Why is my baby suddenly taking short naps?
Although there are a number of different reasons some babies sleep great at night but take short naps, the most common reason is overtiredness. When babies stay awake longer than they should, fatigue-fighting hormones kick in and make it more challenging for babies to fall and stay asleep.
Short naps are often a result of an environment that is too stimulating or isn't consistent. The best place for your baby to take naps is in their crib or bassinet, in a room that is free of distraction and completely dark.
Yes, it's actually NORMAL and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE to have short naps during this time. Even though these short naps are normal for babies under 5 months, you can still work on lengthening naps now! Try picking up your baby and rocking him back to sleep for 10-15 minutes if the nap is short.
Simply put, it just means your newborn baby hasn't yet matured enough to nap longer. A 9-month-old who takes 20-minute nap has a nap problem. A newborn who takes 20-minute naps is “a regular newborn.”
- Focus on “Props” for Soothing Instead of Sleeping. Rocking, shushing, and the pacifier are all acceptable and totally ok options for soothing your little one! ...
- Ideal Environment. Set your baby's room up for ideal sleep: ...
- Rush into Soothe. ...
- Leave for the Full Naptime.
The first step is to assume that your baby will need her nap sooner than later. One way to do so is to watch for newborn sleep cues—the second she fusses and yawns, start your nap routine. Another is to simply watch the clock. Don't let her go past 90 minutes of wake windows before putting her down for another nap.
In general, if your baby is taking a 30-minute nap or less, she is likely overtired and needs less time between naps. If your baby is waking up 45 minutes or so into a nap, she is likely not tired enough and needs more wake time.
“A sleep regression is a time period when your baby suddenly changes their usual sleep patterns, resulting in night wake-ups, missed or short naps, or early mornings,” says Nicole Carpenter, a pediatric sleep consultant certified by the Family Sleep Institute.
A false start is what we in the baby sleep world call it when your baby wakes up shortly after being put down for bed at night. Usually a false start is characterized by baby waking up quickly after being put to sleep, around 30-60 minutes after bed, or about one sleep cycle or less.
You can choose one sleep a day to work on rather than all the sleeps, or you can just stop resettling altogether for a week and then try again. Most catnapping babies eventually do grow out of catnapping. So even if you do nothing, your baby's day sleep will get longer as they grow, eat more food, and move more.
Why does my baby only take 45 minute naps?
The 45-minute nap is really common, and there are a few specific reasons why: Forty-five minutes is not a coincidence; it is exactly one sleep cycle for a baby. At around the 30-45 minute mark into the sleep cycle, your baby is in a lighter stage of sleep, trying to transition from this cycle to the next.
When initially falling asleep, it's very common for a baby to take 20 minutes to reach deep sleep. If your baby wakes 5-20 minutes after initially falling asleep, it's likely because she did not reach a deep sleep. Don't mistake this for the baby not being tired.
- as long as you walk slowly and rhythmically. This walk helps to slow things down ahead of nap time physically, and this helps to signal to the brain that it's time (and it's ok!) to relax ahead of sleep. The walking wind down can take a few minutes or ten minutes.
Morning nap 1.5-2 hours from wake-up. 2.5-3 hours of wakefulness until second nap. Possible: Short (15-30 minute) third nap in the late afternoon or early evening to reduce sleep pressure and avoid over tiredness.
The signs are a cue that if you have the ability to provide a nap opportunity, the baby will fall asleep quicker and sleep longer. If you're not able to provide a sleep opportunity then they're alert again, their body rhythm is out of sync, which is why they'll only sleep for 10 minutes.
Wait a few minutes before you go get your baby at the end of every short nap. For example, if he or she sleeps for 40 minutes, then wait 5–10 minutes before going to get him/her. As with the option above, this will not lead to your baby going back to sleep, but it will teach him or her to wait.
And they usually complete deep sleep after about 30 minutes. So, if you are seeing your baby wake up at the 30 minute mark, or the 45 minute mark, it's because they are shifting between sleep cycles and briefly moving into a lighter stage of sleep.
Sleep regressions are completely normal and often occur at predictable times during your little one's first year — including the 4-month sleep regression, which can actually hit any time between 3 and 4 months. It's also common for sleep regressions to strike at around 6 months, 8 to 10 months and 12 months.
Sample 3-month-old sleep schedules
Likewise, at 3 months, most experts warn against attempting to force a sleep schedule. However, in general, with a 3-month-old baby with a goal of 14 to 17 hours of sleep per day, that often breaks down to 3 to 5 daytime naps that can last between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
- fighting naps or bedtime.
- difficulty falling asleep.
- taking shorter naps or skipping naps.
- frequently waking at night.
- fussing and crying.
How do you reset an overtired baby?
Start by implementing a really early bedtime, if only to reset your baby's sleep patterns. Limit his wake time even shorter so that he catches up on lost sleep. Hold him if need be, or use baby gear like swings and wraps to get him to nap longer.
When will these Bursts or Progressions usually happen? Commonly sleep regressions tend to happen at 6 weeks, 3-4 months, 6 months, 8-10 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years old. And importantly, don't worry most children do not experience a full regression at each of these milestones.
The Fix: If you've determined that your baby's bedtime is too early and is the reason behind them experiencing false starts, the change to their bedtime doesn't have to be drastic! Moving their bedtime just 15-30 minutes later for a few nights can make a difference in adjusting their circadian rhythm.
I'm Tired
In fact, tired cries can often sound a lot like yawns, such as "owh owh owh." Respond by putting your little one down for a nap immediately. If you delay, those whiny cries could turn into a full-blown meltdown as she gets too overtired to fall asleep easily.
At 4 months, all naps should be ending by 5:00pm with bedtime happening about 2-2.25 hours after the last nap ends. So again, this means that bedtime should not be much later than 7:15pm. 5 months: Babies at this age should be solidly on a 3 nap schedule.
As our video highlights, catnapping is a developmental portal all babies must pass through, peaking at between 4-6 months. That said, we do know that prolonged catnapping can begin to impact a baby's night-time sleep due to a build-up of overtiredness throughout the day.
So how does teething affect sleep? On one hand, it may not change your baby's sleep at all. However, if your child is uncomfortable, you may find that both naps and nighttime sleep become a bit of a fight.
- Difficulty falling asleep.
- More frequent nighttime awakenings.
- Increased crying or fussiness upon awakening.
- Notably reduced total sleep time.
A little grizzle or moan is quite common when a baby stirs, it's just what they do in between sleep cycles. How long you give your baby to resettle is completely up to you. However, if they are crying and you instinctively feel they are asking for your support, I recommend resettling them for 5-10 minutes.
The more overtired your baby is, the less likely they are to then settle easily at naps and bedtime. If they're overtired at bedtime, they're also starting off the night on the back foot and you're pretty much guaranteed a have a bad night of restless sleep and possibly an early wake the next morning too.
How much daytime sleep should a 5 month old have?
How much should a 5 month old sleep? At this age, we recommend striving for at least 14.5 hours of total sleep over a 24-hour period, aiming for 11-12 hours at night, and 2.5 - 3.5 hours during the day spread out over 3-4 naps.
Signs of a chronically overtired baby include: Fussiness and crying. Difficult to calm. Yawning.
An overly tired baby will cry hard from the beginning of nap and then fall asleep, but in the end take a short nap. Some overly tired babies will crash and fall asleep immediately, but wake up crying after a short nap. A baby who isn't tired enough will play in the crib for a while before getting upset.
The 45-minute nap is really common, and there are a few specific reasons why: Forty-five minutes is not a coincidence; it is exactly one sleep cycle for a baby. At around the 30-45 minute mark into the sleep cycle, your baby is in a lighter stage of sleep, trying to transition from this cycle to the next.
Some signs of teething affecting sleep include:
Short 30 minute naps, where your child was previously napping consistently for at least 45 minutes or more. Trouble settling at bedtime, when your child was previously, settling easily without any help.
And they usually complete deep sleep after about 30 minutes. So, if you are seeing your baby wake up at the 30 minute mark, or the 45 minute mark, it's because they are shifting between sleep cycles and briefly moving into a lighter stage of sleep.