When I speak to parents, one of their biggest frustration is dealing with constant catnapping. Yes, it is very common and developmentally normal for the daytime sleep of babies to be characterised by short sleep cycles. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do to try and change the sleep scenario.

There is ample evidence and research that shows the quantity and quality of daytime sleep will impact nighttime sleep, so there is nothing wrong with wanting to work on getting longer daytime naps for your little ones. 

Plus, we should not discount the obvious the benefits of that downtime for parents. 

Here are my top tips for longer naps:

Environment

After 2 months, babies really benefit from having a quiet, warm and dark space for sleep. Napping in this space may not be realistic for all day naps of course, but try at least once a day to put them down in an optimal sleep environment to give them the best chance of napping for a longer period of time.

Gentle white noise, like nature sounds of wind and rain, can be both soothing for your baby and also help to block out any external noises that may rouse them when they are in light sleep. Also, avoid using red or pink lights during sleep as they can be too stimulated when they wake to return to sleep easily.

Overtired or Undertired?

Trying to work out if your baby is undertired or overtired can be really frustrating as both can be characterized by crying, difficulty falling asleep and a short nap duration. 

If your baby is waking mid-way through a sleep cycle, at the 20 minute mark, this is often a sign that they were overtired when they went down for their nap. The excess cortisol and adrenaline that was in their system from the extended awake period made falling into a deep sleep more difficult.  My suggestion here is to try and extend the nap anyway you can - rocking, carrier or contact nap to help get on top of the overtiredness.

On the other hand, a baby that is waking consistently at the 45 minute mark for every nap may actually benefit from a longer awake time before going down. Keeping them up a little bit longer - an extra 10 minutes - will create a little more sleep pressure which will assist them in linking sleep cycles, or at least make it easier to re-settle if they do wake. 

Finding the balance of the appropriate awake window is tricky and I recommend keeping a sleep journal for a few days so you can see any patterns that emerge.

Settling for Sleep

Catnapping is a common feature of infant sleep at 4 months and often associated with the 4 month sleep regression - and while this is true it does not mean it should still be a regular feature of daytime sleep after 6 months of age. This is the perfect age to ditch the dummy and instead focus on supporting your child to fall asleep calmly and independently.

Before 4 months, many babies will have a hard time falling asleep independently. However, some are able to recruit the skills required to fall asleep on their own. Don’t be afraid to be curious and place them down when they are calm, but awake and aware, to see if they can fall asleep.  If they need help, they will signal to a parent for that assistance. A baby has to be able to fall asleep independently before we can expect them to re-settle themselves to link sleep 

After 4 months of age, consider all the factors involved when settling your baby for sleep and whether or not they can replicate the same scenario when they wake up between sleep cycles.  If a baby is relying on external factors like a dummy being replaced or rocking to fall asleep, then it is fair to expect them to signal for those same sleep associations when they wake up. By reducing the amount of assistance you are offering them as they fall asleep, you will encourage them to build their skills for independent sleep.

Being left to cry-it-out is an outdated idea with sleep training. If you are struggling with achieving sleep independence for your little one, reach out for a 1-1 consultation and let us help you to find a way that balances your parenting style with your child’s needs and temperament.

Wait then Respond

When your baby wakes at the end of a sleep cycle, don’t rush in to try and get them back to sleep straight away. Hold back and take a few deep breaths while you listen to what they are communicating to you. It can be hard work for babies to learn how to fall back asleep and therefore normal that they may be noisy in the process - grunting, grizzling and crying intermittently. Crying and then pausing before crying again is a great sign that your little one is actually trying to get back to sleep, so it is best to not get in the way of that by rushing in and patting or rocking them as this is likely to stimulate them and wake them more.

Give them a little time and space and they may surprise you.

If they wake at the 45 minute mark and are very upset, there is a good chance they are still very tired and are crying because they want to be back asleep. If you wait and they do not calm down, then go and offer the reassurance and let them know you are there to help them calm down, but you don’t need to be the one to actively help them back to sleep.

When to Re-settle?

No one wants to spend their day nap trapped nor is it realistic to expect a parent to be home for all naps and spending the whole day re-settling. That would be both exhausting and maddening.  

Instead, choose one nap a day that you will try and focus on re-settling.  Choose a settling technique that you can use consistently and give yourself a time limit that you will try and re-settle your baby. If it doesn’t work, pop them up and try again tomorrow. Each nap you try and re-settle is an opportunity to practice and a step closer to achieving longer day naps. 

Have a baby who is catnapping and want to discuss further how you can achieve more daytime sleep?  Book a 30 minute sleep consultation and let’s work together on it!

References:

• Newton, A.T. and Reid, G.J. (2022). Regular, intermittent, and spontaneous: Patterns of preschool Children’s nap behavior and their correlates. Sleep Medicine, 102. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2022.12.019.
  

• Sleep Foundation. (2023). Newborn Sleep Schedule. [online] Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/baby-sleep/newborn-sleep-schedule.