HELP! How do I fix my baby’s cat napping?

Have a baby who will only nap for 20-40 mins at a time in the day? Feel like you could set a timer to their naps? Maybe they’ll sleep longer if they’re sleeping on you or if they’re moving in a car/ pram, but they wake the second you put them down or stop moving?

Maybe you’ve read that your baby should be sleeping at different times or for longer, so you’re worried that they’re not getting enough sleep and this might be harmful. Maybe you’re desperate to have more than 20 minutes to yourself.

So how can you fix your baby’s cat napping?
My short and honest answer is… don’t.

Cat napping is very common and isn’t a sign of a problem. Trying to make your baby sleep more in the day might in fact make their night sleep worse - by disrupting their 2 biological sleep regulators (circadian rhythm and sleep pressure).

Each baby has their own individual sleep needs in 24 hours. The function or “purpose” of a daytime nap is to take the edge off sleep pressure, until the next nap or until bedtime - it does not necessarily need to be long or a specific duration based on their age. Babies often stop cat napping and have longer naps once they are old enough to be awake for longer, so that they can build up more sleep pressure - they’ll probably get there in their own time without you needing to do anything.

Until that happens: don’t worry; your baby isn’t coming to harm by cat napping. They’re normal and you don’t need to drive yourself crazy trying to get them to “link sleep cycles” (I’ve been there…). It’s ok if you want to have a nap with them/ a contact nap/ a pram nap while you go for a walk - but don’t feel that you HAVE to do that in order for your baby to meet a particular sleep schedule.

If the issue is mostly that their nap is the only time you have to yourself, then the answer might be to find other ways to refill your cup and other opportunities for self care that aren’t tied to your babies nap. Accept offers for help; call in your village; talk to your partner about what you need.