All babies need regular naps. Napping during the day helps babies get the rest that they need for healthy growth and development. How much sleep a baby needs depends on his age.

Newborn babies generally sleep between 16 and 20 hours a day, which is divided between day and night. Until your infant’s weight gain is established, you should wake him up every 3 to 4 hours to nurse or feed. After that, it’s acceptable to allow your baby to sleep for longer periods of time. However, you shouldn’t expect to your newborn to sleep through the night. Babies do get hungry.

Once your baby reaches six months old, he will have a more predictable pattern of sleep. A six-month-old baby generally requires two or three naps during the day, and he may sleep for 9 to 11 hours at night. A typical nap schedule for babies between 6 and 9 months old includes a nap in the morning, one in the early afternoon, and a third nap in the early evening.

When your baby reaches 9 and 12 months old, he only needs two solid naps each day – once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.

Though napping is a healthy part of development, getting babies to nap can be frustrating to say the least. So how can you get your baby to nap? What are some methods of success? [Read more…] about How to Get Babies to Nap: Methods for Success