Infant Sleep: Nap Transitions Between 3-6 Months Old

It’s not your imagination—sleep and naps are hard between the first 3-6 months of your child’s life. 

I remember struggling with my son’s naps at this age. So much so that whether or not I had a good day depended on how well he napped. And if he didn’t nap well, I felt like a total failure. What I didn’t know at the time is that naps are developmental rather than intuitive, and while that alone can feel really frustrating, short naps are also 100% normal and age-appropriate.

That doesn’t mean, however, that there is nothing you can do to help the nap situation!

In this post, I’m going to go over the nuances of naps between 3-6 months of age, the transitions that occur during this time, and what you can do to help improve them!

Sleep Changes Around 4 Months

By 3 months, your baby’s circadian rhythm has developed and exposure to light and darkness largely affects their sleep patterns. For that reason, darkness becomes key to quality naps around this age.

Shortly after this, typically between 3.5-5 months, your baby will go through the biggest physiological change to their sleep: the maturation of their sleep cycles. When your baby was first born, and up to this point, they only had two stages to their sleep cycles (active and quiet); they now have four (REM, nREM, nREM, and REM)!

While this is an incredible phenomenon with their development, it can also greatly affect their sleep. More frequent night wakings and short naps can result (or continue, because, let’s be honest, your baby probably hasn’t been a perfect sleeper up to this point!).

There’s just A LOT going on at this time, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Let’s troubleshoot to see if we can help your baby get some better sleep.

Troubleshooting Naps: 3-6 Months

First of all, don’t stress if naps are still short as you’re working to implement these troubleshooting tips. The more practice you can give your baby, the better they will get, but linking sleep cycles and taking longer naps is also a developmental skill, so your baby may not be totally capable of consolidating their naps just yet. If you can keep this in the back of your mind, you might not be as frustrated if, or when, your little one wakes up after only 35 minutes of sleep.

Give yourself and your baby some grace, and remember that tomorrow is another day and another chance to try!

Tip #1: Implement the Eat-Play-Sleep Routine

If you’re not already, implementing the eat-play-sleep routine throughout your baby’s day is a great place to start. By following this routine of feeding your baby upon waking, having a bit of “play” time, and then offering sleep, you’re beginning to establish a loose rhythm to your baby’s day that will provide predictability for both you and your baby. 

Tip #2: Follow Your Baby’s Wake Windows

Depending on your child’s age, their awake time will vary. You can grab my FREE Master Sleep Needs Chart to help you figure out your child’s best wake window. Once you know this, you’ll know about how much play time your baby can tolerate before needing to sleep again.

Tip #3: place baby down Calm and Awake

The key here is to lay your baby down awake and content, but ready for sleep, so they can try to put themselves to sleep at the beginning of the nap. As your baby learns to fall asleep on their own, they’ll build the skill of connecting their sleep cycles, resulting in more consolidated naps.

Remember…

As your baby’s wake windows increase and they have more awake time stamina, you’ll notice that the timing for adding in another nap gets awkward and too tight, because then bedtime would be pushed later, which cuts into their overnight sleep. This likely means your baby is about ready for a nap transition.

Nap Transitions: What Are They & When Do They Occur?

The 4-3 Nap Transition

Around 4 months, your baby will likely be taking 4 naps each day. This “schedule” won’t last long, though, especially if you’re working on helping your baby consolidate their naps. If you’ve got a little catnapper on your hands, read more about how you can help them here.

Once your little one’s wake windows increase, and they can tolerate a longer time awake, that fourth nap will be replaced with a slightly earlier bedtime. 

Your baby may fluctuate from 3 naps one day to 4 naps the next. It’s okay–and I recommend–to be flexible during this time. Before you know it, your baby will be through this transition and will consistently be taking 3 naps a day.

The 3-2 Nap Transition

Most babies will move away from 3 naps as their naps begin to consolidate even more. The first and second naps of the day become nice and long, typically one or two hours each. The third nap is a catnap, allowing your baby to bridge the gap until bedtime. Sometimes they will need this third nap, and sometimes they won’t. Most babies between 6-7 months will start this transition from 3 to 2 naps, and by 8 months you should definitely be working toward a two-nap schedule.

Apart from age, how do you know if, developmentally, your baby is ready for just 2 naps? You may notice these below signs that indicate your little one’s schedule is in need of a tweak:

  • Continuously waking early in the morning (before 6am)

  • Regularly taking short naps (1 sleep cycle)

  • One nap consolidating while the other is short or nonexistent

Something else to consider: How much daytime sleep is your child getting? Is there too much of it, or is it being distributed in an optimal way that allows for 11-12 hours of sleep overnight? (Remember to check the sleep needs chart if you’re unsure!)

Similar to the 4-3 nap transition, naps will fluctuate as your baby drops from 3 naps down to 2. Some days your baby will still need 3 naps, and others, 2 will suffice. It can take a few weeks of this back-and-forth before a 2-nap schedule solidifies. 

It’s important not to rush these transitions. Over time, you’ll notice big changes in your child’s alertness levels and stamina. Once they can tolerate a 3-hour wake window, you can move them to a set, clock-based schedule (and stick to it, even if you have an early waking one morning) vs. following wake windows.

Other Tips During Transitions

Sleep isn’t linear, especially during 3-6 months. As you’re going through either of these transitions, it’s important to follow your baby’s lead and adjust accordingly. 

If naps are short throughout the day, you can bring bedtime a bit earlier; we want to give your baby a chance to catch up on the sleep they missed. If you’re waking your baby/getting them out of the crib at the same time each morning, it will be that much easier to keep the first nap of the day at the same time no matter what. You can then adjust the rest of the day accordingly.

Not sure how to navigate all of these transitions?! It’s also a great time to sleep train. When I work with families, we look at all of these factors, and, together, we figure out what works best for your baby. You’ll have a step-by-plan to follow, troubleshooting help in real-time along the way, and accountability as we work toward reaching your sleep goals!

 
Liza Kaplan Montanino