Beginning at 12 months, most children take 1.5-3 hours of naps during the day, usually in two naps, and may be awake 3-3.5 hours before their first nap and 3.5-4 hours between the end of the first nap and the start of the second nap. As you get older, these periods may gradually increase by 15 to 30 minutes at a time.
Your task is to carefully observe the child and be guided by his behavior. There is no need to reschedule daytime naps to a later time on your own; it is better to let him show that he is ready for this: within three to four days he will be reluctant to go to bed during the day (be sure to exclude others possible reasons such as illness, teething, separation anxiety, or approaching a developmental milestone). Reluctance to sleep may manifest itself in the fact that the child will sing or babble while lying in the crib, cry loudly at unusual times, or sleep for only a short time. If you notice these signs, reschedule your nap later in the day.
If your baby is between 12 and 18 months old and only naps once a day, see the section on nap schedules for 18 to 24 month olds.
If you start putting your child to bed 30 minutes later and he still doesn't want to fall asleep, or if after a few quiet weeks he starts having difficulty calming down again, then you need to put him to bed another half hour later.
Further postponement of daytime sleep to a later time
- Falling asleep: 19:30
- Wake up: 6:30
- First nap: 10:00 (sleep until 11:30)
- Second nap: 15:00 (sleep until 16:00)
Daytime sleep should not be too late!
If your child's second nap ends too close to bedtime and he doesn't have time to get tired, then it's time to switch to a one-time nap. At this age, it should end at least 3-3.5 hours before the time of falling asleep. For example, if the baby falls asleep at 19:30, then by 16:00 or 16:30 the daytime nap should already end.
Switching from two naps a day to one nap
Typically, this transition occurs between 14 and 16 months of age, although the normal range is 12-20 months. If a child does not want or cannot fall asleep during the day for the second time for 4-6 days in a row, or if the second nap begins to interfere with the ability to fall asleep peacefully at the usual time in the evening, it is time to switch to a one-time nap. And here the transition period begins again, when two times is already too much, but one is still not enough. Sometimes the child will fall asleep briefly for the second time in a day, and sometimes just once will be enough for him. This inconsistency is a little tiring for parents, but it usually lasts a maximum of one month.
When switching to one nap, your baby will still sleep a total of 1.5 to 3 hours a day, and you will need to help him extend his morning wake time so that there is not too much of a gap between the end of his nap and his evening sleep. The ultimate goal is around the middle of the day, so that between waking up in the morning and starting your nap, approximately the same amount of time passes as between ending it and going to sleep at night. However, at first, you will most likely have to start at 11:30; If the child went to bed at 10:30, then over several days gradually increase the period of wakefulness by 15 minutes until you reach 11:30.
- As your baby begins to transition to one nap during the day, he may have difficulty sleeping more than an hour or the usual duration of the first daytime sleep. IN in such a case After waking up, leave him in the crib for a while, 15-30 minutes, so that he tries to fall asleep again. If necessary, check on him a couple of times. If the baby is not crying, do not disturb him.
- Be patient; The transition takes time, and it may take several weeks before the child begins to consistently sleep for at least 1.5 hours.
- As with the transition from three to two naps a day, you may have to put your baby to bed a little earlier in the evening for a while. You can also let him nap for a few minutes in the afternoon - in a stroller or car - so that he has enough energy for the evening. Just make sure that the baby does not start falling asleep too early, otherwise in the morning he will also wake up too early (if you move the time of falling asleep no more than 1 hour ago, then everything will be fine).
Typical schedule for transitioning to one nap during the day
Falling asleep: 19:30 Wake up: 6:30 Daytime nap: 11:30 (sleep until 13:30)
As a child gets older, the duration of daytime naps usually remains the same, but the amount of time they are awake may increase. For example, a child who slept from 11:30 to 13:30 will then be able to sleep from 12:00 to 14:00, then from 12:30 to 14:30, etc.
Sample schedule for later naps
Falling asleep: 19:30 Wake up: 6:30 Daytime nap: 12:00 (sleep until 14:00)
Daytime sleep schedule for a child 2-3 years old
By the age of two, most children can fall asleep at 12:30 or 13:00 and sleep for 1.5 to 3 hours. You need to wake them up at least 4 hours before their evening sleep.
