Nap transitions: how to drop a nap

So you think your little one is ready for a nap transition? Before jumping in, be sure to read my previous blog: 6 signs it’s time to drop a nap. Then, once you’ve determined that your child is truly ready, it’s time to get to work.

These transitions can often feel harder than they end up being- but it’s never a bad idea to be prepared. You’ll need some practical advice, patience, and consistency to help your little one get used to longer wake windows, skipping that last nap and having an earlier bedtime. Keep reading for all my tried and true nap transition tips.

General tips for handling nap transitions

Don’t fear the early bedtime

As your little one adjusts to longer periods of wakefulness throughout the day as well as the loss of a whole nap, they will naturally be more tired than usual. To help combat this, we typically will offer an earlier bedtime at the beginning of a nap transition. This earlier bedtime may stick around for a few weeks while things level out and as nap lengths increase.

Some families are very scared of the early bedtime because they feel it means an even earlier morning wake-up time. However, I want to assure you of this: It’s actually more likely that keeping your child up until their old bedtime will cause an early waking than not offering an early bedtime. One of the main culprits of early wakings is overtiredness and too much time awake before bed, so by offering an early bedtime, you will help avoid that!

It’s okay to go back and forth a little

At the beginning of your nap transition, you may have days where your child skips their last nap and you may have days where your child still takes that nap you are trying to drop. For example, a little one transitioning from 3 to 2 naps may flip flop for a while and have a couple of 2 nap days followed by a 3 nap day.

This is a very normal part of the process and it also helps to stave off that overtiredness that comes with the territory of dropping a nap. However, if you get 7-10 days into the transition and this flip-flopping is still happening, then it’s time to cut that last nap loose for good and keep moving full steam ahead.

Have realistic expectations

As mentioned above, your baby feeling extra tired during a nap transition is common and to be expected. You should be prepared that they may feel a little extra whiny and clingy as you move through this change. It will also be challenging at first to stretch your little one to longer wake windows between naps. This is a necessary part of the transition but it will feel challenging and they won’t always like it.

You may also experience unusual night wakings, early wake ups, and shorter than usual naps as you help your baby adjust to their new schedule. These things are temporary, but it helps if you are prepared and know they are coming.

Be patient

Nap transitions usually take several weeks to be fully complete. It might be 2-4 weeks before you feel settled and back into a good sleep rhythm. Don’t let this discourage you but instead keep your head up and keep your eyes on the prize that you and your little one are working towards. You will get there, I promise!

Below, I’ve included more information about each of the 3 main nap transitions.

3 to 2 nap transition 

The transition from 3 to 2 naps typically happens between 7-9 months. Most often, this transition is signaled by nap 3 resistance or refusal. You may often feel stuck in no man’s land with a really late nap 3 or a skipped nap 3.

When you’re ready to drop the third nap, you’ll want to stretch the wake windows earlier in the day. An average wake window schedule when starting the transition looks like this:

Wake up

Awake 2.5 hours

Nap 1

Awake 2.75 hours

Nap 2

Awake 3 hours

Bedtime

From there you want to gradually increase wake windows every couple of days until you reach a wake window schedule that looks more like this:

Wake up

Awake 2.75 hours

Nap 1

Awake 3 hours

Nap 2

Awake 3.25 hours

Bedtime

During this transition, if your little one is having trouble taking longer naps, you have a couple of options. You can assist them back to sleep after a short nap and lengthen the nap for them. Or you can use a responsive sleep training method to respond to them while still leaving it up to them to lengthen their own nap. Either way has its pros and cons so do what you feel most comfortable with.

Ultimately, when on a 2 nap schedule, we’d like for at least one of the naps to be long (1+ hours). And if you can get 2 long naps out of your little one- then great!

2 to 1 nap transition

Dropping from 2 naps to 1 ideally happens around 14-18 months. Many 12 month olds will go through a nap strike and parents will mistakenly drop them to 1 nap but usually little ones aren’t fully ready until 14+ months.

When you’re ready to drop the 2nd nap, you’ll want to start by slowly shifting nap 1 later and later in the morning. Try to shift it about 15 minutes every other day. As you do that, you’ll naturally reach a point where you can’t fit a second nap in (or your child just won’t fall asleep for it). At that point, you’ll officially be on 1 nap!

In general, I recommend shifting nap 1 until it is falling about 5.5 hours after morning wake up time. This will take some time to slowly push nap 1 later but you’ll get there eventually and the gradual push will help keep your little one from getting too overtired in the process.

For bedtime, it’s a good idea to only allow about 5-6 hours of awake time between the end of the nap and bedtime. As you can see, you may be offering a 6-6:30 pm bedtime for a while but that’s okay!

Ultimately, when on a 1 nap schedule, we’d like for the nap to be 1.5-3 hours in length. A sample 1 nap schedule may look like this:

Wake up 6:30 am

Nap 11.30-2 pm

Bedtime 7-7:30 pm

1 to 0 nap transition

The transition from 1 to 0 naps typically happens between 3-5 years. I know this is a huge range but I’ve seen young 3-year-olds who are truly ready to drop the nap and I’ve also seen 5-year-olds who are still napping without any negative effects! Most often, this transition is signalled by an increase in bedtime resistance on days that your child naps. You may also have many days where your child simply does not take a nap.

This transition feels a bit different than the other two I’ve covered in this blog. If bedtime resistance isn’t an issue, then I recommend holding off the transition. It’s perfectly okay for your child to take a nap some days of the week and not take a nap on the others. 

However, if bedtime resistance is an issue, start by capping your child’s nap down to 45-60 minutes in length and see if that helps. If it does, then continue doing that until it’s no longer working. If capping the nap doesn’t help, then that means it’s probably time to transition.

When you do cut the final nap out, you’ll want to ensure that your little one has the opportunity to get about 11-12 hours of night sleep each night. That means that if they are usually waking up at 6:30am, then bedtime needs to be set between 6:30-7:30 pm. This gives their body the chance to get the sleep they need as they get used to no more napping.

In the meantime, make sure that you are keeping them busy in the late afternoon and early evening. Children going through this transition are notorious for sneaking in a late car nap or simply passing out on the couch at 5pm. This will obviously make bedtime even more challenging so don’t let them sneak in a late nap. As their body adjusts, this will get easier and you won’t feel like you have to keep such a close eye on them.

Once the nap is gone, I encourage families to implement a daily quiet time in its place. This way your child still gets a restful period (and so do you)! Learn more about my quiet time tips here.

Whether you are already in the thick of a nap transition and struggling, or you’re about to start transitioning and need some support, I’d love to help make the process easier on you! I offer free 15 minute discovery calls so we can see if my approach to sleep is the right fit for you! Then, if we decide to work together, I can come up with a solid game plan tailored to your child’s unique sleep schedule. 

Vanessa xo