Caring for a Catnapping Baby
If your baby won't fall asleep, and they are catnapping, it quickly leads to feelings of exhaustion for both you and your bub. As a fully certified sleep consultant and mum, I want to be the first to tell you that catnapping is totally normal, especially for young babies in their first 6 months, and more than likely your baby's sleep is going to get better! But, for those of you that are struggling with an overtired baby due to frequent and relentless catnapping, I'm going to share the most important things to know about catnapping babies as well as some tips on how to stop it from happening. If your baby is waking up shortly after you put them down, I recommend downloading the Newborn Sleep Guide. The guide is packed with information on infant sleep including schedules, settling tips, routines, sleep regressions, how sleep works and provides answers and solutions for the most common infant sleep problems but for now, let’s chat catnapping.
Because I know how important time is as a parent, I’ve broken this blog up into sections. Feel free to jump ahead to what you need to know so you can get back to things before your little one wakes up!
Here is everything I’m going to talk about:
What is a catnap?
Is catnapping bad for your baby?
When catnapping isn’t a concern
Signs catnapping is becoming a problem
Why babies catnap
When your baby should outgrow catnapping
How to stop your baby from catnapping
What to do if your have tried everything!
What is a catnap?
Catnaps (sometimes referred to as micro naps or mini naps) are short sleeps lasting around 20 - 30 minutes, that end before a baby’s first sleep cycle can be completed. While babies of all age's 'nap', catnapping is most common in younger babies aged birth - 6 months. Unlike a regular nap (which would last around 1-2 hours), a cat nap won't rejuvenate your baby on its own, which can lead more frequent naps through the day, disrupted sleep at night and a very tired baby.
Is it bad if your baby is catnapping?
No, on its own, catnapping is not inherently bad for your baby, but frequent and persistent catnapping can lead to a range of problems for you and your baby, such as disrupted developmental progress, behavioural challenges, irregular feeding habits, & nighttime sleep disruptions.
Disrupted developmental progress & delayed milestone achievement
Like adults, while babies sleep, their developing brains are going through a sequence of stages called a sleep cycle. For babies, one sleep cycle takes around 30-50 minutes to complete and is made up of 5 stages from Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The final stage of a baby's sleep cycle is the lightest (REM sleep) and when babies commonly wake during the sleep cycle. REM sleep is good for cognitive functions like memory, learning and creative. To fully understand how sleep works download the Newborn Sleep Guide.
Behavioural Challenges
Catnapping often results in increased irritability and difficulty in calming, affecting your baby's overall mood and behaviour. The unpredictability of catnaps can also significantly increase parental stress and fatigue as you may already know!
Irregular feeding habits
Catnapping can disrupt established feeding schedules, which can lead to potential growth issues. Catnapping is also linked to snack feeding, which is when an infant has small snack sized feeds, temporarily satisfying them without leaving them feeling full.
Nighttime sleep disruptions
Babies become more overtired throughout the day when they are catnapping. When a baby is overtired, they wake more frequently throughout the night.
When baby catnapping isn’t a concern
Generally speaking, if your baby is still sleeping through the night and eating at the right times you probably don't need to be concerned about the impact catnapping is having on your infant, as they will likely grow out of it as they become older.
Catnapping likely isn't causing problems with your baby’s health if they are showing the following signs:
Healthy overall development
Your baby is showing signs of healthy growth and hitting developmental milestones.
Good night sleep
They sleep well at night, staying asleep for longer stretches without frequent wakeups during sleep time.
Happy and active
Your baby is happy, active, and alert when awake, showing no signs of overtiredness.
Regular feeding patterns
They maintain regular feeding patterns and are gaining weight appropriately.
Evening Routine Unaffected
The catnaps don't disrupt their evening routine, allowing for a reasonable bedtime.
Contentment Post-Nap
Your baby wakes up from catnaps seeming rested and content, not cranky or overly tired.
Signs catnapping may be a problem for your baby
While catnapping isn't bad on its own it can be unsustainable and lead to few unwanted side effects for your baby.
If catnapping is affecting your baby’s health, they might show some of the following symptoms:
Frequent Irritability
Your baby is being particularly fussy, and you are having difficulty soothing them.
Disrupted Night Sleep
Your baby is regularly waking up at night or having trouble sleeping for longer periods.
Poor Weight Gain
Your baby isn't gaining weight as expected for their age, possibly due to disrupted feeding patterns.
Delayed Milestones
Your baby is falling behind on developmental milestones.
Excessive Drowsiness
Your baby appears overly sleepy or lethargic during awake periods which could indicate they are overtired.
Why babies catnap
Babies catnap due to several factors. There are environmental factors such as being overtired or hungry, or both. Then there are developmental factors such as an undeveloped circadian rhythm and undergoing the initial stages of sleep cycle development.
