Nap sleep training is much more nuanced, and often more difficult than night sleep training. Nighttime sleep can start developing into longer stretches as early as 6 weeks of age if certain things are done to encourage those longer stretches. (Wanna learn how? Check out The Newborn Sleep Program for babies under 16 weeks old!) Naps are a totally different story when it comes to baby sleep. The brain doesn’t start to organize daytime sleep until much later, at the earliest of about 14–16 weeks. In my program, we nap sleep train and night sleep train at the same time. In doing so, the whole process of sleep training is usually over in 2 weeks or less! But when should you start nap training your baby? Read on to find out.

Last Updated Jan 29, 2021.

Adorable asian boy with knitted fox ear beanie holding teddy bear

Photo Credit: Bingo Theme from Pexels

When should you start nap training your baby?

I strongly recommend waiting to try to elicit longer stretches of daytime sleep (assuming your baby is not having long naps already) until she is at least 14 to 16 weeks old. In some circumstances, where Mom is completely exhausted, or is returning to work and would like to have baby know how to put herself to sleep before leaving her with the nanny, earlier nap training can take place at about 11 weeks. Even when a client wants to move forward at that early age, I evaluate each baby individually. The stronger willed the baby is, the more likely I am to take them on as a client at an earlier age. More laid back babies are often not as difficult to handle, so I encourage Mom to wait it out just a few more weeks.

Remember, nap sleep training is more difficult than night sleep training. And consistency is very important.

Why wait to nap train your 3-month-old?

There are a few reasons I don’t like to nap train until at least 14–16 weeks of age, apart from the brain not having reached the milestone of consolidating day time sleep yet. First, it seems to take longer. When I work with little guys younger than the age range above, it seems to take them a little more time to catch on to falling asleep unassisted. Even when they do master that skill, their brain may be keeping them from having nice, long naps anyway. So we end up doing a lot of work, and can still end up with short naps.

Secondly, it’s really unpalatable to Mom. Any type of sleep training that yields lasting results involves some sort of protest crying. (Read: we sleep peeps use the euphemism “protest,” when what we’re really referring to is the regular crying babies do when they’re pissed off, tired, frustrated, or upset.) Crying, of the protest kind, or any other variety, is reallllly tough on Moms. Especially for Moms of newborns. And rightly so! Because crying is so difficult on Mom (and Dad), I try to avoid starting any type of nap sleep training in the newborn stage.

For my tips and tricks on helping your newborn (and you!) get the best sleep possible, purchase The Newborn Sleep Program, created especially for babies under 16 weeks old.

What is Baby Nap Sleep Training?

First we need to define sleep training in general. Which is teaching your baby to fall asleep without your help. My experience, both professional and personal, has shown me that (most) babies as young as 4–6 weeks are capable of falling asleep on their own. To get there though requires an EXTREMELY experienced parent or caretaker. You couldn’t write a book that would explain every nuanced way to sleep train that early since there are many elements that vary so much from baby to baby.

So, besides the brain’s capability of consolidating daytime sleep into longer stretches, why else wait until 14 weeks to nap train? Because at that age the brain is also starting to excrete melatonin at more regular (not random, like in newborns) intervals during the day. The sun is doing its thing in regulating melatonin, and it’s cousin, the circadian rhythm.

Nap training for 4-month-olds, 6-month-olds, and 8-month-olds

In addition to the biological reasons to start at this age, I’m also a proponent of dealing with sleep issues as early as possible. It may be impossible to internalize or accept this as a first time parent, but generally speaking the older your baby gets, the more resistant they are to change. A 4-month-old baby needs more sleep, and needs sleep more than he will at 6 months of age. A 6-month-old needs more sleep than an 8-month-old, and on and on. The longer you wait, the more upset your little one will be about the change in their sleep habits.

I like to tell my clients that it’s easiest to sleep train a baby between the ages of 14 weeks to 6 months. Then it becomes slightly less easy from 6 months to 8 months. And finally, it is tougher from 8 months to 10 months.

Nap training at 10 months old

Whatever you do, blog readers, please consider nap sleep training (and night sleep training!) your babies before the age of 10 months. Once baby hits that stage it’s more like dealing with a toddler rather than a baby. A 10-month-old can often stand, yell, and just generally flip out way more than a younger infant. Also, a 10-month-old can go way longer without sleep than a 4-month-old, which means more energy and stamina to protest. Doing it earlier is easier on Mom, and more importantly, on baby.

One thing to keep in mind is you want to count age from your child’s estimated due date. So, if your kiddo was born 2 weeks early, you’ll want to wait until they are 16 weeks to nap train, since that’s 14 weeks from when they were the full 40 weeks. When we talk about brain development in the first 6 months, every week counts.

If you want to learn more about an age-appropriate nap schedule for your little one, and how to set them up for optimal sleeping success – sign up for my newsletter!