What It Means
A nap schedule is the daytime sleep pattern a baby or toddlerToddlerA child from 1 to 3 years old, the stage CDC's parenting guidance places between infancy and the preschool years. See more follows: how many naps, roughly when they happen and how long they last. Over the first two years it moves from several short naps to a single afternoon nap. Nap sleep and night sleep are added together when you check whether a child is getting the total the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends for their age.
Try It: Add Up a Day of Sleep, Naps Included
Pick an age range and enter an example day. The total is checked against the AASM range, which the AAP endorses.
Inside the recommended range for this age.
Below the range. If most days look like this, mention it at the next checkup.
Above the range. If most days look like this, mention it at the next checkup.
How Parents Say It
- "We're on two naps now, 9 and 1."
- "Don't call during nap time."
- "She fell asleep in the car and it wrecked the whole nap schedule."
The Breakdown
Typical naps by age
| Age | Naps a day | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 2 months | 2 to 4 | Nationwide Children's Hospital |
| 3 to 6 months | Usually 3 | Cleveland Clinic |
| 4 months to 1 year | At least 2, morning and early afternoon, and some babies add a late-afternoon nap | Mayo Clinic |
| About 9 months | A good time to try cutting a late-afternoon third nap | Mayo Clinic |
| 12 months | 1 or 2 | Nationwide Children's Hospital |
| 12 to 18 months | Most move to one midday or afternoon nap | Mayo Clinic |
| By 18 months | Most take one afternoon nap of 1.5 to 3 hours | Nationwide Children's Hospital |
Worked example. A 7-month-old sleeps 11 hours at night and takes two naps of about 90 minutes, near 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., the times Mayo Clinic suggests trying. These are example numbers.
| Part of the day | Sleep |
|---|---|
| Night | 11 hours |
| Morning nap | 1.5 hours |
| Afternoon nap | 1.5 hours |
| Total in 24 hours | 14 hours |
What the result means. 14 hours falls inside the 12 to 16 hours the AASM recommends for babies 4 to 12 months old, so this day adds up. Mayo Clinic adds that naps do the most good when they happen at roughly the same time and last about as long each day.
Good to Know
The AASM's totals, endorsed by the AAP, count naps and night sleep together: 12 to 16 hours in 24 for ages 4 to 12 months, 11 to 14 hours for ages 1 to 2, and 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more to 13 hours for ages 3 to 5. Mayo Clinic says to let babies nap as long as they want unless they then have trouble falling asleep at night. For babies, the AAP's safe sleepSafe sleepThe AAP's rules for lowering the risk of SIDS and suffocation: baby on the back, alone, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, every sleep. See more rules apply to every nap: on the back, on a firm, flat surface, with only a fitted sheet. The ages in the table are typical, and children differ, so ask your pediatrician if your child's total regularly falls outside the range or the naps worry you.
FAQ
How many naps does a 6-month-old take?
Usually two or three. Mayo Clinic says babies from 4 months to 1 year nap at least twice a day, with some adding a late-afternoon nap, and Cleveland Clinic calls three naps usual between 3 and 6 months.
When do babies go down to one nap?
Mayo Clinic says most children switch to one midday or afternoon nap between 12 and 18 months. By 18 months, Nationwide Children's Hospital says most have dropped the morning nap.
How long should a baby's naps be?
Nationwide Children's Hospital says babies between 2 and 12 months nap a total of 2 to 5 hours a day. Mayo Clinic suggests letting a baby nap as long as they want unless it makes falling asleep at night hard.
Do It in Buhata
Calendar in a Household Space
Put the day's nap times on the Calendar in your Household Space, so everyone who puts the baby down works from the same schedule.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Wake window
The stretch of time a baby stays awake between one sleep and the next, often used as a rough guide to when the next nap is due.
- Nap transition
The stretch when a child drops a daytime nap, such as going from three naps to two, from two to one, or from one to none.
- Crib nap
A daytime nap a baby or toddler takes in their own crib, instead of in arms, a car seat or a stroller.
- Safe sleep
The AAP's rules for lowering the risk of SIDS and suffocation: baby on the back, alone, on a firm flat surface in their own sleep space, every sleep.
- Drowsy but awake
Laying a baby down in the crib when they're sleepy but still awake, so they practice falling asleep on their own.
Sources
Mayo Clinic, "Baby naps: Daytime sleep tips"; Nationwide Children's Hospital, "Sleep in Infants (2-12 Months)" and "Sleep in Toddlers"; Cleveland Clinic, "Wake Windows by Age" and "All About Sleep in Your Baby's First Year"; American Academy of Sleep Medicine, "Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations"; AAP News, "AAP endorses new recommendations on sleep times"; AAP, "Safe Sleep"
- www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/baby-naps/art-20047421
- www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sleep-disorder-center/sleep-in-infants
- www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sleep-disorder-center/sleep-in-toddlers
- health.clevelandclinic.org/wake-windows-by-age
- my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14300-sleep-in-your-babys-first-year
- jcsm.aasm.org/doi/full/10.5664/jcsm.5866
- publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/6630/AAP-endorses-new-recommendations-on-sleep-times
- www.aap.org/en/patient-care/safe-sleep
Last updated .