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There’s no question that sleep is a hot topic of conversation for new parents. Babies are up at all hours of the night, and parents are running on fumes trying to keep up with the demands of the house, work, and the new baby. To say that it’s exhausting is an understatement. But getting your baby on a nap schedule can significantly help parents develop a good routine for them and their baby.
Many baby experts agree that a sleep schedule helps everyone sleep better at night.
What is a newborn nap schedule?
As you can guess, a newborn nap schedule sets periods of time for sleeping in between waking activities such as feeding. Your newborn’s sleep schedule will change as they get older, with newborns needing the most sleep and taking the most naps through the first three months.
According to Sleep.org, a newborn baby needs approximately 18 hours of sleep for every 24-hour day. That’s a lot of sleep. This sleep doesn’t happen all at once. Babies sleep throughout the day in spurts filled with naps that are approximately two to four hours long. Essentially, your baby will sleep, wake for feeding, and likely go back to sleep after a short time of being awake and taking in everything around them.
During the first three months, babies don’t really know the difference between day and night and, thus, aren’t likely to follow a nighttime sleep routine of sleeping through the night. As your baby crosses the three-month mark, their sleep patterns may begin to change. This is where a sleep schedule begins to take shape.
To assist with babies getting used to the day/night concept, parents can expose them to brighter lights during the day, dim the lights at night, and reduce the noise around them. It can be hard to get a newborn to adhere to a sleep schedule. Most importantly, infants get enough sleep to help them develop and healthily grow.
Note: Remember to follow all safety precautions when putting your baby to sleep. Make sure the mattress is firm and that they don’t sink down into it. Lay your baby on their back to reduce the chances of SIDS. Remove unnecessary padding, blankets, or stuffed animals to reduce the chances of suffocation.
Benefits of a nap and sleep schedule
Parents often strive for a nap and sleep schedule because it helps them have more control over their day to get a long list of things done. But it’s good for your baby, too. “One of the biggest pros of a consistent sleep schedule is that it can help the baby’s internal clock work smoother,” Po-Change Hsu, MD, of SleepingOcean.com, told Mom.com. The result of a consistent sleep schedule is that kids are likely to sleep better.
Bodies grow and rejuvenate during sleep. For babies, there is a lot of growing and development that is happening, and all that extra sleep helps them achieve it. Doing what you can to help your baby sleep better helps his body and brain develop correctly.
It can help to let many newborns dictate what the sleep schedule will be. “My daughter developed the schedule herself in the first few days home, and then I basically stuck to it. As she got older, I listened to her cues for dropping naps but stayed in a pretty good routine,” Bridget Shirvell, mom of a toddler, explained to Mom.com. “Every once in a while, something would come up where she wouldn’t nap or wouldn’t get to bed at her normal time, and I just sort of went with it but didn’t allow it to become a habit.”
Essentially, your newborn will dictate how much sleep they need and that often means they will dictate the schedule early on.
How many naps for a 4-month-old?
A 4-month-old baby isn’t going to sleep quite as much as a newborn. They still need about 14.5 hours of sleep a day. But it also means that they are starting to understand the night and day difference and start sleeping longer at night. Most 4-month olds should be sleeping 10 to 11 hours per night with three to four naps during the day.
A sample sleep schedule for a 4-month old would look something like this:
6:30 a.m. — Wake up
8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. — Nap 1
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. — Nap 2
1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. — Nap 3
4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. — Nap 4
6:45 p.m. — Get ready for bed
7:15 p.m. — Go to bed
To get your baby on this schedule, make sure to treat sleep time in a way that is conducive to sleeping. Turn off distractions such as the television and play soothing music that helps your baby relax. Dim the lights and draw the curtains to set the mood for sleeping.
The bedtime routine is important. It’s helping your baby’s circadian rhythms adjust from day to night mode. It reinforces the natural rhythms that your baby is starting to develop and teaches them between day and night. A bedtime routine means that you do the same or similar activities each night. You might begin with a warm, relaxing bath and then read a book to your baby. The more consistent you are with a bedtime routine, the better you set yourself up for success that your baby will start to sleep well and through the night sooner than later.
As your baby gets older, he will need less sleep. For example, a 6-month-old only requires 14 hours of sleep a day, and a 12-month old only needs 13.25 hours of sleep a day. Stay tuned in to your baby’s needs. If they are getting less sleep but seem fussy, try to go back to the old schedule for a little while to see if that helps. Sleep schedules should be consistent, but parents need to pay attention to what their baby is expressing as well.
