Catnapping: Why Short Naps Happen and When They Improve

If your baby only naps for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, you are not doing anything wrong.

Short naps, often referred to as catnapping, are extremely common in the newborn months and early infancy.

Catnapping can feel frustrating, especially when days feel long and unpredictable, but in most cases it is a normal and temporary stage of sleep development.

What is catnapping?

Catnapping describes naps that last for a single sleep cycle, usually around 30 to 45 minutes. Your baby wakes at the end of that cycle and struggles to link into the next one without support.

This can happen consistently across the day, even when your baby seems tired and settles easily.

Why does catnapping happen?

Catnapping is usually driven by immature sleep development rather than something you are doing wrong.

Immature sleep cycles

In the early months, babies have very short sleep cycles and spend a large portion of their sleep in lighter stages. This makes it difficult for them to naturally resettle between cycles during the day.

As sleep matures, the ability to link cycles improves, but this takes time.

Changing sleep needs

As babies grow, awake windows gradually lengthen. If awake time is slightly too short or too long, naps can shorten.

Understanding the balance between under vs overtired can help explain why naps may be short even when your baby appears tired.

Developmental shifts

Periods of rapid development often disrupt naps temporarily. Many families notice catnapping become more obvious around the four month sleep regression, when sleep cycles change permanently and sleep becomes lighter between cycles

.Sleep environment and settling support

In the early months, many babies rely on support to consolidate sleep cycles. If they fall asleep in one condition and wake in another, they may fully wake at the end of a cycle.

This is not a problem.

It is developmental. It just helps explain why naps can stay short even when bedtime settling feels fine.

Is catnapping normal?

Yes. Catnapping is developmentally normal in:

Newborns
Young infants
Babies going through regressions or transitions

Some babies catnap for weeks or months before naps begin to lengthen. Others move through this phase more quickly.

Short naps do not mean your baby will always be a poor sleeper.

When does catnapping improve?

For most babies, naps begin to lengthen naturally between five and six months, once:

Sleep cycles mature
Awake windows are better matched to sleep needs
Sleep pressure is more evenly distributed across the day

However, improvement is rarely overnight. Naps often lengthen gradually rather than suddenly.

Should you try to “fix” catnapping?

In the newborn stage, catnapping does not need fixing.

Trying to force longer naps too early can often increase overtiredness and make sleep harder rather than easier.

The focus at this stage is usually on:

Appropriate awake windows
Enough total sleep across 24 hours
Preventing overtiredness building across the day

Longer naps tend to follow naturally as development allows.

What to do on a catnapping day

If naps are short, the goal is to protect the rest of the day.

Helpful options include:

Offer the next nap based on tired signs and realistic awake windows, rather than forcing long stretches
Use one supported nap per day if needed, such as contact, carrier, pram, or car, to prevent overtiredness stacking up
Bring bedtime forward if the day sleep total is low and your baby is struggling to get through to the usual bedtime

You are not creating bad habits by supporting sleep in this stage. You are helping your baby get the rest they need while sleep matures.

Can catnapping affect night sleep?

Catnapping itself is not harmful, but accumulated overtiredness can affect night sleep.

If your baby is catnapping all day, nights may become more unsettled if bedtime is pushed too late or awake windows stretch beyond what your baby can manage.

Supporting naps within realistic expectations can help protect overnight sleep.

When catnapping may need a closer look

While catnapping is usually normal, it may be helpful to review sleep more closely if:

Naps shorten suddenly after previously lengthening
Your baby is consistently difficult to settle
Nights become increasingly broken alongside short naps

In these cases, sleep pressure, awake windows, and development are often overlapping.

Looking ahead

Catnapping is one of the most common phases families experience in the first months of life. While it can feel draining, it is not permanent.

As sleep matures and routines evolve, naps typically begin to consolidate.

Understanding how sleep changes during stages like the four month sleep regression can help set realistic expectations and reduce the pressure to “fix” sleep too early.

The Smarter Way to Invest in Better Sleep

Supporting sleep does not have to mean starting over every time something changes.

Our sleep courses are built to support you long term, with age specific guidance that adapts as your child grows.

From early routines and regressions to nap transitions and toddler sleep challenges, you will have a clear plan so you can respond with confidence at every stage.