Are short naps normal? A guide to baby sleep

Written by Gemma Davies, The Mindful Sleep Coach. Gemma is a certified infant sleep coach working with families on a one to one basis antenatally to those with four year olds.

Do you have a baby who has short naps? You’re definitely not alone and I’m here to provide you with reassurance, guidance as well as some tips to try if you do want to try and extend your little ones naps.

We’ll look at:

• What counts as a short nap and why do they happen

• What you do to support longer naps

• How to look after yourself if you’re finding short naps hard

What counts as a short nap and why do they happen?

Typically, a nap under one sleep cycle of around 30-50 minutes is considered short. Short naps are very common though and as I always say with all things sleep it’s only a problem if it’s unsustainable for you. There’s no need to change anything if it’s working for you.

It is very normal and developmentally appropriate for babies to have short naps at any time but especially when they’re under 5- 6 months old and often need more help getting to or staying asleep. You may find some naps are longer and others shorter, again this is all ok as long as your baby is feeding regularly throughout the day - I recommend waking your baby from a nap in the day if it’s time to feed.

When your baby is going through a developmental milestone such as sitting, crawling or clapping for example this can affect their sleep too. This phase will pass with lots of daytime practice of their new skill.

If your baby wakes up content from a short nap, they’ve likely had enough sleep but if they are upset, they may still be tired, hungry (especially in younger babies) or have some discomfort which I’ll go into shortly.

What you can do to support longer naps

We can’t force longer naps, but here are some pointers to look out for and try if you do want to start extending your baby's naps.

Being aware of awake windows and sleepy cues:

• Short naps can be due to overtiredness or undertiredness therefore the timing of when your baby has their nap can be very important if you’d like them to nap for longer. Ensuring they are going down after an age appropriate awake window, I would start at the lower end and you can play around with these, shortening or lengthening every 5 - 7 days to see if it has an impact. I have an awake window table on my Instagram @themindfulsleepcoach

• As well as following awake windows, it’s important to be led by your child’s sleep cues too such as staring into space, red eyebrows or rubbing their eyes - indicating that they are ready for a sleep.

Being aware of awake windows and sleepy cues:

• Short naps can be due to overtiredness or undertiredness therefore the timing of when your baby has their nap can be very important if you’d like them to nap for longer. Ensuring they are going down after an age appropriate awake window, I would start at the lower end and you can play around with these, shortening or lengthening every 5 - 7 days to see if it has an impact. I have an awake window table on my Instagram @themindfulsleepcoach

• As well as following awake windows, it’s important to be led by your child’s sleep cues too such as staring into space, red eyebrows or rubbing their eyes - indicating that they are ready for a sleep.

  
  

Optimising their sleep environment and introducing a nap time routine:

• As babies get older they tend to sleep better in a dark, cool room with white noise and wearing a tog appropriate sleeping bag. If they are on the younger side swaddling can help to stop the moro reflex which can wake them. Once babies are starting to roll, for safety reasons they need to come out of the swaddle and have their arms free.

• It can be really beneficial to start a mini nap time routine to give them a chance to wind down and prepare for sleep, this can be as simple as a nappy change, reading a book, getting them into their sleeping bag and singing them a song.

Reviewing their feeding schedule:

We ideally want to be feeding baby at the beginning of an awake window, some babies may need a top up before sleep to ensure they are full as we want to limit the reason they’re waking from the nap being down to hunger. If they need a top up before their nap I always recommend winding your baby fully before putting them down, which leads me onto my next topic which is comfort levels.

Ensuring your little one is as comfortable as possible:

• If you feel that you have tried everything and your baby still won’t sleep for longer then discomfort may be playing a part and causing them to wake up. Often if your baby is napping for less than the duration of a sleep cycle, their wake is down to discomfort. As they get older, finishing your baby’s feed 20-30 minutes before a nap and winding them can often help to release any air before they go down.

• The other main reasons for discomfort are due to bodily tension which a paediatric osteopath can help with, air intake from feeding - I would suggest seeing a lactation consultant and/or tongue tie practitioner to support with this and lastly, an intolerance or an allergy which may be causing discomfort which you can seek support from your GP or medical professional if you feel this is the case.

Self settling:

For some babies if they are rocked or fed to sleep for example they can look for this association when they wake after a sleep cycle and aren’t able to get back to sleep without it. You can try to extend the nap by picking them up and rocking them, feeding them or taking them out in the pram.

Teaching little ones to self settle at the beginning of a nap can often help to extend a nap length through just one sleep cycle.

How to look after yourself if you are finding short naps hard

• Ask for help, we all need some support while navigating motherhood.

• Even the shortest of breaks matter - two minutes with your eyes closed, one hot drink or five slow breaths.

• If you can try and remind yourself it won’t be like this forever and your baby's sleep will shift as they’re learning and adapting every day.

• A day with short naps isn’t a failure and you’re doing your best.

Baby sleep can often be deeply individual and as with everything in motherhood I find comparison is the thief of joy.

If you would like bespoke sleep support for your little one Gemma can be contacted via FOUR MAMAS and has lots of free sleep tips on her Instagram @themindfulsleepcoach.