fb tracking
No Result
View All Result
BellyBelly
  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
    • Conception
    • Two Week Diaries
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
    • Pregnancy Journals
      • Irene’s Pregnancy Journal
      • Pregnancy Diaries
      • Jovie Birth article
      • Maja Birth article
      • Diary of Ambah article
      • Diary of Belinda article
      • Diary of Rachael article
      • Diary of Sherie
      • Diary of Janelle
      • Diary of Sharon
      • Diary of Lucy
      • Diary of Kathryn
      • Diary of Julie
      • Diary of Kelly
    • Prenatal / Perinatal
    • Sleep
  • Birth
    • Birth Articles
    • Doulas
    • Midwives
  • Mothers
    • Mother Articles
    • Post Natal/Post Partum
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Star Signs For Baby
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Articles
    • Breastfeeding Week by Week
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men/Dads
  • Parenting
  • Health Lifestyle
    • Health
      • General Health
      • Cooking & Recipes
      • Meal Planning
      • Exercise
    • Lifestyle
      • Family Travel
      • Relationships
      • Men/Dads
  • Competitions
    • Competitions
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
    • Conception
    • Two Week Diaries
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
    • Pregnancy Journals
      • Irene’s Pregnancy Journal
      • Pregnancy Diaries
      • Jovie Birth article
      • Maja Birth article
      • Diary of Ambah article
      • Diary of Belinda article
      • Diary of Rachael article
      • Diary of Sherie
      • Diary of Janelle
      • Diary of Sharon
      • Diary of Lucy
      • Diary of Kathryn
      • Diary of Julie
      • Diary of Kelly
    • Prenatal / Perinatal
    • Sleep
  • Birth
    • Birth Articles
    • Doulas
    • Midwives
  • Mothers
    • Mother Articles
    • Post Natal/Post Partum
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Star Signs For Baby
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Articles
    • Breastfeeding Week by Week
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men/Dads
  • Parenting
  • Health Lifestyle
    • Health
      • General Health
      • Cooking & Recipes
      • Meal Planning
      • Exercise
    • Lifestyle
      • Family Travel
      • Relationships
      • Men/Dads
  • Competitions
    • Competitions
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
BellyBelly
No Result
View All Result
Home Baby Sleep

4 Facts About Naps That Might Surprise You

Yvette O
by Yvette O'Dowd
Last updated May 9, 2023
Reading Time: 4 min
Facts About Naps That Might Surprise You

While much is written about infant sleep, most of it focuses on how, when, and where babies and toddlers sleep during the night.

Yet in the first two or three years, young children rely just as much on daytime sleep to help them grow and develop.

Sleep during the day is referred to as “naps”. But what exactly is a nap, how many should your baby or toddler behaving and how long can you expect them to last?

4 Facts About Naps That Might Surprise You

Surprisingly, there is little in the way of research to answer these questions.

The science of infant sleep is still relatively new and most of what parents read or hear is based on assumptions handed down over recent generations, with little to back them up.

#1: Fact – There Is No Such Thing As Bedtime!

Even the most basic fact of when daytime begins and ends in relation to sleep for children is not proven. Around the world, the time babies and children go to bed at night varies greatly and the time they begin their day is no different.

When researchers study sleep patterns, they either prescribe a start and end time for the day or rely on what parents report as their definition. This is important when looking at daytime sleep, as one baby’s first nap for the day could be considered as the last sleep of the night for another!

Despite the schedules and routines proscribed by self-styled baby whisperers and sleep trainers, there is simply no evidence that all babies should or could sleep from 7 pm to 7 am.

#2: Fact – Safe Sleep Guidelines Apply Around the Clock

While most parents are well aware of guidelines to reduce the risk of SIDS and other SUDI, surprisingly many do not follow these for daytime sleep for babies.

The recommendation for babies to sleep in the same room as their mother for the first 6-12 months is just as important during the day as night. One study found that 75% of daytime SIDS deaths occurred while babies were alone in a room.

The safest place for your baby to nap is in the same space you are as you go about your day. Co-napping or babywearing are practical ways to ensure your baby is close to you but if you need to care for other children, work or use nap-time for recreation, having a safe sleep space which is not in the nursery or bedroom is the safest option.

While occasional naps in prams, strollers, or infant car seats may be necessary, this equipment is not designed as a regular sleep space and an infant bed or bassinet which meets the relevant standards is the safer choice.

#3: Fact – Babies Vary Greatly In their Daytime Sleep Needs

If you have been blessed with a baby or toddler who sleeps long hours during the night, you can expect her daytime sleep requirements to be less than a baby who wakes more frequently.

While you can expect your newborn baby to sleep much the same around the clock, as she begins to develop her own, natural circadian rhythm, you will begin to see changes. After relying on the maternal response to regulate sleep in the womb, a baby only begins to develop their own response to night and day from around three months.

This gradual developmental stage relies on external factors, such as exposure to natural light compared to artificial light, the use of blackout blinds or covers on prams, and other changes to a sleep environment.

If you want to encourage your baby’s natural sleep regulation, avoid light restriction during daylight AND exposure to artificial light in the evening and during the night.

The length of time a nap lasts will depend on many things: how easily your baby naturally transitions from one sleep cycle to the next, how easily they are disturbed by external stimuli, and the space they are napping in. A baby sleeping against his mother’s chest in a baby carrier while she vacuums around the house might sleep longer than one sleeping in a quiet room where his father works on a computer.

 

Are You Getting BellyBelly’s Baby Week By Week Emails?
We think they’re the best on the internet!
Click to get the FREE weekly updates our fans are RAVING about.

