The nap: everything you need to know 2026

Reinforcing nighttime sleep with one or two daytime naps helps children assimilate learning better and be fresher and in a better mood. We tell you everything you need to know about the nap.

How much sleep do you need?

Between six months and the first year, nighttime sleep is consolidated and it is normal for children to begin to sleep frequently at night. At two years of age, they still need between one and two daytime naps to complete their nighttime sleep. At this age, they sleep an average of twelve hours a day, of which ten are usually at night and two during the day. As the child grows, the number of hours he or she sleeps is progressively reduced, especially at the expense of daytime sleep. And we are planted at four years old, when they sleep approximately ten and a half hours.

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Why should you take a nap?

Rather, we should ask ourselves what happens if they don't. And it not only helps them “recharge their batteries” in the middle of the day, it also makes learning easier for them. Because being more rested, the little ones better assimilate the discoveries of the afternoon. The same goes for eating habits: if the child is tired at lunch or dinner time, he or she will most likely eat worse or even fall asleep during the meal. The nap also helps them feel more relaxed when it comes to going to bed at night, which will undoubtedly reduce the classic fights with a sulky child who is so sleepy that he cannot fall asleep.

What time?

We are going to say the ideal (which is sometimes impossible to achieve, of course): the ideal thing is for them to take several naps and for the first one of the day to take place in the middle of the morning, three or four hours after the child has gotten up. By now he will have played, experimented and run around so much that it is very possible that he will need to regain his strength to arrive rested at mealtime. The right time for the second nap is after eating, taking advantage of the sweet drowsiness that overwhelms the little one when he has eaten well and feels full.

How long does a nap last?

If the child takes two naps a day, each one could last between 45-60 minutes. In the case of a single nap, in theory it should not last more than two hours, but these are approximate values. Each child is different and has their own needs. As parents we must observe them carefully to know what is best for them at all times. “Bosco is two years old and takes two naps a day, one in the morning and the other after eating,” his mother tells us. "In his case, the second nap is much shorter than the first because his sisters leave school at four-thirty and we have to pick them up at that time. That's why we compensate for one nap with the other."

Do we always put him to bed at the same time?

Yes, it is ideal. It is advisable to establish a fixed nap schedule so that the child gets into the habit and always feels sleepy at the same time. Nothing happens if one day he does not take a nap or takes it later. This is a time full of change, so you have flexibility to adapt to new things. Of course, as long as these variations are occasional, because if they are constant, they will lose the routines that we have worked so hard to achieve.

Can we wake him up?

In principle no. The child's sleep tends to self-regulate, so if one day the nap lasts longer than usual, it is probably because the child really needs to regain energy. You can wake him up if he has been asleep for more than two hours or it is after five in the afternoon, since a nap that is too long or late could make it difficult to sleep at night.

And how?

Always be very careful, because you could be in a deep sleep phase and wake up tired or irritated. The best thing to do is to open the door, let more light or noise into the room, so that the sleeper wakes up slowly. If that doesn't work, try rocking him gently or talking softly.

Do we follow the same rituals as at night?

Just as adults repeat certain activities before going to sleep: brushing our teeth, putting on pajamas, reading a book or watching TV in bed, etc., children identify some routines with sleep: hugging their teddy bear, the story that mom reads to them, etc. Therefore, performing night rituals at nap time will help them sleep better.

Light on or off?

It is important that there is a dark environment (there is no need for total darkness, like night) so that the child learns to relate darkness with sleep and light with wakefulness. This will help you sleep better and differentiate the stages of the day. Furthermore, in darkness the production of a very important hormone for development called melatonin increases.

Noise or silence?

Silence, although without going overboard. Not only does it not matter that the ambient sound sneaks in through the little one's door ajar, but it is the most convenient thing to do. Otherwise our child will only be able to sleep when there is absolute silence, which is very difficult to achieve, almost impossible if the child has siblings.

What if he doesn't end up sleeping?

If despite all our attempts he does not want to sleep, we can replace the nap with a little rest in his room. This way you will know that after the meal comes a moment of relaxation. You can leave him alone in the bed or crib so he can spend a few minutes still and calm. It's okay if he brings a toy, but don't let him have too many stimuli (TV, music...) or he won't be able to relax. In this way, many children become exhausted and end up falling asleep alone. Claudia's father has proven that the trick to getting his daughter to sleep is “not calling a nap a nap.” Therefore, the girl spends the afternoon playing for a little while in the park. "Most days, when I go to see her, I find her asleep, hugging her teddy bear and with her glasses on. Then, I take her to her bed so she can wake up in it. Let's see if, little by little, I get her to like her nap."