Solving Your Baby’s Short Naps

Struggling With Short Naps?

Does your baby wake up 30 minutes into a nap? Are you constantly trying to figure out how to extend their nap time? Short naps are one of the most common struggles in the world of baby sleep.

The good news? Short naps won’t last forever.

In this blog, we’re sharing strategies you can start implementing today to tackle those short naps and set your baby up for longer, more restful daytime sleep.

Why are short naps so common? It all comes down to the difference between daytime sleep cycles and nighttime sleep cycles. Understanding this is key to solving short naps and creating a smoother nap routine.

When a baby takes a short nap, they’re waking up after completing a daytime sleep cycle, which typically lasts 20-40 minutes. A short nap is usually one full sleep cycle in length—or even shorter. Short naps can be incredibly frustrating, not only because you’re constantly thinking about naps throughout the day, but also because your baby isn’t getting the deep, restorative sleep they need.

Believe it or not, solving short naps requires both time and perseverance from you and your little one. As you begin implementing these strategies, you might notice progress as early as the same day—or it could take a few weeks for everything to sync up. Patience is key, and the effort will pay off with longer, more restful naps for your baby.

Analyze your baby’s schedule 

First things first, is your child following the right nap schedule?

If your baby isn’t having enough awake time, then they will definitely experience short naps and this will derail their sleep during the day and through the night!

During the first year of your child’s life—especially between 4-6 months and 10-12 months—their nap schedules and sleep needs are constantly evolving. Keeping up with these changes is key to supporting longer, more restorative naps and better overall sleep.

To tackle short naps we need to have your child on the right schedule that uses age-appropriate wake windows nstead of relying solely on sleepy cues.  This ensures your baby builds just the right amount of “sleep pressure” before napping—enough to fall asleep easily without becoming overtired.

If your child has been napping either too early or too late—outside of their ideal awake window—they’re more likely to experience short naps caused by being over- or undertired.

Consider your baby’s size

This might sound a little unexpected, but is your child taller or larger than average?

Believe it or not, this could be contributing to their short naps! While there isn’t any concrete research to support this theory, our experience has shown that children who are above average in height or weight often:

• Transition between naps sooner than expected.
• Require slightly longer awake windows between naps and bedtime.

If this sounds like your little one, start with the schedule you’ve created in step one, and gradually add +15 minutes to their awake time. This adjustment can help them build the right amount of sleep pressure to extend their naps.

A small adjustment, like adding a bit more awake time, might be just what your baby needs!

Rethink your baby’s feeding schedule

Your child’s feeding schedule can play a big role in the success of their naps—it can either help or hinder them!

From birth to around 4 months, an eat-play-sleep routine is a simple and effective way to align feeding and sleeping schedules. Here’s how it works:

1. Feed them upon waking.
2. Allow them to enjoy tummy time or floor play.
3. Read a book or two as part of their calming routine.
4. Put them down for their next nap at the end of their small wake window.

Since your baby ate about 1-1.5 hours ago, they’ll likely feel full and satisfied, making them more ready for restful sleep.

Around 5-7 months of age, as your baby’s wake windows increase to 2.5-3.5 hours, it might help to offer a top-off milk feed before each nap. This ensures they’re going to sleep feeling full and satisfied.

Without this additional feed, your baby might wake up 30-40 minutes into their nap feeling hungry, cutting their rest short.

During the 3-to-2 nap transition, it’s very common to feel like you’re constantly feeding your little one—and that’s completely okay! Their growing bodies and changing routines require extra nourishment during this stage, so embrace it as part of their development.

Your baby’s nap lengths really may improve simply by adding a small feed 15-20 minutes before it’s time for a nap.

This top-off feeding will ensure that they are going to sleep satisfied, and if they wake, that they are not waking out of hunger.

Examine your baby’s sleeping environment  

You probably saw this one coming, but it’s absolutely true—the darker the room, the better the sleep.

It’s no secret that everyone, babies and adults alike, sleep more soundly when their environment is intentionally prepared for rest. If your baby is struggling with short naps, it’s essential to evaluate their sleeping environment. Ask yourself:

• Is the room 100% blacked out?
• Is your Hatch Rest playing white noise to minimize disruptions?
• Is the temperature comfortable and conducive to sleep?

Creating an optimal sleep environment can make all the difference in helping your baby achieve longer, more restorative naps.

If your child has always slept fine in a room that isn’t completely blacked out, that’s fantastic! However, if their naps have recently become shorter and you’re confident their schedule and feeds are on track, it might be time to darken their room.

To ensure your child’s room is truly dark, try the “hand test.” Here’s how:

1. Enter your child’s room and close the door.
2. Allow your eyes several minutes to adjust.
3. After some time, hold your hand in front of your face and wave it.

If you can see your hand moving, the room isn’t 100% blacked out. Babies naturally become more aware of their surroundings as they grow, and while they can’t tell time, a bright room can signal it’s time to wake up. A completely dark environment helps them focus on sleep and stay asleep longer.

When your baby wakes 23 minutes after a sleep cycle ends, their brain might register sunlight as a signal that it’s playtime—even though they’re still tired.

Elements like light and sound can easily trigger your baby to wake fully and stay awake between sleep cycles. That’s why it’s so important to create a dark, quiet environment for naps.

By blacking out your child’s sleep space, you’re removing distractions and helping their brain focus on what it needs: more sleep! 

Give your baby time and space when they wake

When your baby takes a short nap, the last thing you want to do is rush into their room and get them up from their crib—even if they’re crying!

If you immediately respond by getting your baby up, you’re unintentionally rewarding the short nap with instant gratification, which can reinforce the habit and lead to even more short naps in the future.

Chances are, if your baby naps for 45 minutes or less, they’re still tired and need more sleep. By rushing in to get them out of their crib at the first sign of fussing or crying, you remove their opportunity to settle back down and continue sleeping. This can negatively impact the quality of their next wake window and their next nap.

Give your baby a chance to resettle on their own—this is an important step in helping them connect sleep cycles and develop better nap habits.

Give your baby time and space before getting them up from their short nap.

Use your video monitor as a way to check on your baby and their safety without disrupting them.

By giving them time and space, you are giving them the opportunity to remember that they can put themselves back to sleep and it encourages self-soothing, an invaluable skill when it comes to independent sleep!

No matter the age, ALL babies will benefit from you giving them time and space when they wake from a short nap.

Remember that sleep is a process, not an event

Solving your child’s short naps isn’t going to happen over the period of one nap, or one day, or even one week!

Changing your child’s sleep is a process.

In order to see change and progress, it’s important to implement one change at a time for 1-2 weeks before making another change. All of these tips listed above are foundational when it comes to solving your baby’s short naps! There IS a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s never too late to make sleep a thing for your whole family.