Approximate sleep schedule for a 2 year old child
Falling asleep: 19:30 Wake up: 6:30 Daytime nap: 12:30 (sleep until 14:30)
Between three and four years of age, most children begin to refuse naps. But your child can sleep during the day until he is 5 years old (if he's lucky!). At 3 years old, a child may go to bed even later during the day, around 13:00 or even 14:00, and sleep until about 15:30.
Approximate sleep schedule for a 3 year old child
Falling asleep: 19:30 Wake up: 6:30 Daytime nap: 13:30 (sleep until 15:00)
When the child completely refuses daytime sleep, the last transition period will begin when the baby himself will determine whether he needs to sleep during the day or not. Be guided by his behavior for a while: when he sleeps during the day, put him to bed at his usual time in the evening. If he refuses to nap during the day, put him to bed earlier than usual in the evening (if necessary, then for a whole hour). You can trick your baby into taking a nap, for example by giving him a ride in the car. Eventually, he will completely give up napping during the day, and his body will get used to staying awake until the evening.
Open your sleep diary and fill out a planned nap schedule based on your child's age. Note. If the child takes more than one nap during the day, the timing of the second and third naps will vary depending on what time the previous nap ends.
When planning your nap schedule, treat your second and third time target times as guidelines rather than as requirements.
Healthy and sound sleep is necessary for full development. During growth, the time and duration of rest constantly changes. In the first two months, the baby sleeps 7-9 hours a day. Note that in the first weeks of life the newborn will be awake very little and most will spend days in a sleeping state.
Gradually, daytime sleep time is reduced. By four months, the baby sleeps 5-6 hours during the day and goes to bed four times, after six months - four hours and three times. At the age of 9 months - 1.5 years, children sleep for 2-4 hours and have up to two sleeps during the day. After a year, many babies themselves refuse this regime and sleep only once. In this article we will learn how to transfer a child aged 1 year and older to one nap during the day.
Features of the transition
When to switch to 1 nap depends on the baby’s readiness. Some infants are ready to switch to this regime by the age of one year, and some not earlier than 1.5-2 years. The transition process also proceeds differently. Some children take a long time to get used to it, while others switch right away. Before moving your child to one nap, determine if he is ready for it.
The first signs of the baby’s readiness appear at 10-12 months:
- He sleeps well in the morning, but it is difficult to put the baby to sleep in the evening;
- Refuses to sleep in the morning and yet feels comfortable;
- Constantly refuses to sleep during the day and resists a second nap;
- Goes to bed and falls asleep too late at night;
- With two good sound sleeps during the day, the baby begins to wake up earlier and earlier in the morning.
If you notice these signs, start to gradually reduce the time of daytime rest. Doctors note that suitable readiness is observed in children aged 1 year and 3-4 months. At this time, they can calmly stay awake for 5-6 hours a day.
How to switch to one nap during the day
- When you notice signs of readiness, gradually cut back on one of your two naps;
- Determine which dream needs to be removed. To do this, watch the baby when he refuses the regimen, is awake and naughty. Typically this is the second dream;
- Gradually every day simultaneously shift the time of morning and afternoon sleep, while shortening the duration of the second;
- Gradually reduce the time of the second sleep during the day and increase the duration of the first or, conversely, if the baby refuses the first;
- Put your baby to bed on a full stomach;
- Some children immediately refuse one of the dreams. In this case, you can immediately exclude this item from the baby’s regime. Do not force your baby to sleep during the day a second time;
- Do not force your baby to give up his second nap. If he is very naughty and tired quickly, postpone the transition and try again in two to four weeks. Avoid overwork and accumulation of fatigue!;
- Put children to bed no later than 21:00;
- Children should have proper rest at night. A 2-year-old child sleeps at least ten hours at night;
- If without a second nap the baby gets tired or tired in a short time, add an evening nap lasting up to 40 minutes, or put the baby to bed earlier;
- After a child reaches 3 years of age, daily rest should be 1.5-2 hours.
Early transition: harm or benefit
Some children confidently refuse a second nap during the day as early as 9-10 months. And sometimes parents, on their own initiative, organize a transition at this age, replacing daytime rest with games and walks. But even if the baby accepts such a schedule, it can negatively affect the baby’s well-being and mood. He becomes moody and irritable, begins to wake up frequently at night, and may be lethargic and feel unwell.
