Nap timing is one of the trickiest parts of baby sleep — but also one of the most powerful tools. Here’s how to balance nap lengths and wake windows to keep your baby well-rested and bedtime smooth.
How long should naps be?
There’s no one perfect nap length, but here are some general guidelines:
- Most naps fall between 45 minutes and 2 hours
- The first nap of the day is often the longest
- A single nap should not exceed 2 hours, even if your baby fell asleep late
- Long naps can throw off the rest of the day’s schedule — and may lead to a skipped nap or a late bedtime
What are sleep pressure and wake windows?
Understanding these two terms will help make sense of your baby’s sleep needs:
- Sleep pressure is the body’s natural drive to fall asleep. The longer we stay awake, the more sleep pressure builds. → Think of it like filling a balloon — once it’s full, your baby is ready to sleep.
- A wake window is the amount of time your baby is awake between naps. → It’s the time needed for enough sleep pressure to build before your baby can fall asleep easily.
If your baby’s wake window is too short, they might not be tired enough.
If it’s too long, they can become overtired — and wired — which makes it harder to fall or stay asleep.
So, how do wake windows factor in?
Wake windows are the time your baby is awake between naps.
They gradually get longer as your baby grows.
If wake windows are too short, your baby may not be tired enough to fall asleep If wake windows are too long, they may become overtired — leading to fussiness, short naps, or bedtime battles.
The app automatically calculates wake windows for your baby’s age and recent sleep — so you don’t have to guess.
Should I wake my baby if the nap goes long?
In most cases, yes — especially if:
- The nap exceeds 2 hours
- The total daytime sleep is more than the app recommends
- You risk not having enough time before bedtime to build up sleep pressure
A longer nap isn’t always better — it can throw off the balance of sleep across the day and night.
My baby took a while to fall asleep — should I adjust the nap end time?
You don’t need to be exact to the minute, but try to:
- Stick close to the suggested nap end time, even if sleep started late
- Allow a little extra time (10–15 minutes) if needed, as long as it doesn’t shorten the next wake window too much
Extra nap or early bedtime — which is better?
In most cases, an early bedtime is the better option. Extra naps are great as a reset — but not ideal as a daily habit.
- If naps were short and you’re approaching the end of the day, go for an earlier bedtime (as early as 5:30pm)
- If you’ve been relying on early bedtimes for several days in a row and think that’s causing early wake-ups, you can try a short “cheat nap” (15–30 mins) to stretch bedtime