Do you ever wonder how long your little one should be napping? How long they should be napping for? What is normal sleep time at night? When do you adjust these times?
Well, I had all these questions to. I found this helpful chart. It tells you at what age your child should be napping and how long they should be sleeping at night. My little one is 20 months and is now taking one nap for about a hour and a half to two hours.
| Age | Total Sleep (hrs) | Nighttime Sleep (hrs) | Naps (hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn-2 months | 16-18 | 8-9 | 7-9 (3-5 naps) |
| 2-4 months | 14-16 | 9-10 | 4-5 (3 naps) |
| 4-6 months | 14-15 | 10 | 4-5 (2-3 naps) |
| 6-9 months | 14 | 10-11 | 3-4 (2 naps) |
| 9-12 months | 14 | 10-12 | 2-3 (2 naps) |
| 12-18 months | 13-14 | 11-12 | 2-3 (1-2 naps) |
| 18 months – 2 years | 13-14 | 11 | 2 (1 nap) |
| 2-3 years | 12-14 | 10-11 | 1-2 (nap) |
| 3-5 years | 11-13 | (10-11) 10-13 | 0-1 (naps usually stop by age 5) |
| 5-12 years | 10-11 | 10-11 | n/a |
The page where this chart comes from also includes tips for getting our little ones to sleep well. My little one has to have music on every night. We also have a bed time routine. We change the diaper, say our prayers and then tuck him in and say goodnight.
Most people are surprised to hear that our little one does not fuss when it’s time to go to sleep (unless he’s sick or something and then that’s a different situation). From the first time we moved him to his own room, we started this routine and stuck to it. We would let him fuss for about 10 minutes then would go in comfort him and put him back down. Each time the fussing got less and less and eventually he went to bed with out a fuss.
Now as most of you probably know letting our little ones fuss is never easy but I can honestly say when it comes to bedtimes a little fussing doesn’t hurt them. I was talking to my son’s therapist about this and she told us that this is good for them. It helps them learn to put themselves to sleep and develop skills they will use later on in life.
Now on that note, I also believe that life happens and bedtime and naptime at the same time every day is not always possible. We don’t always have Dusty in bed at 8pm on the dot. I have found that this has helped him to be more easily going about life when our schedule gets crazy. The important thing to remember is that sleep is crucial to little ones growing especially preemies.
I am interested to hear your comments and thoughts on this. How do you feel about bedtime routine? Does your little one still take naps? Do you stick to the same bedtime every night?
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