My internal clock is showing the way.
   Here’s the really cool one. We know that sleep is natural and babies are built to sleep. Well, then it would only make sense that their little bodies and brains know when it’s time to move to scheduled naps. And it’s true! You will start to notice a pattern emerging where the first nap not only moves a little later, but starts to settle into a predictable time of day. You will no longer need to meticulously count the minutes of awake time but can now set your baby’s schedule.

Here are examples of typical nap schedules for babies 6-9 months old:

Example #1

Bedtime: 7:00 p.m.

Wake time: 6:00 a.m.

First Nap: 7:30 a.m.

Second Nap: 11:00 p.m.

Third Nap: 3:00 p.m.

Example 2

Bedtime: 7:30 p.m..

Wake time: 6:30 a.m.

First nap: 8:30 a.m.

Second nap: 12:00 p.m.

Third nap: 3:30 p.m.

Moving to time-of-day naps is a welcome change for most families, who feel relieved about no longer having to count the minutes, but instead relax into a more predictable schedule. More time to plan little outings or just spend time together in between snoozes!

For more on the online classes, which cover napping at all ages, see our Online Classes page.