Normal Infant Nap or Sleep Times

Finding ways to soothe your baby to sleep and keep her asleep might fill up much of your first year with your infant. Creating a flexible nap and sleep schedule for your infant helps her get the sleep she needs every day. However, your growing baby's sleep schedule will change many times during her first year of life, so flexibility is key when it comes to infant sleep routines. Even more, every baby is different, so establish nap and sleep times based on your little one's unique routine.

  1. Daily Sleep

    • Understanding appropriate nap and sleep times begins by learning how many hours most infants sleep in a day. This number is ever-changing, depending on the age of your infant. For the first 3 months of life, your newborn may sleep 16 to 18 hours a day, according to Ask Dr. Sears. By 6 months old, he might require about 14 hours of sleep a day. As your infant approaches his first birthday, his sleep needs will remain about the same, requiring anywhere from 12 to 14 hours of sleep daily.

    Sleep Segments

    • You might want 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but your infant will not sleep in such long stretches for many months. During the newborn stage, your little one will wake to eat every 2 to 3 hours around the clock. After the first several weeks, your infant might learn to sleep in stretches of 4 to 5 hours at night, according to KidsHealth. Nap times might start at just 1 to 2 hours per nap but eventually extend to several hours as your infant matures.

    Nap Times

    • A three-nap-a-day schedule is common for many infants, though of course there are exceptions. The American Academy of Pediatrics explains on its website, HealthyChildren.org, that it might take several months for parents to establish this three-a-day schedule for their baby's naps. When achieved, however, your baby might take a nap in the morning, early afternoon and early evening. Precise nap times will depend on when your baby gets up and goes down every day.

    Sleep Times

    • Bedtime often dictates when the baby wakes up, and -- with your baby's help -- you can design a sleep schedule that works for your family. If you want some baby-free time in the evening with your spouse, you might choose to put the baby down after dinner, which means he will likely wake early in the morning. A later bedtime, which might be appealing if you work and want to get some quality time in with your little one in the evening, will result in your baby sleeping later in the morning. Ultimately, you have to choose the sleeping and waking time that works best for your baby and family, all while ensuring your little one gets an appropriate amount of sleep every day.

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