Why does my baby take short naps?

The key to a baby who naps well is timings! It might seem quite obvious, but the trick is working out the timings which work for your baby. This will be the difference between a 30 minute nap and a 2 hour nap.

It's important to caveat that short naps can be really normal. I always say that when a baby is tired.. they will sleep. But you might be in a position where your baby is tired throughout the day and waking at night a lot, and STILL napping for short periods of time.

If this is the case, then have a think about the time you're putting your little one down for a nap. Often I see parents use generic schedules they find online and stick to them like glue. Whilst it's always good to have a look and see the averages, please don't take these guides as gospel.

Your baby will have their own unique sleep needs. They might be able to stay awake much longer than another baby; or they might not. And both are fine.

If your baby is only taking short naps, try to help them do a longer stint by putting them down a bit later. Build up sleep pressure; this is what we need for a baby to sleep well - the desire and need to sleep.

Have a play around those timings and see what happens.