The WHO Standard Behind Nap Schedules
The World Health Organization (WHO)'s 2019 Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 Years of Age set recommended total sleep per 24 hours by age, explicitly including daytime naps — but don't specify an exact number or length of naps to hit that total.
| Age | WHO Recommended Total Sleep (24 hrs) |
|---|---|
| 0–3 months | 14–17 hours |
| 4–11 months | 12–16 hours (including naps) |
| 1–2 years | 11–14 hours (including naps) |
| 3–4 years | 10–13 hours (may include a nap) |
Nap Schedule by Age — The Full Reference
| Age | Typical Nap Count | Typical Nap Length |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn (0–3 months) | 4–6 naps | 30 min–3 hours, no fixed pattern |
| 4 months | 3–4 naps | 45 min–1.5 hours |
| 5 months | 3 naps | 45 min–2 hours |
| 6 months | 2–3 naps | 1–2 hours |
| 7–8 months | 2 naps | 1 hour (AM) · 1.5–2 hours (PM) |
| 9–13 months | 2 naps | 1–1.5 hours (AM) · 1.5–2 hours (PM) |
| 14–18 months | 2 → 1 nap (transitioning) | 1.5–3 hours (single nap) |
| 18 months–3 years | 1 nap | 1.5–3 hours, typically midday |
| 3–5 years | 1 nap → 0 (fading) | 1–2 hours, or quiet time only |
For the awake time between these naps, see our wake windows by age guide.
Nap Transitions — How Each One Works
3️⃣→2️⃣ 3 naps to 2 naps (~6–8 months)
Signs of readiness: The late-afternoon catnap becomes hard to achieve, or taking it consistently pushes bedtime too late.
What usually happens- The 3rd nap is dropped first, leaving a shorter morning nap and a longer midday nap
- Bedtime may need to move slightly earlier during the adjustment
2️⃣→1️⃣ 2 naps to 1 nap (~14–18 months)
Signs of readiness: Consistently fighting the morning nap, or the morning nap pushing the afternoon nap too late in the day.
What usually happens- A gradual mix of 1-nap and 2-nap days for a few weeks is common
- The single remaining nap usually shifts toward midday (around 12:00–1:00pm)
1️⃣→0️⃣ Dropping the nap (~3–5 years)
Signs of readiness: Consistently resisting the nap without becoming overtired later, or the nap regularly pushing bedtime very late.
What usually happens- Quiet, screen-free rest time can replace an actual nap during the transition
- An earlier bedtime often helps offset the lost daytime sleep
Tracking Naps With Lunara
Nap transitions are easiest to spot with a few weeks of data, not a single hard day — which is exactly what's hard to keep in your head without a log.
Lunara's sleep tracker logs every nap automatically, shows a 7-day overview of nap count and length, and highlights when a transition might be starting based on your child's actual pattern, not just their age.
See how it works on the sleep tracking feature page.
Log every nap —
and see the pattern shift before you do.
Lunara tracks nap count, length, and timing automatically, so transitions are easier to plan for. Free to start.
When to Talk to Your Pediatrician About Napping
| Sign | Why It's Worth Mentioning | First Step |
|---|---|---|
| Consistently very short naps causing daily overtiredness | May reflect an environment or timing factor worth adjusting | Log naps for a week and review wake windows |
| Sudden refusal of all naps for over 2 weeks | Could be an early transition, a regression, or something else | Track the pattern and discuss at your next visit |
| Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate naps | Worth checking night sleep quality and overall health | Mention at your pediatrician visit |
| Total 24-hour sleep consistently far outside WHO ranges | A persistent, large gap from expected totals is worth a closer look | Bring a few days of sleep logs to your next visit |
Frequently Asked Questions — Nap Schedules
Nap count drops steadily with age: newborns typically take 4 to 6 naps a day, easing to 3 to 4 naps by 3 to 4 months, 2 to 3 naps by 6 months, 2 naps from about 7 to 13 months, transitioning to a single nap between roughly 14 and 18 months, and one nap through to around age 3, when many children begin dropping it altogether.
