The Importance of Day Sleep
I was talking to a mom yesterday whose 6-month-old baby has been waking up every hour at night. When we took a look at her baby's daytime schedule, it turns out he was only taking three 30-minute naps the entire day.
I knew right then that the reason her baby was waking so much at night was because he was overtired from the lack of day sleep. As soon as she helped him extend his naps, he started sleeping through the night!
Let me say this loud and clear: Day sleep makes a huge difference in your baby's night sleep.
In those first few weeks, your baby can sleep as much as they need during the day. If you need to learn more about what to do in the beginning, check out my First Four Weeks guide.
However, once you establish a routine, you are going to want to make sure your baby is getting enough day sleep to prevent over tiredness, but not too much day sleep to make it hard to sleep at night.
Here’s a general idea of how much day sleep your baby needs by age:
0-4 weeks: as much as needed
4-12 weeks: 6-6.5 hours
3-7 months: 4-4.5 hours
7-15 months: 3-4 hours
15+ months: 2-3 hours
Remember, EVERY baby is different.
If your baby keeps 2 naps until 18 months, great! Stick to the 4-4.5 hours. If your baby drops to 1 nap at 14 months, no problem. Aim for 2-3 hours. Remember, you know your baby better than anyone, so adjust when and where you need to.
If your baby has been struggling with nights, take a look at their day and make sure they are getting plenty of sleep for their age range.