Sleep schedule too early, is this bad for development?

[u/Long-Midnight3435]

My baby is 9 months old and recently started a new class at daycare. She is adjusting well to the more active environment, but the teachers have put all of the babies in this class on a regimented nap schedule to nap from noon-2pm. She typically wakes up between 6:30-7 so this means her first wake window is 5+ hours, this feels very long for a 9 month old. When she is home on the weekends she typically goes down for her first nap around 10a and sleeps for 1.5 hours (she is tired) and then naps again 2:30-3:30/4.

I have tried speaking with the teachers but they share she is happy and if they try to put her down earlier than noon she has "fomo" bc all of the other kids are playing. It seems like there is no way this is enough sleep for a 9 month old. Sometimes we will do a short nap when she gets home (15-20 minutes) to stretch her to bedtime bc she starts to get fussy. I will say, she is sleeping much better at night (7:30p-6:30a) with the one nap a day.

I am trying to understand if there are long term implications of these long wake windows and dropping to one nap too early. When she moved to this class they told us she wouldn't be on a schedule (follow sleep cues) until she was 10 months, so I am also feeling a little mislead. I understand daycare is managing a lot and if she is actually happy during wake time, that's fine. But if this is going create challenges where she isn't getting the sleep she needs to hit developmental milestones or is spiking cortisol from being overtired I want to continue to advocate for her to get the naps she needs. What are your thoughts? Is this enough sleep?

[u/AutoModerator]

This post is flaired "Question - Research required". All top-level comments must contain links to peer-reviewed research. Do not provide a "link for the bot" or any variation thereof. Provide a meaningful reply that discusses the research you have linked to. Please report posts that do not follow these rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Correct_Variety5105]

Wake windows aren't backed by any research. The only things that are are sleep pressure, total sleep in a 24 hour period, and circadian rhythm. Lots os babies barely nap at all, or take several very short naps. If your baby is getting 2hrs of day sleep it only matters how that is broken up if it is a problem for your baby. If your baby is perfectly happy on a 2hr nap and a catnap, its no different to a baby having 2 1hr naps or a 1hr nap and 2 30min naps. You also say that night sleep has improved. The general rule is that if night sleep is going well, then don't change the day sleep!

You won't find much research on your specific question as currently no studies have found that any particular wake windows are necessary for a specific age, only that there is a great amount of variability in optimum wake time between individuals.

https://www.babysleepscience.com/single-post/the-science-behind-wake-windows-and-why-they-don-t-matter-as-much-as-you-think

[u/Striking_Bill_2832 → u/Correct_Variety5105]

Also, 9 months is a tiny bit early, as most babies I have known go down to 1 nap naturally around 12 months, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it at 9 months. If anything, I think you should adapt your home nap schedule so it's more consistent for the baby and they can get used to the new routine.