Do not rush to give up this pleasant procedure, because daytime sleep is very useful. By the way, doctors recommend that even adults devote 20-30 minutes to this activity. And if you didn’t get enough sleep at night, the time can be increased to 40-60 minutes. The main thing is that the rest should not be delayed and should take place no later than three in the afternoon. According to experts, the most useful and appropriate time for this procedure is the period from 13:00 to 15:00.
Benefits of naps
- Strengthens the nervous system;
- Ensures normal development of young children;
- Increases performance, sensitivity new information and concentration of attention by 30-50%;
- Ten minutes of dozing energizes you and gives you strength for a whole hour;
- Replenishes lack of night rest;
- Increases nerve conduction and improves motor reactions by 15-20%;
- Reduces the risk of heart and vascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes;
- Relieves nervous tension and calms, improves mental and emotional state;
- Increases mood and the level of joy hormones (endorphin and serotonin);
- Produces growth hormone, which is very important for infants and older children;
- Helps kids to cope with the impressions and emotions that are received in the morning. After all, the children's nervous system is most susceptible to emotional overload;
- Regular and adequate sleep strengthens the immune system. By the way, studies show that children who do not sleep during the day are more likely to get sick.
Complete refusal of daytime naps
After three years, children should sleep only once during the day with a rest period of no more than two hours. During this period, the child's regimen is significantly rebuilt compared to the regimen of 1-2 years. It is important that at this age the baby is already able to understand, negotiate and comply with agreements. Be sure to use this. Do not shout at the baby, but try to calmly and clearly explain what you want and why you need it.
In total, children 3-6 years old should sleep 11-12 hours a day. Daytime rest in 3-4 years is 1-2 hours, and nighttime is 9-11 hours. After 5 years, many babies begin to refuse to sleep during the day. The duration of the process is reduced, children easily endure its omissions. However, a child of 5-6 years old may still periodically need daytime rest due to overwork. It depends on the time of the morning rise and the degree of fatigue.
Don't give up your daytime naps prematurely. This will negatively affect nervous system mental and physical condition of the child. He will be very tired and cranky, often wake up at night and will not want to get up in the morning. The baby will not be able to endure physical and emotional stress.
What to do to make your child sleep well
This requires sufficient physical activity. Let the little one run around and play enough, use physical exercises and introduce children to sports, walk in the fresh air. But make sure that he doesn’t get overtired during the day and doesn’t get overexcited in the evening! This only interferes with sound sleep. The first half of the day should be the most active.
In the evening, 2-3 hours before going to bed, allow only calm, quiet games or activities, you can do water treatments, get a massage. Read or tell your little one a story. You can give a glass of warm milk or tea with honey. Don't give kefir! Don't forget about psychological comfort.
Put your children to bed at the same time and have a daily bedtime routine. This should be a single algorithm with the same procedures and the same sequence of actions. Give your child the right to choose. Let him choose pajamas, a toothbrush, a fairy tale. Read how to teach your baby to fall asleep on his own.
Today, many people experience serious health problems due to chronic lack of sleep. And many of us remember with nostalgia our childhood, when we could sleep until we stopped. But, as practice shows, putting a child to sleep during the day is not so easy. All children begin a period of active protest against such a holiday. And adults themselves don’t mind taking a nap for an hour or two after lunch. Let's talk about who needs a nap during the day; can such rest be beneficial or harmful? In addition, we will answer the question of when a child switches to one nap during the day and tell you how to transfer your baby to a new regime.
Benefits of napping
Daytime sleep has a positive effect on human brain activity. A short rest during daylight hours increases brain activity by an order of magnitude, restores metabolic processes, improves the ability to remember, and also adds activity and attentiveness. By taking a nap during the day, you will improve your body’s ability to perceive, process and assimilate new information. Thus, such rest is important for people who are engaged in intellectual activities. And many doctors recommend it to patients who have.
