8 Ways To Lengthen Short Naps

Sep 18

Imagine you have just put your little one down for his/her nap, maybe had time to do the dishes or take a shower, then thought to yourself, “I am just going to plop down on this couch and finally relax!” You may finally get to start that book you have been wanting to read, watch that Netflix show you have been dying to see, or EVEN take a much needed nap yourself! And then, just as you have gotten yourself comfortable, 20-30 minutes later, you hear it! Your baby is awake!

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how can I get my baby to nap longer? Before we get into some ways to lengthen those notorious short naps, I am going to talk a little about why naps are important:

Naps and night sleep go hand in hand. If your child is sleeping well at night, there is a high chance that they will have good naps as well . Unfortunately, the opposite can also occur! If your child is struggling with their night sleep, most likely they will struggle with their naps. POOR NIGHT SLEEP = POOR NAPS!
When baby’s are on multiple nap schedules, each nap will have different benefits. The morning nap is for mental restoration and the afternoon nap is for physical restoration.
Nap length can differ between a child’s age and their biological need. A general guideline is to have them make it through one sleep cycle, which on an average is between 45-60 minutes long.

So…how do we extend those short naps?

1: Check Their Sleeping Environment

Make sure your baby’s sleep environment is the same as for night sleep. Having the bedroom super dark (pitch dark if possible), is important in releasing the sleepy hormone Melatonin. You will want to use some type of blackout curtains and make sure no extra light is able to shine through. Get out that white noise machine to block out any outside noises!
Keep your baby’s sleep space consistent! Putting your baby in the same space every time helps them learn that when they are in their bed/crib/bassinet that it is time for sleep. You will want to limit any type of motion sleep (car, stroller, rocker) during naps. Just because they sleep longer with motion, does not mean they are getting the restorative sleep they need!

2: Ensure Night Sleep Is Consolidated First

A Good Night Sleep Promotes Good Daytime Sleep

Naps are tough!! If your baby is struggling with night sleep, you will want to fix that first.
“Wait...night sleep affects daytime sleep?”
- YES!! For one, night sleep tends to be easier to fix than day sleep. Our sleep drive during the night is much stronger than during the day so it is much easier to get night sleep under control than daytime sleep.
- If your baby is cranky and overtired from poor night sleep, then this will make nap-training very difficult and even impossible!

A Well-Rested Child Naps Better Than A Sleep-Deprived Child

3: Make Sure Your Baby Has Independent Sleep Skills

You will want to be putting your baby down somewhat awake for every sleep time. If your baby is used to falling asleep with some external help (nursing, rocking, parental presence, etc.), when they partially awake between sleep cycles, they will need those same sleep associations to fall back asleep.

There Is Nothing Wrong With Your Baby Needing A Little Extra Help Falling Asleep, But If You Are Trying To Lengthen Those Naps, Independent Sleep Is Key!

Teaching your baby positive sleep associations, such as using a pacifier (if they can insert themselves), using a lovely, rolling around to get comfy, etc., allows babies to soothe themselves back to sleep between sleep cycles. Now doesn’t that just sound wonderful!?

4: Utilize The “Nap Hour” Rule

When you put your baby in their crib, you will want to leave them there for AT LEAST 1 hour regardless how long their nap is. This will teach your baby that just because they have woken, does not mean nap time is over.

Implementing The “Nap Hour” Rule Gives A Great Opportunity For Your Baby To Fall Back Asleep After A Short Nap.

Having self-soothing skills is pertinent when implementing the “nap hour.” If your baby cannot go back to sleep on their own, this strategy will most likely not work.

5: Create A Pre-Nap Routine

Just like with the bedtime routine, the purpose of a nap routine is to send a cue to your baby that it is time to settle down and prepare for sleep.
The pre-nap routine should be similar to your bedtime routine for consistency. However, it can be a shorter version of the bedtime routine. For example, if your baby usually takes a bath during your night routine, skip the bath before nap.

6: Ensure Your Baby Is Sleeping During Restorative Times

Once your baby is around 4-5 months, depending on the child, it is important to do a clock-based schedule versus using awake times. Make sure to also watch for those sleepy cues.
Switching to a clock based schedule and watching for sleepy cues will allow your child to get the most restorative sleep. If you create a nap schedule based on the most biologically appropriate times, your baby’s sleep pressure will be the strongest and will help extend those super short naps.
One way you can do this is making sure to start the day by 7am.

Timing Of Naps Is Just As Important As The Number And Length Of Naps!

7: Utilize Awake Windows For Babies Under 4 Months

What is an awake window?
- Simply put, it is the period of time a baby is awake throughout the day. For example, if a baby wakes up at 7am and goes down for a nap at 8:30am, then the awake time would be 90 minutes.
Newborns' awake times are extremely short and are around 30-90 minutes long. Once they get closer to 4-5 months their awake times will lengthen to 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours. However, this is around the age where we want to switch to a more clock based schedule.
Do not forget to also watch for sleepy cues. Not all newborns can make it to 60-90 minutes, so you want to make sure you are closely watching for those cues.

If Baby’s Awake Time Is Too Short, Their Sleep Pressure May Not Be Strong Enough

If Baby’s Awake Time Is Too Long, They Risk Becoming Overtired

When your infant becomes overtired, stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are released, keeping your baby awake and alert. This is why it is pertinent to pay close attention to those awake windows and sleepy cues during the newborn stage.

8: Fill Their Belly Before Nap Time

You will want to feed your baby 20-30 minutes before their nap to make sure they do not wake up hungry.
However, I do not encourage feeding your baby right before their nap since this could create a feed-to-sleep association. This negative sleep association can contribute to short naps and that is what we are trying to avoid!

Don’t Forget:

Nap Training can be very difficult - Give yourself some grace! Extending short naps is possible but be patient, it takes time. I would recommend giving nap training at least a couple of weeks to see a change. If you use the strategies I mentioned above, I strongly believe you can have a great napper! Once again, if your child is struggling with night sleep you will want to focus on fixing that before working on naps.

If you have tried the strategies above or just do not even know where to start, please reach out. I would love to chat and give you some guidance on getting your baby sleeping well! Book a free Introductory Call with me to find out how I can support you in becoming a well-rested family!