Getting ready for the next nap transition with your little one? Dropping a nap can be a little scary and I find there’s a lot of second-guessing that parents go through as their baby ages. Some days you may feel like your baby is ready to drop their last nap while other days you may feel like dropping a nap is an impossible feat. I put this blog together to walk you through the signs that your baby is ready for a nap transition. Then you can use this information in addition to your intimate knowledge of your little one and make the best decision possible for them.

Below you will find general tips for dropping a nap- whether that be the 4 to 3 nap transition, 3 to 2 nap transition, 2 to 1 nap transition, or dropping the remaining nap for good!

What age should you expect each nap transition?

Keep in mind that every baby is unique and all babies won’t fall into these neat little categories… but I want to give you the average ages that I see children drop naps. I also find that waiting until as close to these ages as possible is best when dropping a nap. The older your baby is when you drop a nap, the smoother it will be.

Ages 3-5 months: Transition from 4 to 3 naps

Ages 7-9 months: Transition from 3 to 2 naps

Ages 14-18 months: Transition from 2 to 1 nap

Ages 3-5 years: Transition from 1 to 0 naps

What other signs should you be on the lookout for with nap transitions?

As your little one gets older and older, their body and brain will need more time awake and less time asleep. This naturally results in longer wake windows between naps. You’ll notice how all of the signs I go through below are simply how your little one’s need for more awake time presents itself.

1. Fighting naps and bedtime

This is typically the most common sign you will see that your little one is getting ready to drop a nap. What used to be an easy put down at naptime, is now turning into you looking at the monitor for 15, 30, even 45 minutes waiting for your baby to stop rolling around and finally go to sleep. What used to be a quick rock and then transfer to the cot at bedtime, is now turning into a game where your little one is squirming in your arms and trying to sit up rather than let themselves be lulled to sleep.

1. Unexplained early wakings

These would be categorized as wakings that are earlier than typical for your unique child. Every child is different and while 7 am may be an early waking for one family, it may feel like sleeping in to a different family. So be conscious of your little one’s typical wake-up time in the morning and if you feel it is creeping earlier and earlier with no other obvious explanations, this could definitely be a sign that they are close to a nap transition.

1. Unusual night wakings

Much like early wakings, this will be different with each family. For a little one who has been regularly sleeping through the night, this may look like one or two brief wakings where the child resettles easily on their own after a few minutes. For a baby who is still waking to feed overnight, this may look like the same number of wakings and feedings but then more difficulty getting them back to sleep after the feed. These various types of unusual night wakings could be happy and playful wakings or they could be upset and intense wakings.

1. Shortened naps

This sign can be one of the most confusing of all. Oftentimes, when your little one is approaching a nap transition, they will start to have shorter naps. What used to be a long, luxurious 1.5-2 hour nap may start to be only 45-60 minutes. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a 45-60 minute nap but when you’ve seen how much sleep your baby needs and they suddenly start sleeping less, it can make alarm bells go off in your head. But don’t worry, this is a very normal part of the process of your little one growing and developing. The short naps are typically caused by the fact that your child needs more awake time to build an adequate amount of sleep pressure. Without adequate sleep pressure, they won’t need to nap as long and that will result in a shortened nap.

1. Nap refusal

Most often, if a nap is straight up refused, it is the last nap of the day. The last nap of the day is typically the hardest nap for your child to fall asleep for (you’ve probably noticed this already) and so when your little one is on the brink of a nap transition, they may totally refuse to go down for that final nap. You may find yourself in a hard spot waiting for your child to fall asleep for their last nap, only to realize that it’s taken them so long to fall asleep that now that nap will be too late and mess up the rest of the night too. And that leads me to our last sign…

1. Bedtime is pushed too late

As you approach a nap transition, you’ll notice that bedtime has had to shift later than it used to be. This can be due to the sign I mentioned above of nap resistance and refusal- pushing the last nap and bedtime later as a result. But it can also just naturally happen as your little one’s wake windows gradually increase. You may find you are running out of time in the day to fit all of your baby’s naps, plus wake windows, and still get to bed by a decent time. 

Should you ever hold off a nap transition?

Remember, age is also an important piece so you want to include your little one’s age in your decision making about whether baby is showing you signs of transitioning or not. For example, if you have a 5 month old that is showing some of the above signs of dropping from 3 naps to 2 naps, keep in mind that it is likely too early for that transition and there is probably something else going on instead. On the flip side, don’t feel rushed to drop a nap just because your baby hits a certain age. If they aren’t showing consistent signs from my list above, then they do not need to transition right now.

In short, yes, you should hold off a nap transition if your little one is not old enough yet. In order to do that, I’ve included some tips below for micromanaging your baby’s schedule and hopefully holding off that transition for several weeks or months until they are old enough to handle it.

It’s okay to start your little one’s day earlier

If you have room in your schedule to wake your little one an extra 15-30 minutes earlier than usual, go for it! This buys you a little extra time in the day to fit everything in and it gives your child the extra awake time that they are showing you they need. Or, maybe you don’t even need to wake your child earlier than usual, you simply need to stop letting them sleep in on random days.

It’s okay to wake your little one from naps

I know it can feel so counterintuitive to wake little ones from naps but remember, night sleep is more restorative than nap sleep and therefore it’s okay to shorten naps a bit to get your child to bed earlier and have a smoother night. Start small, just 10-15 minute increments, and shorten the longest nap of the day. Do that for a couple of days and see if it helps as you try to hold off the nap transition. If you decide you need to cap naps more, that’s okay. Just try not to go shorter than 30 minutes for the final nap of the day and not to go shorter than 45-60 minutes for the earlier naps.

It will feel weird- and probably a bit annoying- to have to micromanage your little one’s schedule for a period of time. But trust me when I say, it’s much less disruptive and frustrating than trying to drop a nap too early and ending up in a cycle of overtiredness. It’s worth the effort you are putting in and this season is temporary, I promise!

If nap scheduling is just one of many problems you are experiencing when it comes to your little one’s sleep, let’s chat! Let’s schedule a free 15 minute discovery call so we can see if my approach to sleep is the right fit for you! We can discuss what’s happening sleep-wise and work out how to move forward with the right sleep package for you. I can answer any questions you have to put your mind at ease! Schedule your free call here.

Big Love,

Vanessa xo