If we talk about other organs and systems, daytime sleep has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. It reduces the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases, optimizes the activity of the heart and the entire circulatory system. This effect is explained by a natural decrease in stress hormones in the blood during the afternoon rest, and it is these substances that often become an indirect cause of strokes and heart attacks. Among other things, during daytime sleep, blood circulation improves, due to which cells, tissues and organs receive the necessary nutrients in sufficient quantities (including oxygen).
According to experts, just thirty minutes of daytime sleep can significantly improve performance, eliminate lethargy, drowsiness and fatigue. And for the fair sex, such a vacation will help avoid premature wrinkles, puffiness and bags under the eyes.
Benefits of naps for children
Daytime sleep has a positive effect on the state of the baby’s nervous system and prevents him from becoming overtired. In addition, such rest stimulates the development of the child, helps him orient himself in time (subject to a clear daily routine).
Don’t think that giving up naps early will help your child fall asleep earlier in the evening. Vice versa, extreme fatigue can cause overexcitation, and it will be very difficult to put the baby into bed.
Over time, the child's body's need for sleep decreases. One-year-old children usually sleep twice during the day - about an hour and a half. And at the age of one and a half years, babies switch to one daytime nap, which normally lasts more than an hour.
The harm of daytime sleep
If you suffer from insomnia, trying to catch up on sleep during the day can be detrimental to your night's rest. If sleep disorders already exist, daytime sleep can disrupt the functioning of the body and the balance of internal biorhythms.
Also, those who often suffer from fluctuations in blood pressure and are prone to developing diabetes mellitus. Of course, sleeping too long can also be harmful - daytime rest should last no longer than an hour and a half, and its most optimal duration for an adult is half an hour to an hour.
IN childhood Daytime sleep can be harmful if it is too long, especially in babies of the first year of life, who may well confuse day with night. Therefore, with a particularly long sleep, it is quite possible to wake up the child, but gently, for example, by organizing the next breastfeeding.
Sleeping unscheduled can also cause harm, because constant fluctuations in sleep patterns prevent the body from adapting normally to the time of wakefulness and rest. Therefore, parents must definitely take the trouble to organize a daily routine and stick to it.
How to transfer a child to one nap during the day? When does it switch?
The transition from two naps to one is a rather difficult stage in life for both the baby and his parents. This period can drag on for weeks and sometimes months. Most often, a child begins to sleep once during the day between the ages of fifteen and eighteen months.
There are two options for switching to one nap during the day: abrupt and smooth. In the first case, parents decide to change the regime one day, transferring the child to one sleep per day. right time. At smooth transition there is a daily shift of morning sleep by a small interval with a parallel shift and decrease in the second sleep. After the first sleep reaches the required duration, the second sleep is abandoned.
When choosing any transition option, it is extremely important to put your child to bed early to prevent overtiredness.
If your baby sleeps once in a row for several days in a row, and then goes to bed twice again, most likely he is simply not yet ready to switch to one nap during the day. It's better to wait a little and then try again.
Folk recipes
If the desire to take a nap during the day is explained by constant excessive fatigue, remedies will help cope with this symptom traditional medicine. The use of ginger tincture gives an excellent effect. To prepare it, grind one hundred and fifty grams of the root of this plant and fill it with eight hundred milliliters of vodka. After one week of infusion, strain the medicine and take it a teaspoon twice a day (in the morning).
Another wonderful tonic effect comes from taking a medicine made from garlic and lemons. Peel and chop the garlic to a paste. Combine one hundred grams of this raw material with juice squeezed from six lemons. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and pour them into glass jar and tie its neck with gauze. Store the medicine in the refrigerator and take it one teaspoon three times a day, diluting it in a glass of water. Be sure to shake the mixture before use.
The stronger and healthier sleep child, the healthier his entire family is overall. It’s no secret that a twitchy, nervous, screaming baby and the same, but also sleep-deprived mother are a wonderful powerful tandem to ruin the lives of each other and all household members, young and old. That is why it is important to organize normal sleep for the baby from the very first days of his life. Everyone understands this. In theory. But how to do it in practice is only completely small percentage mom and dad. Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky tells what needs to be done for this.
About sleep in general
Children need naps during the day. The baby explores the world, sometimes very actively, and the abundance of impressions greatly exhausts him.
