It’s a stunning realization when it happens. It seems like just moments from when you brought your child home from the hospital. Your little tiny newborn is finally 12 months old and isn’t a teeny newborn at all anymore. Over the last 12 months (which can feel like many years) you have honed and perfected your child’s routines and schedules to a T, but there’s one problem. Your 12 month old has different needs now when it comes to nap time and you can’t just keep the same newborn routines anymore, even though we have perfected them. In today’s article, we’re going to talk about best practices for napping your 12 month old so that you can ensure your child is getting the rest they deserve and that you are equipped to help them the best you can, in this next stage in their life.
As always, share your experiences and wisdom with the other readers in the comments below and on social media. It is always great to see the discussion grow and to hear from your lived experiences.
They Still Need Naps, Just Cut It Down To Two Per Day
Naps are very much going to be an important part of their daily routine, but you will cut that down to just the two naps to ensure that they are able to sleep more effectively during the night. They may be able to nap three or more times per day, and they may even expect it or ask for it, but you are really just reducing how much time they will sleep at night and are inadvertently pushing back their bedtime with each nap over two.
Limit The Sleep Time Of The First Nap
The first nap, in late morning, should be on the shorter side while allowing more time for restful sleep during the second nap in the afternoon. The total of the two naps should be around 2.5-3.5 hours of total daily sleep. The first nap should be between 1 hour and 1.5 hours and the second nap should be at least 1.5 hours to 2 full hours. Getting into the habit of timing the naps and getting the gap between the naps will be a bit tricky at first, but after a while, it will become second nature. This schedule should work well once your baby is used to ditching the third nap in favor of the two spaced out ones!
Before You Go
We hope you enjoyed learning about tips for napping your 12 month old. If you would like to know more about nap schedules, our sleep learning or training services or any of our excellent newborn care services, we are happy to help. Just contact us and we can go over your options and help you find the best path for your little one. We hope these tips have helped you along your journey. If you have any questions about helping your baby to sleep better, or about your baby in general, please reach out to us HERE. We are experts in all things baby and sleep and would love to help!
If you have questions about your child, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help. Please reach out to us here! We always look forward to hearing from you.
