Once we understand how long our children can comfortably last being awake, they will be able to go down much easier for naps. If they get to the point of crankiness (as shown in the picture, #TBT to 5 month old MonkeyRoo melt-down), they are more than likely already passed the point of being overtired. As I have stated before, it’s very common that children have trouble sleeping for the simple fact that they are overtired and their bodies have already produced cortisol and adrenaline to give then more energy so they can fight off their exhaustion.
Below is a good rule of thumb of how long a child can handle being awake based on their age. Besides looking at the clock around these time-frames, watching sleepy-cues like zoning out, pulling on ears, etc. is important!
Awake-Time Thresholds:
Newborn – 4 months: 30 – 60 minutes
4 – 9 months: 90 minutes – 2 hours
9 – 18 months: 2.5 hours – 4 hours
18 months – 4 years: 4 hours – 6 hours
If you have any questions about how to get your littles on the right schedule to follow these times, or learn more about common sleep cues, contact me today! Even a 30 minute phone call could help get them sleeping better!
