Nap Time - How often and how long?

Roxanne - posted on 12/09/2009

my pediatrician says about 15 hours a day is good and suffient for brain development. my daughter turned one on the 16th and sleeps from 9pm-8am and takes 1 to 2 hour naps, one around 11:30am and one around 4 or 5pm.

Heather - posted on 11/15/2009

Every kid is different. My oldest took two naps at a year, was down to one nap by 18 months and totally gave up naps at 2 years. My younger one is down to one nap and has been since she was 6 months old. My oldest didn't "sleep through the night" until 18 months when I was pregnant with my youngest and she night weaned. My youngest still wakes 2-3 times a night and goes to bed at 8-9 and wakes at 6-7. I figure if shes tired she will sleep.

Porscha - posted on 11/15/2009

My son has just changed his nap times in the last couple of weeks. He was having 2 short naps, one at about 9:30am-10:30 am then another at about 3:30pm-4:30pm, along with a couple of short 10-20min naps in the car between home and my older sons school. Bub is now having one sleep in the middle of the day, about 11:00am-2:00pm...I have to wake him about 2:00pm so we have time for a nappy change and a drink before leaving to get to school on time, he sleeps til about 2:30/3:00pm on weekends.
All my kids have been different with their sleep patterns, my eldest went from 2 short naps to one slightly longer (but still less than 2hrs) nap at about 15mths old, then gave up naps completly at 18mths old. My 2nd decided at 6mths old that she only needed one nap a day and would sleep from 11:00am til 3:00 or 4:00pm, that sleep gradually got shorter and shorter til she gave up naps completly at 2.5yrs old.
The one thing all my bubs have done is sleep really well at night, they all went to bed at 7pm and slept right thru til 6:00/6:30am, only my eldest woke thru the night for a bottle after 6mths old.
I am like alot of other mums here, I let bub sleep when he is tired...but not so much that he wants to stay up all night, I need a few hours to myself before I go to bed too :D

Suzanne - posted on 11/13/2009

My son just switched from 2 naps to one long afternoon nap and I'm loving it. He was doing well with his morning nap, but he didn't want to go down for a later nap. He just didn't seem tired so I gradually pushed his nap back to one later afternoon nap. He sleeps 12 hours at night and then takes one 3 hour nap in the afternoon from about 1:30 - 4:30. I swear he would sleep longer, but I wake him up most days so he will still go to bed at 8pm. I worry that if I let him sleep past 4:30 or 5, he won't be tired at bedtime.

Heather - posted on 11/13/2009

My Andy sleeps 16 hours most days! 12 at night & 2 two-hour naps. I thought he was trying to drop a nap right when the time changed - but he was just confused by the change in his schedule - he had about a week of odd naps & back to normal. He can skip his morning nap if we are doing something out & about (a playgroup or shopping) that is out of his routine. We'll eat lunch early & he will go right down for a 3 hour nap those days. I try to limit that to just a few times a week because he does get tired & that lost hour catches up.... plus I will put him down 1/2 hour earlier for bed if I can (not always easy).

Kathy - posted on 11/11/2009

Every child's schedule will be different. My nov. 08 baby Kadence stopped taking 2 naps a while ago. She sleeps for 12 hours per night, and then takes a 3-4 hour nap midday. My oldest daughter literally stopped napping all together at about 11 mths old. My middle daughter (33 mths) would still be napping if the eldest hadn't taught her how to climb out of the crib last fall:( My son still napped after a.m. kindergarten when he was 5-LOL! Just shows you how different each child is, there are no absolutes or "right or wrong" schedules just that child's schedule. :)

Jazi - posted on 11/10/2009

My son normally doesn't take a full "nap" durring the day - He goes down for bed between 930 and 10. wakes up around 5am for a diaper change and goes right back to sleep till around 11am. he plays in his crib most mornings quietly while I try and fight off the remnents of my nighttime medications so that I can function durring the day. Then we get up and go through the day - Often we drive to various places and he doesn't even nap in the car. There are the days he needs soem sleep though - and then we put him into a quiet place and he goes down for a while.

The way I see it - is it is more important to "hear" what my son needs and give it to him, rather than put him on some schedule that all "THE BOOKS" say he should be on. We like to joke that someone gave my son "THE BOOK" in utero - he read it just so that he would know what Not to do

Cathy - posted on 11/08/2009

My daugther sleep 10-12 hours at night and then takes a 45 minute or sometimes 1 1/2 long morning nap and can take a 2-3 hours afternoon nap. I know when my daughter moves to the one year old room at daycare they will put her down for 1 nap starting after lunch at like 11:30am with the hope that she will sleep until 2 or 2:30pm. I don't think she will sleep that long and since I pick her up about 2:30 anyway she will likely at least for a little while come home and take a nap. I don't think my daughter is quite ready to give up the morning nap yet. I am letting her tell me when she doesn't need it anymore. Kids this age are supposed to be getting 14ish hours of sleep so I am not worried.

Allison - posted on 11/08/2009

Mine sleeps longer than yours does! :) She sleeps about 11 hours at night, and takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap, for a total of anywhere from 13-15 hours most days. I figure she knows how much sleep she needs, and won't go to sleep if she's not tired.

Erin - posted on 11/08/2009

I worried myself to death with all the nap time advice I got with my son ( who is now 7) and found forcing him to take naps when he didn't need them was more stressful for both of us than worth it. My daughter is completely different, and has the same schedule yours does. She's happy all the time, perfectly healthy, and sleeps 9-10 hours a night. I figure I'm not messing with a good thing this time. And you're right...they nap for a reason, and when she doesn't need them anymore, I'm sure she'll stop taking them on her own!