Sleeping during the day allows you to restore strength, give rest to the nervous system and the entire body as a whole. It is important for a growing person in the same way as nutrition and treatment if the baby is sick. During sleep, the composition of the blood is renewed, the muscles and musculoskeletal system rest, the most important enzymes and many vital hormones are produced.
Sleep norm is a rather vague concept, but it nevertheless exists. A baby sleeps longer than a baby after one year. It is considered normal for a newborn to snore sweetly in the crib after each feeding, for a total of 19-22 hours a day. From 1 to 3 months, the child takes 3-4 daytime naps; taking into account the night time, they sleep up to 17 hours a day. From 4 months, the child can lie down during the day 2-3 times for 3 hours, and together with the night sleeps in total up to 15-16 hours a day.
At the age of 1 to 2 years, a child can sleep once during the day, or can be latched twice for 2-3 hours. Pediatricians recommend switching a child to one nap during the day from the age of 2. Around this time the visit begins kindergarten, so this transition is usually easy to make. The duration of quiet time for such a child is from 1 to 3 hours.
However, it is impossible to measure all children by existing standards, because children have different temperaments, impressionability levels, and the ability to switch from activity to rest. Maybe that’s why the norms remain norms on paper, but in reality the statistics vary greatly. But this does not lose the value of daytime sleep.
The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
The only thing that does not depend on parents in organizing children's sleep is a diaper, says Evgeny Komarovsky. If mom and dad spared no expense and bought a good, high-quality and comfortable diaper, then this is already half the success, since discomfort and dampness are the most common reasons children's sleep disorders. There is no need to invent anything here, says the doctor, everything has already been created and should benefit both children and adults.
Parents have to do the rest themselves. Usually, the baby sleeps better at night if he has had a good rest during the day. However, you shouldn’t think that a good night’s sleep means too much sleep. After all, it is clear that a baby who has slept all day long will be awake at night. That's why proper planning Daytime sleep will also help solve some disturbances in this process at night.
The need for daytime sleep
Official medicine believes that daytime sleep is necessary for a child until he reaches the age of seven. Evgeny Komarovsky is sure that after five years a child no longer needs daytime dreams. However, if the baby stopped sleeping during the day at 2 years old, then this is a reason to understand the reasons, make adjustments to the daily routine and return daytime rest back as soon as possible. The child is still too young to lead a normal life from night to night without rest.
Evgeny Komarovsky calls on parents to carefully analyze the baby’s lifestyle. Is he eating well, is he not being overfed, is he getting enough fresh air, is the temperature and humidity in the children's room normal. All these factors, according to the doctor, have a direct impact on the quality (and quantity!) of sleep.
The baby's bed should be comfortable, and underwear and pajamas are made from natural fabrics, which are pleasant to the baby and do not interfere with his sleep. The room should have fresh air, the temperature of which does not exceed 20 degrees, and the humidity - 50-70%.
Dr. Komarovsky will tell you more about this in the video below.
Mode correction
A big mistake parents make is to adapt to their child. The baby was brought from the maternity hospital, and mom and dad began to sleep when a small family member allows them to do so. Komarovsky advises immediately transferring the child to the regime that is acceptable for all household members, and not vice versa.
Once you decide on nighttime sleep, you can plan daytime sleep, knowing the average norms for the total amount of time that babies at a given age should devote to sleep. This will require discipline, first of all, from the parents themselves, because the regime they created will have to be observed first of all by themselves, then the child will be able to quite quickly accept the daily routine as something completely natural.
Evgeniy Olegovich advises, without any doubt or remorse, to wake up a baby who is sleepy during the day so that he does not have problems falling asleep at night, and the daily routine built with such difficulty does not collapse overnight.
In order for your child to go to bed more willingly during the day, the doctor recommends thinking about his leisure time in the first half of the day, in the morning. It’s good if it’s active games, physical activity, according to age, massage or gymnastics, and definitely a walk in the fresh air. After the child eats for lunch, he will not have to be persuaded to sleep, he will really want it himself.
The less healthy activity, the worse the child’s daytime sleep. Therefore, if parents complain that the child “usually sleeps well during the day, but in Lately stopped going to bed,” Evgeniy Olegovich advises simply to reconsider his lifestyle, add walks, sports, and come up with new entertainment.
