Starting as early as 13 weeks, your baby (especially those who aren’t able to put themselves to sleep yet), can start experiencing increasingly short naps, that only last 20-30 minutes at a time. But when a baby isn’t quite old enough to sleep train, what can you do?? When your 3 month old is taking short naps on the daily, putting in a little work can pay off HUGE in the months to come.

Here are 4 Things to Focus on when your 3 Month old is Taking Short Naps:

1. 1. Shorter Wake Windows

Babies who are only 3 months old are still using pretty short wake windows—like 1.5 hours MAX. Without shorter wake windows following short naps, 3 month old babies will take short naps all day long, no matter how great of a sleeper they are. Putting a baby down after this, or even before, can lead to nap refusal and/or tears. If your baby naps less than 30 minutes, try a nap even 1-1.25 hours later again. If baby takes a nap lasting 1-2 hours, use 1.5-2 hour wake window following the nap, depending on activity levels and sleep cues.

2. Watching for Sleep Cues

Rubbing eyes, yawning, staring “off into space”— all signs that a 3 month old is taking short naps, right?? These are cues that mean you should begin your naptime routine soon. If you’re seeing agitation, extreme meltdowns, purple eyelids, or flushed eyebrows, this means baby is already overtired, which can also lead to short naps.

3. Use or Start the Eat-Play-Sleep Routine

Get into the habit of feeding baby after the nap, as opposed to before the nap. This decreases the potential of developing sleep crutches, and makes baby’s day more predictable. This also makes timing feeds much easier at this age. Here is a glimpse at a Eat-Play-Sleep Routine: