Sound Beginnings

Naps for Babies 0 to 6-months-old! 👶 😴 💤⁠
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Between 0-3 months babies naps are variable, and are often fairly evenly spaced throughout the day. Total 24-hour sleep is generally ~14-17 hours. 🕑⁠
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Between 3-6 months, usually a rhythm develops with 4 naps per day and total daytime sleep ~4-5 hours. 🕑⁠
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These ranges are just guidelines from from the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Time Duration Recommendations, by Hirshkowitz et al. 📑⁠
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Your baby is unique though so if you notice different numbers and your baby seems happy and growing, you're probably right where you need to be with naps.⁠
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During this stage, observing your baby's cues works better than a strict schedule. ⁠
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A pattern may emerge and you can use that to establish daily rhythms. ⁠
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This often evolves into 4-5 naps of ~30-60 minutes each. Then some naps may lengthen or consolidate. ⁠
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Naps tend to become more predictable around 6️⃣ months. ⁠
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All naps are good naps. Contact naps, carrier naps, stroller naps, crib naps — whatever works for your family and your routines. ⁠
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If naps feel "all over the place," consider creating a morning routine. 🌅⁠
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Daylight in the morning can help establish a circadian rhythm. ☀️⁠
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But, babies don't produce their own melatonin until around 3 months, so if it feels tricky before then, you're not doing anything wrong. ⁠
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Questions? Feel free to post them here and I'll do my best to answer. ⁠
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Have an older baby? I'll be doing a series of posts on nap. Feel free to follow or check back. ⁠
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Want more in-depth and holistic info about sleep from a gentle, attachment-focused perspective? ⁠
Check out the link in bio for on-demand webinars covering 0-36+ months.