Are short naps bad for a baby?

A nap lasting less than an hour is not restorative, and your baby likely won’t feel fully rested. This can cause fussiness, clinginess, and increased crying. However, there are ages and stages where short naps are more common (more on this below).

Why does my baby wake up 30 minutes into a nap?

1. Underdeveloped Circadian Rhythm 

It’s common for babies 3 to 4 months old or younger to have some short naps since their circadian rhythm hasn’t fully developed yet. By the time they reach 5 to 6 months, sleep patterns often become more consistent and naps tend to lengthen.

2. Sleep Environment

Too much light in the bedroom or too much noise can cause babies to wake up too early from a nap.

3. Overtired or Not Tired Enough

If a baby goes down for a nap too early, they may not have enough sleep pressure to sleep for long. On the other hand, if a baby goes down for a nap too late, overtiredness can also result in too short of a nap.

4. Hungry

An Eat-Play-Sleep routine works well for most babies, where they eat shortly after waking, then have some playtime before their next sleep. However, for some babies, particularly around 5 to 6 months old, this routine can mean that by naptime 2.5 to 3 hours has passed since their last feeding. This can lead to a shorter nap as the baby wakes up hungry.

5. Has a Sleep Prop / Sleep Association

Short naps are very common in babies that rely on sleep props or associations like being fed or rocked to sleep. Since babies’ sleep cycles last 30-60 minutes (depending on their age), they’re prone to waking up at the end of a sleep cycle unable to settle back to sleep now that the help is no longer there.

 

How to Fix Baby’s Short Naps

1. Establish healthy sleep habits for your baby from a young age to set the stage for longer naps once their circadian rhythm fully matures by 5 to 6 months of age.

2. Ensure your baby’s bedroom is as close to 100% dark as possible and use a white noise machine to help prevent noise disruptions.

3. Follow appropriate wake windows for your baby to ensure they’re going to bed tired enough, but not overtired. (Download free sample schedules here).

4. For babies between 5-6 months of age, consider offering two milk feeds in each awake window: one shortly after waking and another 30 minutes before the next nap. Once your baby is eating a good amount of solid food, you can switch to one milk feed and one solid food meal in each awake window.

 

5. Gradually help your baby learn to self-soothe so they can settle back to sleep after transitioning from one sleep cycle to the next, enjoying a nice long nap. 

 

 

Naps can be even more challenging to solve than nighttime sleep. So, if you’re struggling with your baby’s naps, know that you’re not alone. Reach out to learn how I can help you extend your baby’s naps and achieve peaceful days.