As your child develops at such an extraordinary rate, it's absolutely true that sleep is vital for babies and young children. Helping them get the sleep they need as well as getting regular naps in between is highly essential.
For newborns, you shouldn't expect a napping pattern since getting up every two to four hours is completely normal. This is the stage in life where a sleep-all-you-can is required. At around six to eight weeks old, babies will sleep less often and for longer stretches at a time. Two to four naps a day (sometimes more) are expected. At three to four months old, babies will slowly start to follow a sleeping pattern (with encouragement from the parent/s, of course). This stage is getting to be easier for you as a parent and also a wonderful time to start nap schedules. Your baby is more aware of things happening around as he/she gets older and so at six months old, his/her naps will be down to two or three a day, that is morning, afternoon and early evening. Once your baby reaches nine and twelve months old, two naps a day are expected, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This is the stage when they tend to play around a lot so expect a little difficulty when your baby is asked to take a nap. At eighteen months old, babies don't usually nap in the mornings (normally during afternoons before dinner) and this pattern is likely to continue until three or four years old.
But how can you work on developing a nap schedule compatible with your baby's natural sleep cycle? (1) Read the signs by paying attention to your baby's sleep signals, i.e. rubbing of eyes and getting fussy for no reason (2) Stick to a schedule by being consistent with naptime by making it the same everyday. Yes, do avoid personal activities that conflict with your baby's naptime (3) Relax and don't stress yourself out. You will eventually figure out what is best for your baby. This will take some trial and error.
Practical tips for naps are (1) Let your baby relax for a minute by avoiding any loud noise. You may even sing a song, read a book or cuddle, you can't go wrong with that (2) Clear the crib of any toys, blankets, pillows or any other "interesting" things that will attract their attention (3) Dress your baby in light clothing as this will help him/her fall asleep faster most especially in warm temperatures (4) Have your baby sleep in the same place each time, this will help him/her associate that particular spot with going to sleep (5) Never wait until your child is overly tired, even if it is way to early for his/her naptime. If you force your child to stay up and wait for the exact time to nap, it might drain your child even more and becomes more difficult for them to get some sleep.
Helpful Resource:www.babycentre.com