Parents often ask me why their child will only take a short nap--wake up still tired after 30-45min, and will not go back to sleep. Other times I hear parents say that their child just doesn’t nap or doesn’t need a nap. The reality is that all children (usually until the age of 4 years) need to nap. And if you have a child (over 6-months of age) who is not napping or who will only take short naps then it is most likely because they have not learned that skill yet. The good news is that if you have not taught your child this important skill, it is not too late. Here is some information that may help:
Sleep is actually learned in stages. First, nighttime sleep comes together followed by the morning nap and then the afternoon nap. Therefore, before you consider working on your child’s naps, you should first look at their nights. If your child does not have the skills to put himself to sleep at night (the easiest time) then it will be much harder to do it at nap time. If your child is sleeping well at night then it may be time to start nap coaching.
For day sleep, it takes 45mins to complete a full sleep cycle. However, a restorative nap is over one hour in length. Here are 3 nap scenarios and how to deal with them:
If your child is sleeping through the night, but is still not napping this could be why:
Sleep is actually learned in stages. First, nighttime sleep comes together followed by the morning nap and then the afternoon nap. Therefore, before you consider working on your child’s naps, you should first look at their nights. If your child does not have the skills to put himself to sleep at night (the easiest time) then it will be much harder to do it at nap time. If your child is sleeping well at night then it may be time to start nap coaching.
For day sleep, it takes 45mins to complete a full sleep cycle. However, a restorative nap is over one hour in length. Here are 3 nap scenarios and how to deal with them:
- Your child only naps for 30 min. She has not completed a full-sleep cycle and this is actually a partial arousal. A 30-minute nap is not restorative, similar to not napping at all, and it is best if you try to get her back down.
- Your child naps for 45 min. She has completed a full sleep cycle. However, a 45 min nap is still not enough sleep to be fully restorative. Try for about 15 minutes to get your child back down. If she refuses, do a dramatic wake up, take a very short break then try again soon after (30-45min later).
- Your child naps for over 1 hour. Wait a couple of minutes to see if your child will go back to sleep. Do a dramatic wake up. Congratulations! Your child has just taken a restorative nap!
If your child is sleeping through the night, but is still not napping this could be why:
- Your child is younger than 6-months old. Short naps are quite normal for younger babies. Some children are not developmentally ready to consolidate their naps until they are 6-months old.
- Timing is off. Timing a nap is key! If you wait until a child is overtired, cortisol builds up in their bodies and causes them to feel wired. This makes it harder for them to go to sleep and stay asleep. Watch your child carefully for sleep signs and get them down before they get too tired.
- Inconsistencies. It is best if you can keep a schedule and not vary naps by more than 30min each day. Children do better when they have a consistent sleep schedule to follow (day and night).
- Developmental milestones. If your child usually naps well, but is suddenly having difficulty, it could be that he is about to meet a new milestone. Stay consistent during this time and his sleep will return to normal after he accomplishes his new goal.
- Health problems. Health problems can affect sleep. The biggest culprits are reflux, apnea, asthma, allergies, eczema and ear infections. If you suspect a health problem is keeping your child from sleeping, see a health care professional.