The WHO's 2019 Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 set total sleep per 24 hours by age, explicitly including naps, but don't specify an exact number or length of naps. This guide's nap counts and lengths are built to add up to those WHO totals alongside typical night sleep for each age.
Newborn naps vary widely, from 30 minutes to 3 hours, with no fixed pattern. By 4 to 6 months, naps typically settle into 45 minutes to 2 hours each. From around 7 months with a 2-nap schedule, the morning nap is usually shorter (1 to 1.5 hours) and the afternoon nap longer (1.5 to 2 hours). Once on a single nap (from about 15 months), it typically runs 1.5 to 3 hours.
Most babies drop from 3 naps to 2 somewhere between 6 and 8 months, usually signaled by the late-afternoon catnap becoming harder to achieve or pushing bedtime too late. The two remaining naps typically become a shorter morning nap and a longer midday nap.
The 2-to-1 nap transition typically happens between 14 and 18 months, though it can range from 12 to 21 months. Signs of readiness include consistently fighting the morning nap, the morning nap pushing the afternoon nap too late, or one nap starting to feel unnecessary on some days. This transition is often gradual, with some 1-nap days and some 2-nap days for a few weeks.
Most children drop their daytime nap somewhere between 3 and 5 years, though the range is wide and some children stop napping as early as 2.5 years while others still nap regularly at 5. Quiet, screen-free rest time can replace an actual nap as this transition happens gradually.
Naps under 30 to 45 minutes are common, especially before 4 to 6 months, and often reflect a baby completing only one sleep cycle before waking. If short naps are persistent and causing overtiredness, checking that the wake window and nap environment (dark, quiet, consistent) are appropriate for age is usually the first step, rather than assuming something is wrong.
A very long nap can sometimes push bedtime later or reduce night sleep, particularly in older babies and toddlers close to dropping a nap. Many families cap the last nap of the day at a reasonable length (for example, waking a toddler after 2 to 3 hours) if it's consistently delaying bedtime, though this isn't necessary for most younger babies.
Nap timing is best set by the wake window since the last sleep period rather than a fixed clock time, especially under 12 months. As routines become more predictable from around 12 to 18 months, a consistent midday nap window (commonly around 12:00 to 1:00 pm once on one nap) tends to align well with typical daycare and family schedules.
Generally, it's fine to let most naps run their natural course, but capping a very long or very late nap can help protect nighttime sleep, particularly for toddlers. Waking a baby from every nap isn't usually necessary or recommended, since interrupted sleep cycles can sometimes cause more fussiness than benefit.
Yes — the WHO's 2019 guidelines for total sleep per 24 hours explicitly include daytime naps alongside night sleep. A baby or toddler sleeping less at night often makes up some of the difference in naps, and vice versa, which is why total 24-hour sleep is the more meaningful number to track than night sleep alone.
Nap resistance despite clear tiredness is common during nap transitions (3 to 2, 2 to 1, and dropping the nap entirely) and doesn't necessarily mean the nap is no longer needed — it can simply reflect an awkward in-between stage. Trying a slightly later nap time or a calmer wind-down before the nap often helps more than dropping the nap immediately.
Daycare settings often follow a fixed group nap schedule that may differ slightly from a baby's ideal wake-window-based timing at home. Most babies adapt within a few weeks, and it's usually more practical to align weekend naps with the daycare schedule than to fight two different routines.
Nap schedule and wake windows describe the same underlying rhythm from two angles — wake windows focus on the time between sleeps, while a nap schedule focuses on the resulting number, length, and rough timing of naps. Using both together — wake windows to decide when to start winding down, and typical nap length as a sanity check — tends to work better than either alone.
Lunara's sleep tracker logs every nap automatically, shows a 7-day overview of nap count and length, and highlights when a nap transition might be starting based on your child's actual pattern. It's free to start.