How many naps for a 4 month old?

Cori - posted on 02/08/2013

my daughter is 4 months an a week, doing the same thing everynight helped her get on a schedule an now were getting day time down, she falls asleep i take her out an put her where she sleeps at night. by not leaving her in swing i feel shes learning where sleeping takes place. i have reflux baby so getting on a schedule was hard, but at night, we have routine medicine, bath, bottle, swaddle bed! ha trust me they like consistentcy!

Melissa - posted on 06/26/2012

My four month old daughter has been sleeping through the night since 7 weeks old - goes down at 8 pm and wakes anywhere between 6:45 and 8:30 am. In the past 3 or so weeks she has started taking 45 minute naps about 4 times a day - very rarely can I get her to take that long 2 to 3 hour nap she was taking in the afternoon. This seems to be an extremely common theme around 4 months old so I chalk it up to a growth phase. It's been too long for me to remember how my 18 year old son napped! My children were 9.4 lbs(daughter) and 9.8 lbs(son). My son woke up at least once until he was nearly two years old! I think it's important to let them nap as much as they want - at this stage they are growing so rapidly, they need as much sleep as possible!

Annabelles - posted on 04/27/2012

when my kids were 4 months old they took between 2 naps

Jacqueline - posted on 04/25/2012

Have 4 kids and each was different. As soon as mine reached 14 pounds it seemed like sleep slowly increased at night. Naps- they normally need a morning and afternoon nap. Like2.5-3.5 hrs after waking. And then 3-4 hrs after waking from 1 st nap. Then bed 4-5 hrs after that - all variable depending on child. Not fair to put him on your schedule - its whatever is best for the baby.

Jacqueline - posted on 04/25/2012

Have 4 kids and each was different. As soon as mine reached 14 pounds it seemed like sleep slowly increased at night. Naps- they normally need a morning and afternoon nap. Like2.5-3.5 hrs after waking. And then 3-4 hrs after waking from 1 st nap. Then bed 4-5 hrs after that - all variable depending on child. Not fair to put him on your schedule - its whatever is best for the baby.

Sophie - posted on 08/29/2011

Your 4 month old should have as many naps as he wants he growing hun..all they do is eat sleep and poop it a tiering job.

Ashley - posted on 04/23/2009

Your 4 month old should be on a set nap schedule, it will definitely help him (and you) sleep through the night. I hired an infant sleep doula/consultant for my daughter when she was 10 weeks old because my daughter would only take a 45 minute nap a couple times per day and it was not enough. When Avery was 4 months old I would keep her awake for 90 minutes at a time only, any longer than that and a baby that age just gets overtired. She would wake up around 6am, take 2 2 hour naps around 7:30am and 11:30am and then a short nap of 45 minutes around 4pm and down for the night at 6pm. Keeping a baby up any later than 6pm for most babies is too late and will cause them to wake up during the night or early morning hours (4am or so). She eats 4 times per day every 3 and a half-4 hours. She has been sleeping through the night ever since and is never cranky. After implementing this routine I saw my overtired daughter's sweet personality return. Now at 6 months she gets about 4 hours of sleep during the day and 12 hours at night. Implementing a sleep schedule was the best thing I ever did, I hope it helps you figure out how many naps your 4 month old should take!

Leah - posted on 04/23/2009

How many naps for a 4 month old?



My bubby is just over 4 months old. Most nights she sleeps through, but has been up lately for a feed in the middle of the night. She is a cat napper during the day. She usually has 4 naps of about 40 minutes, but she's not really on a schedule. She generally stays awake for about 2 hours at a time before she starts to get grumpy and needs a sleep. I read somewhere that young babies really shouldn't be awake for more than 1.5 - 2 hours at a time otherwise they become overtired and find it difficult to fall asleep. That works for us but I'm sure all babies are different.

Keri - posted on 04/22/2009

Hi there! I have an 18 1/2 month and 4 1/2 month. My youngest is on 2-3 naps per day. When we're at home he gets two good naps, but when we're out and about he may have more if he's riding in the car. Puts him right to sleep! ;) Hope this helps a bit.

Erica - posted on 04/22/2009

I have had 4 kids and they never really had a set nap schedule untill they were closer to a year old and by then they naped twice a day mid morning and mid afternoon when they were infants they fell asleep when ever they needed to. Some people get lucky and their infants sleep through the night and have scheduled naps during the day but I didn't have such luck with mine. My youngest daughter is almost three and she still NEEDS a nap in the afternoon, she never wants to lay down but it is a must for the sake of everyone in the house :O)

Melissa - posted on 04/22/2009

Hi I have a degree in Early Childhood Education, the recommendation is try to set a daily schedule and always allow your child to sleep on demand. I do not recommend trying to keep the baby awake for longer periods of time, all children are different and develop at thier own pace. Follow thier cues such as fussyness,rubbing eyes,looking away from you this tells you they are tired. If you would like age appropriate information please go to visit naeyc the National association of young children it has lot of information from developmental specialists. I hope this helps. Melissa

