Why a 2-hour nap isn’t “better” than a 1-hour nap
I know it sounds crazy, but it is true: a 2-hour nap isn’t better than a 1-hour nap. Well, maybe it is for mom (or dad or whoever your baby’s caregiver is) who is trying to get in some precious rest herself or get some things done around the house while the little one is napping! But, if you are trying to figure out if your baby had a quality nap, a longer nap isn’t necessarily superior to a nap that is at least an hour in length.
It really depends on your baby’s individual biologically-based needs. Some children are longer nappers and some are shorter nappers. You might even see night sleep complement this, meaning: shorter nappers tend to have longer nights and longer nappers likely have shorter nights.
If you’re overanalyzing why your baby’s nap isn’t two hours long, focus on this instead:
Naps are at least an hour. This means your baby went through an entire sleep cycle plus more. If your baby is still on a 3-nap schedule, this pertains to the first and second nap, not the last cat nap of the day.
Your little one is sleeping at biologically appropriate times of the day. Yes, there are times during the day (based on our circadian rhythms), that if a nap happens, it can be more restorative for the body or brain than if that nap happened at a different time.
Your baby is waking happy and refreshed. Other signs of a good nap are waking gradually, stretching, yawning, and cooing or chatting.
Night sleep is consolidated. If nighttime sleep isn’t broken up (minus any planned feeds), that means daytime is sleep is likely in good shape. Overtiredness could be a culprit for a lot of overnight wakings.
Whether your baby is biologically destined to be a 1-hour napper or a 2-hour napper, I personally think there are pros to both! You either have a little more time to yourself during the day or a little more time to yourself in the evening (you know, to stare at all the photos of your baby on your phone!).
