Struggling to get your baby to nap longer than a sleep cycle (around 30–45 minutes)? Here’s what’s usually behind it. ▫️Under 4 months: timing is the most common factor If you’re still working with very short wake windows of 45–60 minutes, it’s time to extend them. Babies need enough awake time to build adequate sleep pressure to nap longer. If they’re settled to sleep too early, even when showing tired signs, they wake after one sleep cycle simply because there wasn’t enough pressure to sleep a

Let me guess—your baby goes down for a nap, you tiptoe away feeling victorious, and then 30 minutes later they’re awake and cranky. Rinse and repeat all day long. Here’s what most parents don’t realize: those short naps won’t magically fix themselves. Your baby needs the skills to connect sleep cycles, and “drowsy but awake” isn’t going to cut it anymore. By afternoon, you’ve got an overtired, fussy baby on your hands. And the cycle just keeps repeating day after day. But it doesn’t have to be t