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Your baby’s daytime sleep is a bit like a lottery: today, two hours of blissful silence; tomorrow, twenty minutes and goodbye. And you’d only just got ready to drink a hot coffee. 😅
If that’s wearing you out – that’s normal. Unpredictable days are part of the first year. Let’s look at what’s typical at each age, so you’re not chasing the impossible.
The short answer: 0–3 months: lots of short sleeps with no real routine. 3–6 months: around 3 naps. 6–12 months: usually 2. From around 12–15 months, babies gradually move to 1. Take these as a direction, not a timetable.
Why do naps matter at all?
Daytime sleep is part of the total sleep in 24 hours. For babies between 4 and 12 months, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 12–16 hours of sleep in total over 24 hours, naps included. A well-rested baby often falls asleep more easily in the evening too – while an overtired one fights sleep.
A large review of 34 studies (Galland and colleagues, 2012) shows something logical: as babies get older, the number of daytime naps goes down and the longest night-time sleep gets longer.
How many naps a day by age?
The guidelines below come from Australian health sources (Raising Children Network, Tresillian, HealthyWA). Different sources give slightly different ranges, so take them as a direction, not a timetable:
- 0–3 months: lots of short sleeps throughout the day and night, with no real routine. Your baby sleeps, feeds and sleeps again.
- 3–6 months: usually around 3 naps, gradually moving towards 2–3. Naps from 30 minutes to 2 hours are completely typical.
- 6–12 months: most babies move to 2 naps – a morning and an afternoon one – and the longest sleep is now at night.
- around 12–15 months and beyond: according to HealthyWA, the two naps usually stay until this age, after which babies gradually move to one.
Watch your baby, not just the clock. Yawning, eye-rubbing and a faraway look are an invitation to nap. If you wait until the crying starts – that train has left the station, and falling asleep gets harder.
Is it normal for naps to be short?
Yes, especially in the first months. A short nap isn’t a failure. If your baby wakes up in a good mood after 30–40 minutes, that may be enough for them. If they wake up grumpy, try a darker, quieter room or putting them down a little earlier.
How do you know it’s time for fewer naps?
- for several days your baby takes ages to settle for one of the naps;
- the last nap keeps pushing bedtime later and later;
- night sleep suddenly becomes restless for no other reason.
The transition is rarely smooth. For a few weeks, some days will have two naps and others three. And on days with less sleep, an earlier bedtime is a good idea.
Naps in the pram or the car are completely fine. If your baby falls asleep in the car seat, move them onto their back on a flat surface once you arrive – that’s what the AAP recommends too.
How to keep daytime sleep safe
The rules are the same as at night: on their back, on a firm, flat surface, no pillows or toys, ideally somewhere you can hear or see them. If your newborn sleeps more calmly when swaddled, read how to swaddle in a hip-safe way.
For the dads
The Saturday morning nap can become your zone: a walk with the pram, the baby falls asleep, and Mum gets an hour just for herself. A win on every front.
In short
Naps change along with your baby – from chaos to three, then two, then one. There’s no need to hit the perfect schedule; it’s enough to follow your little person’s signals. Every week you get to know them better – and that’s your superpower. ☀️
Sources: Raising Children Network – Baby sleep: 2–12 months; HealthyWA – Sleep 6 months to 3 years; Tresillian – Sleep 3 to 6 months; Sleep Medicine Reviews (Galland et al., 2012) – Normal sleep patterns in infants and children.
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