Naps - how long should they be? How many naps should your baby take each day? Should you wake your baby if they are taking an extra long nap? Daytime sleep can be such a minefield to navigate, whether you’re a new parent or a seasoned pro. 

Here is a table to guide you to know if your baby is getting the sleep they need each day.

Do you find yourself wondering how much sleep your little one needs over 24 hours? I got you. All children are different, some are long nappers, others make up for shorter naps with longer stretches of sleep overnight, and then there are those unicorn children who love their sleep day and night and will even lie in! 

The below table can give you a good idea of how much sleep your little one will need depending on their age range. Note that this is a guide only and some children will fall either side of these ranges, it’s a good guide to help you to ensure your little one is getting the rest that their brain and body needs for healthy development.

Our little boy was waking up every other hour throughout the night, and my husband and I would spend hours feeding and rocking him to coax him back to sleep. Like so many other mums in this situation, I read everything I could get my hands on regarding infant sleep and the 4 month sleep regression. Quickly, I learned that the best way to improve all of our sleep was to help my son to learn how to fall asleep himself, without relying on being rocked or fed to sleep. Again, like so many other mums in this situation I was nervous about starting a sleep coaching plan. However, once I spoke with the sleep consultant she put my mind at ease and shared some really helpful articles and studies that helped me understand that while there are many emotionally driven articles against sleep training, no evidence has been found that it is in any way harmful to a baby’s attachment to their parent or their development in the short or long term…

Does your family struggle with anyone other than the primary caregiver putting the kiddos to bed? You’re not alone! My kids are always SO EXCITED to see their dad when we all come home at the end of the day, it really is so sweet. But they do not share this enthusiasm for dad at bedtime. I count myself very lucky to have a very involved partner in raising my children and my boys absolutely love their dad. But when it comes to bedtime their preference is for me every time. It’s so normal that the primary caregiver is preferred at bedtime. I’m also here to let you know that it is so normal to want to be able to step away at bedtime and take some time for yourself.

Here are 3 tips for when another caretaker needs to take the reins at bedtime:

Is your child consistently waking up before 6am? A later bedtime should make them sleep longer in the morning, right? Well, maybe not! I know it seems counterintuitive but in most cases an earlier bedtime is usually the answer to an early rising issue.

With two little ones of my own, I have dealt with some bouts of early morning wakings myself. And as a child sleep consultant, it’s an area that I help lots of parents with. Here’s why an earlier bedtime could be the solution…

When it comes to anything to do with our babies and children there is a LOT of information and misinformation out there. Sleep training is no different. As a mum myself, who has implemented sleep shaping with both of my boys, I was eager to learn as much as possible about what was involved and what to expect. What I found was a world of conflicting advice and opinions. Here are some of the top sleep training myths squashed.

When we were all focused on getting bedtime, naps and morning wakes back on track after daylight savings, Halloween was creeping up, getting ready to throw everything all out of whack again!

With all of the fun and excitement of Halloween, comes some disruption to our little ones’ sleep. Trick or treating brings later bedtimes, a sugar rush, lots of over excitement and of course, some fears due to all of the scary costumes and decorations around the neighbourhood. My oldest is almost 4 years old and is so excited to go trick or treating on Halloween night. Many families I work with as a child sleep consultant like to have some flexibility in their routines, and so do I with my own family! The advice I always give is that children who are well rested are more likely to adapt well to changes in their schedule. With that in mind, as much as possible in the lead up to Halloween, don’t let bedtime stretch too late. Some of the other typical challenges Halloween can introduce and how to approach them…

It’s that time of year again - the clocks are about to fall back. This means that we will all be gifted an extra hour of sleep. What a dream! For some kiddos, and some parents too, this can cause a bit of havoc with our circadian rhythms - wake up times change which can throw your routine completely out of schedule. 

When the clocks change our bodies need to adjust, and how you handle this change is down to you and your family. As a child sleep consultant here are the two paths I recommend.

Nap transitions can be tricky and moving from 3 naps to 2 naps is the first big transition that you will help your baby move through. But the good news is that the third nap is often the easiest to drop.

Usually babies will start to drop the nap around the 8 month mark. And as a child sleep consultant I recommend that you aim for a 2 nap schedule by 9 months. 

You will know that your baby is ready to drop the nap when you see that the first two naps are really coming together and are both over an hour in length. In this case your baby will likely be well rested enough to not need a catnap to get to a 6:30 pm bedtime. 

Along with those first smiles, this is when we typically see sleep become a little bit more organised, day/night confusion begins to dissipate and we see some much-needed longer stretches of sleep at night time. As a child sleep consultant, this is a great time that I recommend beginning to establish a healthy foundation for sleep by paying attention to a baby’s sleepy cues and practicing a gentle routine. 

One of the questions I get asked most often by new parents as a child sleep consultant is whether they should swaddle their newborn for naps and nighttime sleep. Of course, this is entirely your choice. There is no need to swaddle your newborn, however it can certainly help to encourage longer stretches of sleep in the early weeks.

As a mum of two and a child sleep consultant, I have seen first-hand how bedtime wind-downs make all the difference to help your child to get better sleep. Adding the following elements to your bedtime routine will help your child to wind down from their busy day and help them to sleep longer through the night: