A catnap refers to when your baby wakes either before or at the end of a 45-minute sleep cycle ⏰ and needs your help to go back to sleep. Catnaps can occur for various reasons, such as if your baby is undertired, overtired, or if they simply haven’t yet developed the ability to re-settle themselves yet.
While some babies may develop the ability self-settle from 4 months of age, it is biologically normal for those under 5 months to still need your assistance in linking their sleep cycles to consolidate their sleep 😴
Your baby’s stress hormone, cortisol, also declines 📉 when they have a nap, indicating a reduction of stress within their body. Therefore, skipping a nap for any reason means their body will remain stressed 📈 increasing the likelihood of them waking between sleep cycles, being difficult to settle, and waking early in the morning 😣
If you need support in consolidating your baby’s sleep, book a consultation or download our sleep essentials guide via our website to restore sleep for you and your family 💫🩷🌸