Why You Don’t Need to Stress About Napping: It Won’t Keep Your Child Up at Night

Daytime short naps appear to enhance the overall sleep duration of young children rather than pose a significant risk to their nighttime rest.

Typically, babies and young kids nap during the day, which is linked to the formation of early memories. This habit generally ceases between the ages of 3 and 5, but timing can differ, leaving many parents uncertain about their children’s daytime sleep needs.

In France, where kindergarten begins at age 3, there is a debate on whether staff should allow children to nap. “Although naps are widely acknowledged to positively impact cognitive development, some parents and educators worry that daytime resting might disrupt nighttime sleep or diminish essential learning opportunities,” notes Stephanie Mazza from the University of Lyon, France.

Mazza and her team researched whether naps interfere with nighttime rest by observing 85 children aged 2-5 years across six French kindergartens using wrist sleep trackers for about 7.8 days.

The findings, combined with sleep diaries maintained by parents, showed that an hour increase in napping was linked to a reduction of roughly 13.6 minutes in nighttime sleep, delaying bedtime by about 6.4 minutes. However, children who napped gained an overall 45 minutes of additional sleep.

“Naps have led to a notable rise in total daily sleep, helping children meet the globally recommended sleep duration,” states Mazza. The World Health Organization advises that children in this age group should sleep between 10-13 hours daily.

“Parents need not worry if their child still requires a nap before turning six,” asserts Mazza. “Our results imply that naps can boost total sleep, even if they slightly delay bedtime. Instead of viewing naps as detrimental, they should be seen as a valuable source of rest, particularly in stimulating environments.”

“I believe this indicates—if they can nap, let them nap,” says Rebecca Spencer from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She emphasizes, considering that sleep duration during early childhood varies globally, further research is necessary to assess the broader applicability of these findings.