Why is adequate baby sleep so important?
Babies that don’t sleep well become toddlers that don’t sleep well and schoolchildren that don’t sleep well. And we know that they have higher rates of ADHD, mood disorders and more. … Your baby can sleep all night long for eight hours and still need a nap 90 minutes later. Are we over scheduling our infants? Or keeping them awake too much? We’re keeping them awake too much. We don’t protect their sleep. We think it’s OK if they take a 20-minute cat nap in the car. Part of it is that the parents don’t want to give up anything in their lives. That’s what I hear: “Well, I don’t want to stay home. I want to go out and go to the mall.” What is your NAPS plan? The NAPS plan is a way to start observing your baby’s natural sleepiness and alertness cycles — to recognize their signs of sleepiness and initiate sleep while they’re sleepy. … Somewhere around 90 minutes, you look for your baby’s signs of sleepiness and put them down for a nap. (If you miss that window, after about 10 to 15 min
