Naptimes!

[Sister]

How often should my two month old be napping? She typically goes down for a morning nap abut an hour after she wakes up for the day. But how many later naps should she be having?

Twice a day I think is the norm. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. You don't want babies sleeping all day becaue then they don't get used to a regular sleep cycle at night.

[soccermom]

From Stephanie Brown, about.com

Used with permission.
Napping Needs of Most Babies

Age /Number of Naps /Hours of Naptime
4 months / 3 / 4 - 6
6 months / 2 / 3 - 4
9 months / 2 / 2 1/2 - 4
12 months / 1 - 2 / 2 - 3
2 years / 1 / 1 - 2
3 years / 1 / 1 - 1 1/2

[Tigriz]

My four month old takes about a two hour nap in the morning, usually about two hours after he wakes up. Then he's up for a few hours, may doze off for a half hour or so if we run errands in the car. And then he takes an afternoon nap for about another hour or two. At two months I would think at least two naps, if not three. I was finally able to start picking up on Alex's behaviors to tell me when he was tired. He started rubbing his eyes and just getting a little cranky.

[Amy]

My guy did about two hours in the morning and then again the two hours in the afternoon. He slept a good deal through the night as well though too. Generallly went down around 8 pm and stayed down until 7 or 8 the next morning.

[kelkat]

I think every baby is unique. My son was taking a 10 to 20 min nap every two to three hours, then one long one around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. He was sleeping for about 6 to 8 hours at night. Now, at six months, he's taking a ten to twenty minute nap about 2 hours after getting up around 8 in the morning. Then he takes a 2 hour nap around 1 or so. Sometimes he takes a quick nap in the evening as well before falling asleep for the night at about 7 or 8 pm.

I just let him tell me what he needs. I find that the less I hold him and the more I let him play then the better he sleeps.

[jaescafe]

My 2 years old (now 3) used to take 4 hour naps in the afternoon. I got so much stuff done and still got time to rest myself. Now she's a little bit older, but still takes 2 hours naps. I think every child needs different amounts. My son got a lot less than my daugher.

[harleysneak]

Every baby is definitely unique and at such a young age, it's hard to regulate naptimes. I think at that age, I let my baby sleep whenever she wanted to. Now she's a year old and she is on a great schedule, so guess it has all worked well for her.

[Melos]

I agree that it is very hard to regulate a young baby's nap time! Nor do I think you should do it - in one so young. They'll sleep when they need to - or you will be getting really cranky along with them as you try to keep them up.