Special attention Pay attention to the mattress on which the child sleeps. It should be smooth and not press through. It is best to choose an orthopedic mattress.
Until 2 years old, a child should sleep without a pillow. This is the recommendation of Evgeny Komarovsky. After two years, parents can give their baby a pillow if they wish, but its size should not be adult size. The optimal thickness of the pillow is equal to the size of the child's shoulder.
If no home measures to improve daytime sleep help, Komarovsky recommends contacting a pediatrician, psychologist and child neurologist; they will help identify the hidden causes of sleep disturbances and help eliminate them. It is important to do this without leaving the problem to chance, if only for the reason that sometimes the pain prevents the baby from sleeping peacefully during quiet hours. Finding and neutralizing is the common task of parents and doctors in this situation.
In the first years of life, a child's sleep pattern is constantly changing. Most babies sleep a lot, with short breaks for wakefulness and snacks. Then the biorhythms are gradually adjusted, and the child switches to two naps during the day. Most children give up their first nap between 12 and 24 months of age. As you can see, the spread is quite large, which clearly demonstrates to us: age is not the only criterion by which we can understand that it is time to transfer a child to one nap during the day. That's what Elizabeth Paintley, mother of four and author of numerous books on parenting, advises.
How to tell if your baby still needs two naps
- The child is not yet a year old
- When you put him down, he resists, plays in the crib, but eventually falls asleep for at least an hour or more
— When you go somewhere by car or public transport, the baby easily falls asleep
— If for some reason a child misses one nap during the day, he becomes capricious and shows signs of fatigue earlier than usual
— Changes occur in a child’s life (illness, birth of a younger sibling, start of classes in educational institutions or nurseries), which negatively affect the quality of his sleep - both daytime and night
— The child may miss sleep when you are on a trip or simply find yourself outside the home (for example, in line at the clinic), but in the usual routine at home he falls asleep as usual.
The dangers of switching too early to one nap during the day
According to Paintley, the crisis period in two-year-olds, the so-called terrible twos, is explained not by the fact that children are simply napping, but by the fact that parents deprive them of one of their two naps too early. She believes that many Toddlers are switched to one nap at a time when they are not biologically ready for this (a sound sleep in the morning is necessary for the baby to fully develop the brain). And they react to such interference in the regime with bad behavior and sudden mood swings.
How to understand that your child has enough of one nap during the day
— When you try to get your baby to sleep for the first nap, he fusses or plays, and then falls asleep consistently for a very short period of time or does not fall asleep at all.
— The child does not fall asleep during a short trip in transport
- When a child misses the first nap of the day, he feels normal, eats well, plays and shows no signs of fatigue
— The child sleeps well and soundly during the second nap.
How to transition your child to one nap during the day
First of all, don't be overly dramatic. It is clear that for a parent on parental leave, a nap is an opportunity to drink coffee, wash the dishes, watch a TV series and read NEN. But it’s better for you to have two full hours of free time in a row than two 40-minute stubs when you don’t have time to do anything.
Secondly, treat the transition to one nap as an inevitable change in routine, and not as a natural disaster that suddenly overtook you. Give yourself and your child time to mentally prepare for the new daily routine.
Be patient: it may take one baby a couple of weeks to transition to one sleep, and another a couple of months. During this time you can:
- Pay special attention to the baby's condition - as soon as he starts to be capricious and torment you, put him to bed. Soon you will know that, for example, hour X is at 13:00, and by this moment it would be good not only to pick him up from the site, but also to feed him
- Consider that you still have two naps. It’s just that instead of the first one, you can just have time for reading or quiet games, such a kind of sensory unloading and recharging
— Choose the average time for sleep between your former first and a second nap. For example, he went to bed for the first time at 10 o’clock, and the second time at 14 o’clock. Means, good time Trying to get him to sleep will be around noon. Make sure that by this time the child has already had time to play, take a walk, and go wild
- Observe the regime. Try to wake up and put your child to bed at the same time every day (in this sense, attending a part-time group or some other institution with classes in the first half of the day is good discipline). If you notice that your baby wants to take a nap during the day a little earlier than you planned, put him to bed, and in the evening begin the bedtime ritual 40-60 minutes earlier than usual.
