Lots of parents think that the more time their little one is awake, and the more tired they get, the easier they’ll find it to go to sleep. Sometimes they will keep them up until 7pm in the hope of the Holy Grail of 7pm-7am sleep or they believe their little one just doesn’t need that much sleep.In reality, little ones have a very fine line between being tired enough and being over tired, and they’ll have a much more difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep when that’s the case. Being over tired can also cause those early morning wake ups too. Naps can be tricky because they are just based upon sleep pressure (tiredness, basically) so, if your little one does not have enough sleep pressure they are likely to have short naps but too much sleep pressure means they become overtired.
How long should your little one should be awake for between naps?
Here, at Little Dreams we get so many questions about awake windows (how long little ones should be awake between naps and naps and bedtime). Awake windows are important because this is the typical amount of time that a little one can be awake before they start getting overtired and therefore find it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. The right amount of sleep pressure will also help your little one nap for longer – no more 40 minute naps!The important thing to remember, however, is that every baby is different and, also, different babies have different tolerance of how long these windows can be ‘stretched by’ for example, some babies olds can stay awake an extra 10-15 minutes quite easily, whilst others will have a meltdown if they are awake 5 minutes too long.These are the awake window guide we work with:
- Newborns: 45 mins-1hr
- 11-14 weeks: 1 – 1 ½ hrs
- 4 months – 1 ½ – 2 hrs
- 5 months: 2 – 2 ½ hrs
- 6-7 months: 2 ½ -3hrs
- 8-12 months: 3-4 hrs
- 12/13 months-3 years: 5-6hrs
Sleepy cues can include:
- Staring into space;
- Avoiding eye contact;
- Rubbing their eyes;
- Pulling their ears/hair/hands on their head;
- Nuzzling;
- Yawning
To continue viewing...
You must sign up to view more content and gain full access to bloss!
Sign up todayAlready have an account? LoginSign up today for unlimited access:
- Book appointments
- Expert advice & tips
- Premium videos & audio
- Curated parenting newsletters
- Chat with your bloss community
- Discounts & competitions
- Special events

Leave a Rating / Review
You must be logged in to post a comment.