While each baby is different, they do tend to fall into similar sleep patterns, depending on their age and stage. These numbers are meant to provide guidance, because there are no hard rules about how much babies should nap.
Always watch out for those sleep cues and get your baby in for the right amount of naps during the day. But do remember, your baby's sleep cues can change over time, so the definite sleep cues from a month ago can lead you astray today.
Here is a list of common sleep cues babies display:
- Yawning
- Decreased activity--baby will stop moving around and stare off
- Slower motions
- Less vocal
- Less interactive
- Sucking is weaker or slower
- Quieter
- Calmer
- Appears disinterested
- Eyes less focused
- Red around the eyes
- Rubbing eyes
- Eyelids drooping
- Less social (smiling less and a lack of engaging you)
- Fussiness/crankiness/irritability (this usually means baby is overtired)
- Disobeying (this is for older babies/toddlers/preschoolers)
- Time awake (this is a helpful "cue" for a mom who follows a schedule)
Sleep cues are a great starting point for achieving great naps. The effort can be exhausting and frustrating at times, but the effort is well worth it. You can do it, mommies!