Environmental factors that cause catnaps
The most common cause of catnapping is hunger! If your baby has had a catnap, the first question you should ask yourself is how did they feed prior to their nap? The second question to ask yourself is, how long were they previously awake and was that awake time too long? When a baby catnaps, they wake feeling hungry because they did not eat enough at their last feed, and during the feed they are too tired from not sleeping enough to take a full feed. Catnapping and snack feeding are best friends yet the worst of enemies!
Developmental factors that cause catnaps
Of course, sometimes catnapping might be completely due to your baby's natural development. Around 3-6 months, your baby starts to develop more defined sleep cycles, unlike adults, who have 90-minute sleep cycles, babies have shorter cycles of around 30-50 minutes. Newborns also have an undeveloped circadian rhythm, this means their sleep is spread throughout the day and night, often in short bursts.
When your baby should outgrow catnapping
While napping is common for babies of all ages, catnapping is most common in infants birth-6 months of age. From around 4 -6 months of age, when a baby’s circadian rhythm has developed and their sleep and wake cycles have formed, catnaps should slowly become less frequent.
Below is a timeline of a normal progression for a baby in terms of their sleeping habits.
Newborns (0-3 Months)
Newborns typically have irregular sleep patterns and may sleep for short periods due to the undeveloped nature of their circadian rhythm.
Infants (3-6 Months)
This age group is commonly associated with cat napping. Around this time, babies start developing more defined sleep patterns, but they may still experience frequent short naps.
Older Babies (6-12 Months)
As babies grow, their sleep patterns consolidate. While some older babies may still cat nap, it's less common. Most babies start to develop longer and more regular naps during this stage.
Toddlers (1-3 Years)
By the time children reach toddlerhood, cat napping is usually phased out, apart from the occasional dose in the car. Toddlers transition to one long nap per day at this point.
How to stop your baby from catnapping safely
Sadly, there is no way to completely stop catnapping as it is a totally normal stage of your baby's development. However, if your baby is catnapping to an unhealthy degree, here is a few things you can try to reduce the number of times they catnap:
Make sure your baby is full before nap times
The most common cause of catnapping is hunger. To break the cycle of cat napping and snack feeding, a focus needs to be placed on ensuring your baby has a full feed at every mealtime.
Improve your baby's sleep environment
Infants are highly sensitive to their environment (noise, light, temperature) especially during a lighter sleep stage. These sensitivities can interrupt sleep, preventing them from entering the next sleep cycle. to make sure your baby sleeps for longer, try the following
Put your baby to sleep in a darker room
A completely dark room (free from any light source) will minimise your baby's stimulation and maximise their production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. This results in a longer, deeper and more restorative sleep. Installing black out curtains will help to keep your baby's nap time is as long as possible.
Play white noise during sleep time
Not only does white noise mimic the womb environment and mask external noises, it can also provide an incredibly powerful sleep cue which can help your baby fall asleep faster. Keep it at a moderate volume about the level of a soft shower and keep the speaker in the opposite end of the room from your baby's crib.
Resettle your baby between sleep cycles
Encourage your baby to fall back to sleep after waking up during sleep cycles to prevent overtiredness. This process should be similar to handling nighttime wake ups. Keep the room dark to maintain a night-like atmosphere, ensuring any white noise continues to play. It's important to limit interaction during these times to avoid overstimulation. By consistently resettling your baby in this way, you're helping them learn to connect their sleep cycles and sleep for longer stretches. This approach not only aids in their sleep development but also helps establish a more consistent sleep routine for both you and your baby.
Keep nap times consistent
Your baby needs consistency in order to form healthy sleep habits, and so do you! Watching tired signs and putting your infant down before they become overtired helps to establish a consistent nap schedule.
Get strategic with your nap routine
Sometimes catnapping can be helpful! When a baby's schedule includes 3 naps a day, I recommend that parents make sure that the last nap of the day is a 20-minute catnap. This leaves your little one alert enough for the rest of the day without becoming overtired. A late afternoon catnap also allows a baby to stay awake until a sensible bedtime before falling asleep for the night.
Make sure your baby is perfectly comfortable during sleep time
If your baby is uncomfortable, it can be hard for them to go back to sleep if they wake from a short sleep. Is your baby too hot or cold or has the conditions they fell asleep with changed?
Download the Newborn Sleep Guide for information on catnapping and settling your newborn baby. Infant brain development, how babies learn and how sleep works, plus much more are also covered in this guide.
Tried everything and still struggling with a tired baby?
While catnaps are developmentally normal, if they are stopping your baby from getting a restful, consolidated sleep despite your best efforts, it might help to speak to a professional. As a certified baby sleep specialist, early childhood and primary educator, owner and operator of a family daycare, and mother of 2. I have seen first-hand how important sleep is to a child's long-term development. It's why I am passionate about working with families to develop healthy sleep habits. To see how I can help you and your bub get the rest you so desperately need, please contact or have a look at my 1:1 support consultations.