If you’ve ever put your baby down for a nap, tiptoed out of the room, and just barely made it to your coffee before hearing them cry again—this one’s for you.
Short naps (we’re talking 30–45 minutes, sometimes less) get a bad rap. They’re often labeled as “unrestorative,” and you’ve probably been told they need to be fixed with wake windows, nap training, or “schedule hacks.”
But here’s what most people aren’t telling you:
Short naps are developmentally normal. And for many babies, especially in the first year, they’re also biologically expected.
Why Are Short Naps So Common?
In early infancy, sleep is organized differently than in adults or even older children. Babies’ sleep cycles are short—typically around 30 to 50 minutes—and it’s completely normal for them to wake up after just one cycle.
The ability to link sleep cycles (that is, transitioning from one to the next without fully waking) is something that develops gradually—and on its own timeline. There’s no magic age when this happens, and no schedule or training method that forces it. One longitudinal study found that individual variation in infant sleep patterns—including nap length—can persist well beyond infancy (Weissbluth et al., 2011).
How does linking sleep cycles develop?
With support. When babies are offered consistent, responsive help as they rouse between cycles—being held, soothed, or simply given time in arms—they gradually build the neurological and emotional capacity to settle more easily. This isn’t something to force. It’s something to nurture over time.
Some Babies Are Just Short Nappers
There’s a wide range of normal when it comes to nap duration. Some babies naturally take longer naps. Others wake after a single sleep cycle—and continue to do so for months or even years.
Some researchers note that differences in nap length may have a biological basis and that some children simply seem predisposed to shorter naps, regardless of changes to their environment or schedule.
This doesn’t mean your baby is overtired. It doesn’t mean they’re missing out. It just means that short naps might be their normal.
There’s a wide range of healthy infant sleep behavior, and short naps absolutely fall within it.
But Are Short Naps Restorative?
Let’s talk sleep science for a second.
Each sleep cycle includes multiple stages—including light sleep, deep non-REM sleep, and REM sleep. Babies can—and do—move through all of these stages during a short nap. So even if your baby wakes after one cycle, they’ve likely already benefited from deep, restorative rest.
Short naps still contribute to memory consolidation, sensory processing, and emotional regulation in infants. Especially when naps are contact-supported or occur in a co-regulated environment, they can be powerfully restorative—because they’re not just about duration, but about quality and safety.
How Do You Know If Your Baby Is Actually Rested?
Instead of relying on the clock or nap charts, try observing your baby:
- Are they generally content and engaged after waking?
- Do they show signs of alertness, curiosity, or calmness?
- Are they able to stay regulated for a reasonable stretch before the next nap?
These are good signs that their nap met their needs—even if it was shorter than you expected.
On the other hand, if your baby wakes from a short nap and still seems fussy, glassy-eyed, or quickly overstimulated, they might not be fully rested. In that case, you can try to support them back to sleep—especially if they’re still snuggled in your arms or open to being soothed again.
This isn’t about forcing more sleep—it’s about offering the chance to continue resting, with your help.
What If You Just… Stop Fighting Short Naps?
When we stop treating short naps as a failure and start seeing them as a normal part of infant sleep, everything softens a little.
You can still offer consistency and rhythm. You can still support your baby in going back to sleep if they’re not done. But you also get to let go of the pressure to “fix” naps that are biologically normal.
Your baby’s naps don’t need to look like anyone else’s. They just need to work for your baby.
Want more support?
We dive deeper into naps (and so much more) in our comprehensive infant sleep eCourse. Register here.