Christine - posted on 04/22/2009

Try reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, MD. Some of the suggestions/techniques in there helped me get my little guy on a more regular routine, and it explains the sleep/wake cycles quite nicely. It can tell you how many naps your 4 month old should be taking. Basically 2 - 3 naps during the day (2 longer... like about 1.5 hrs or so and then 1 shorter one in the late afternoon) seems to be about the norm/works the best for good night-time sleep. It certainly works for my little guy. He had ultra short naps (sometimes no more than half an hour) and wasn't sleeping in the early evening (i.e. he'd fuss until 11 or so at night) up until about 4-5 months of age when I started trying the techniques. He then started napping once in the morning for up to 2.5 hours, and 1-2 times in the afternoon, one about an hour and half, and one about 45 minutes if he needed it before supper. Now's he's at the age (8.5 mos) where that morning nap is disappearing and the short nap almost never happens. Oh and he now goes to bed at 8 pm and gets up at 8 am :) Good luck with your little one.

Beverly - posted on 04/22/2009

All babies are different. My son was on a schedule since he was 3 weeks old. He would eat every 3 hours starting from the time he got up, which was usually around 6am. He would only wake up once during the night for a snack. But he would have his morning nap anywhere from 9-11 then his afternoon nap from 1-330. Then he wouldnt go to bed till 9. But as he got older he grew out of 2 naps so he only took his afternoon nap. My daughter, forget it. I couldnt put on her schedule for anything, till now. Now my son is almost 3 and my daughter is almost 2 and their still on schedules.

Amy - posted on 04/22/2009

Quoting Michelle:

i'm very interested to hear other moms' experiences here... my 3-month-old is sleeping through the night most of the time (goes to bed around 10:30-11, wakes up either 6:30ish or 9ish), still occasionally wakes up for a middle-of the-night feed. But he just catnaps during the day, rarely ever sleeps longer than an hour. Actually I consider an hour quite a long nap. I don't know if its because i bring him to work with me and so maybe he gets disturbed more, or what. We have nothing resembling a "set nap schedule"!!

My daughter is the same way.  She's 4 1/2 months old, sleeps through the night most of the time, and only takes about 3 separate 30 min naps.

Nikki - posted on 04/22/2009

well my little girl takes 2, one in the afternoon for like 2-3 hours and then she is up for a couple hours and then takes another for like an hour, but i know someone that their little guy takes a couple naps for only 15-30 minutes.... so I guess it all depends on the child. I know I am lucky with her long naps, i can get so much accomplished, so good luck on those naps

Beth - posted on 04/22/2009

My daughter is 16 months and she will go to bed around 7-7:30 pm and she gets up around 6:30 or 7am. She STILL takes two naps a day. One about 2-3 hours after she gets up and she will sleep for 2-3 hours then she will get up, eat, play and take another nap for another 2 hours. A nap schedule is the best idea. Sometimes it can be rough if you have errands to run, but you will be thankful he has a schedule.

Megan - posted on 04/22/2009

My son is 4 months and 3 weeks and at the beginning of his 4th month he was still taking 3 small naps during the day. Recently, he has cut back to 2 naps but sometimes sneaks an extra half hour nap in around dinner time. Don't be discouraged that your son is not sleeping through the night!! Every baby is different and sometimes it just takes longer to establish a sleep schedule. A lot of moms try to push their kids early to sleep with extra milk before bed, formula instead of breast milk, belly sleeping, and starting cereal. We do give him extra breast milk before bed but he sleeps on his back. We'll start cereal in a few weeks. I try to tell myself that it isn't about me when I'm exhausted and his sleeping isn't exactly ideal for my restfulness:) Altogether, my son sleeps about 10 hours at night (broken with a few wake ups and one or two feedings), is up by 7-8am, naps about 3 hours total during the day, and is asleep by 8pm. I was the mom who tried to get him on a somewhat strict schedule at first but it doesn't work that well...your son will let you know when he's tired and as frustrating as it is, let him lead the way. I did get help from The Baby Whisperer with a general schedule....sleep, eat right when he wakes up, play hard to tire him out...back to sleep:) At night I feed him and put him straight back to bed without lights or talking to keep him sleepy. If he cries, I give him his paci, pat his bottom, and leave the room. It's worked well for us. Best of luck and hope you will be encouraged. God bless:)
Oh...and don't be discouraged with the seemingly "super" Moms who claim that their 4 month olds are sleeping 10-12 hours straight with no interruptions...maybe they are, and maybe they aren't ;)

Amanda - posted on 04/22/2009

I had both my kids on nap schedules and as soon as possible!! Both mine took 3 naps a day at that age. One around 10am, one around 1pm and another around 5:30pm. The morning and late afternoon ones were only about 30-45 minutes but neither of m kids woul last till bedtime without that afternoon nap. We dropped the 3rd nap with my son around 9 mo. and with my daughter it was around 8 mo.(she is now 8 1/2 mo.). They both slept through the night pretty early (9 weeks and 11 weeks) and in my opinion I think getting them on not only a nap schedule but a feeding schedule as well helped with that!! Good Luck!!! :)

Adel - posted on 04/22/2009

I guess I should consider myself lucky. My little guy is just over 4 months and sleeping through the night. He goes to bed at around 11p.m. and is awake between 9 and 10 a.m. He has 2 naps during the day for about 2 hrs at a time, and a short 1/2 hr nap in the evening after supper. He is then awake for the rest of the evening. I enjoy this time to play with and interact with him. Don't be too concerned about how many naps your 4 month old is taking. If he is not really cranky, maybe he just doesn't need that much sleep. Most of the time they will make their own schedule. Hope this helps.

Jennifer - posted on 04/22/2009

baby's are so hard to determine what schedule they want to have my daughter is still waking up at night and she is almost 6 months old. they take several cat naps and thats pretty much it its when they turn one or so will they start having a real set schedule to go by. right now they just sleep really when they want to

Michelle - posted on 04/22/2009

i'm very interested to hear other moms' experiences here... my 3-month-old is sleeping through the night most of the time (goes to bed around 10:30-11, wakes up either 6:30ish or 9ish), still occasionally wakes up for a middle-of the-night feed. But he just catnaps during the day, rarely ever sleeps longer than an hour. Actually I consider an hour quite a long nap. I don't know if its because i bring him to work with me and so maybe he gets disturbed more, or what. We have nothing resembling a "set nap schedule"!!

Amber - posted on 04/22/2009

2 NAPS FOR A 4 YEAR OLD PER DAY. ONE IN THE MORNING AND ONE IN THE AFTERNOON. HE SHOULD BE ON A NAP SCHEDULE BY NOW. GOOD LUCK.

Sophie - posted on 08/29/2011

Your 4 month old should have as many naps as he wants he growing hun..all they do is eat sleep and poop it a tiering job.

Ashley - posted on 04/23/2009

Your 4 month old should be on a set nap schedule, it will definitely help him (and you) sleep through the night. I hired an infant sleep doula/consultant for my daughter when she was 10 weeks old because my daughter would only take a 45 minute nap a couple times per day and it was not enough. When Avery was 4 months old I would keep her awake for 90 minutes at a time only, any longer than that and a baby that age just gets overtired. She would wake up around 6am, take 2 2 hour naps around 7:30am and 11:30am and then a short nap of 45 minutes around 4pm and down for the night at 6pm. Keeping a baby up any later than 6pm for most babies is too late and will cause them to wake up during the night or early morning hours (4am or so). She eats 4 times per day every 3 and a half-4 hours. She has been sleeping through the night ever since and is never cranky. After implementing this routine I saw my overtired daughter's sweet personality return. Now at 6 months she gets about 4 hours of sleep during the day and 12 hours at night. Implementing a sleep schedule was the best thing I ever did, I hope it helps you figure out how many naps your 4 month old should take!

Leah - posted on 04/23/2009

How many naps for a 4 month old?



My bubby is just over 4 months old. Most nights she sleeps through, but has been up lately for a feed in the middle of the night. She is a cat napper during the day. She usually has 4 naps of about 40 minutes, but she's not really on a schedule. She generally stays awake for about 2 hours at a time before she starts to get grumpy and needs a sleep. I read somewhere that young babies really shouldn't be awake for more than 1.5 - 2 hours at a time otherwise they become overtired and find it difficult to fall asleep. That works for us but I'm sure all babies are different.

Christine - posted on 04/22/2009

Try reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, MD. Some of the suggestions/techniques in there helped me get my little guy on a more regular routine, and it explains the sleep/wake cycles quite nicely. It can tell you how many naps your 4 month old should be taking. Basically 2 - 3 naps during the day (2 longer... like about 1.5 hrs or so and then 1 shorter one in the late afternoon) seems to be about the norm/works the best for good night-time sleep. It certainly works for my little guy. He had ultra short naps (sometimes no more than half an hour) and wasn't sleeping in the early evening (i.e. he'd fuss until 11 or so at night) up until about 4-5 months of age when I started trying the techniques. He then started napping once in the morning for up to 2.5 hours, and 1-2 times in the afternoon, one about an hour and half, and one about 45 minutes if he needed it before supper. Now's he's at the age (8.5 mos) where that morning nap is disappearing and the short nap almost never happens. Oh and he now goes to bed at 8 pm and gets up at 8 am :) Good luck with your little one.

Adel - posted on 04/22/2009

I guess I should consider myself lucky. My little guy is just over 4 months and sleeping through the night. He goes to bed at around 11p.m. and is awake between 9 and 10 a.m. He has 2 naps during the day for about 2 hrs at a time, and a short 1/2 hr nap in the evening after supper. He is then awake for the rest of the evening. I enjoy this time to play with and interact with him. Don't be too concerned about how many naps your 4 month old is taking. If he is not really cranky, maybe he just doesn't need that much sleep. Most of the time they will make their own schedule. Hope this helps.

Amber - posted on 04/22/2009

2 NAPS FOR A 4 YEAR OLD PER DAY. ONE IN THE MORNING AND ONE IN THE AFTERNOON. HE SHOULD BE ON A NAP SCHEDULE BY NOW. GOOD LUCK.