 

#4: Fact – Babies Consolidate Their Sleep Naturally Over Time

By the time your toddler is around two or three years old, his need for daytime sleep will gradually fade. From as early as two months, your baby could begin to have predictable naps several times a day and – for some babies – these will tend to occur at regular stages of the day.

In the first twelve months, the number of daytime sleep periods will change, with many babies experiencing sleep transitions around four months, nine months, and fifteen months: perhaps not coincidentally some of the more challenging Wonder Week Leaps.

A baby does not need to be trained how and when to sleep. By watching for natural sleep cues, rather than hours passed on the clock, you can offer opportunities to sleep and follow your child’s individual evolution from getting sleep during the day and night to sleeping during the night only.

Counting naps, hours slept or awake, following strict schedules, or being inflexible about sleep times can only serve to interrupt this natural progression and simply interfere with the instinctive maturation of sleep.

Previous Post

Breakfast Favourite Could Double Diabetes Risk: Harvard Study

Next Post

Why It Takes An Entire Community To Breastfeed

Yvette O

Yvette O'Dowd

Yvette ODowd has been a breastfeeding counsellor and educator since 1992. She has three adult children and a two year old granddaughter - the best sort of bonus baby! Yvette runs a popular natural parenting network, is a babywearing educator, and runs antenatal breastfeeding classes for parents expecting twins and more! She is a keen photographer and scrap-booker and a keeper of a fairy garden.

Next Post
Why It Takes An Entire Community To Breastfeed

Why It Takes An Entire Community To Breastfeed

Recommended

Ozempic While Breastfeeding

Ozempic While Breastfeeding | Will It Harm Milk Supply?

Last updated November 27, 2023
Flat Nipples

Flat Nipples | 3 Ways To Improve Breastfeeding

Last updated November 27, 2023
pimples on nipples

Pimples On Nipples | Harmful Causes In Breastfeeding Mothers

Last updated November 27, 2023

Trending

Ovulation Pain

Ovulation Pain – 7 Causes Of Pain During Ovulation

Last updated June 27, 2023
early miscarriage

Early Miscarriage – Signs, Symptoms and What To Expect

Last updated July 4, 2023
Car Seat Crying – Tips To Reduce Crying In The Car

Car Seat Crying – 8 Tips To Reduce Crying In The Car

Last updated August 9, 2022

Cooking and Recipes

Chicken recipe

Chicken Recipes | Delicious Apricot Chicken Recipe

Last updated October 11, 2023
Bread Recipe

Homemade Bread Recipe | Simple and Yummy

Last updated July 24, 2023
Stews Casserole & Soup Slow Cooker Recipes

Stews Casserole & Soup Slow Cooker Recipes | 30 Hearty Meals

Last updated June 26, 2023
Australian Enterprise Awards
As seen on homemuse.com.au
Lux Life Award

Belly Belly Logo

We’re passionate about women and men feeling informed, confident and prepared for pregnancy, birth and early parenting.

  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
    • Conception
    • Two Week Diaries
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
    • Pregnancy Journals
      • Irene’s Pregnancy Journal
      • Pregnancy Diaries
      • Jovie Birth article
      • Maja Birth article
      • Diary of Ambah article
      • Diary of Belinda article
      • Diary of Rachael article
      • Diary of Sherie
      • Diary of Janelle
      • Diary of Sharon
      • Diary of Lucy
      • Diary of Kathryn
      • Diary of Julie
      • Diary of Kelly
    • Prenatal / Perinatal
    • Sleep
  • Birth
    • Birth Articles
    • Doulas
    • Midwives
  • Mothers
    • Mother Articles
    • Post Natal/Post Partum
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Star Signs For Baby
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Articles
    • Breastfeeding Week by Week
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men/Dads
  • Parenting
  • Health Lifestyle
    • Health
      • General Health
      • Cooking & Recipes
      • Meal Planning
      • Exercise
    • Lifestyle
      • Family Travel
      • Relationships
      • Men/Dads
  • Competitions
    • Competitions
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
  • Pregnancy Symptoms
  • Pregnancy Week by Week
  • Baby Week by Week

OUR NETWORK

  • Belly Belly Logo
    bellybelly.com.au
  • Around the World Plus Kids
    www.aroundtheworldpluskids.com.au
  • Doula Training
    www.doula-training.com.au
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise

© Copyright 2002–2023 BellyBelly, All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Getting Pregnant
    • Conception
    • Two Week Diaries
  • Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Articles
    • Pregnancy Week By Week
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Pregnancy Calculator
    • Pregnancy Journals
      • Irene’s Pregnancy Journal
      • Pregnancy Diaries
      • Jovie Birth article
      • Maja Birth article
      • Diary of Ambah article
      • Diary of Belinda article
      • Diary of Rachael article
      • Diary of Sherie
      • Diary of Janelle
      • Diary of Sharon
      • Diary of Lucy
      • Diary of Kathryn
      • Diary of Julie
      • Diary of Kelly
    • Prenatal / Perinatal
    • Sleep
  • Birth
    • Birth Articles
    • Doulas
    • Midwives
  • Mothers
    • Mother Articles
    • Post Natal/Post Partum
  • Baby
    • Baby Articles
    • Baby Week By Week
    • Baby Sleep Articles
    • Star Signs For Baby
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Articles
    • Breastfeeding Week by Week
  • Toddler
  • Child
  • Men/Dads
  • Parenting
  • Health Lifestyle
    • Health
      • General Health
      • Cooking & Recipes
      • Meal Planning
      • Exercise
    • Lifestyle
      • Family Travel
      • Relationships
      • Men/Dads
  • Competitions
    • Competitions
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise

© Copyright 2002–2023 BellyBelly, All Rights Reserved.

Know What's Normal For Your Baby Every Week Of The First Year

Close