Navigating Nap Transitions
/Have you been here? You finally get your baby on a sleep schedule that is working great and then suddenly sleep becomes a challenge again – it can be hard to know if it’s a sleep regression, developmental milestone, or time for a nap transition!
Nap transitions happen when your baby is ready to drop a nap and occur at various stages of your baby’s life. This chart highlights when little ones generally go through nap transitions.
So, when do you know when it’s time for a nap transition?
First, remember that just because your child sleep patterns have changed, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going through a nap transition. You’ll want to rule out other causes for your child’s sleep challenges – things like over or under tiredness, room environment, adjusting to daycare or learning a new skill. If you’ve ruled out other potential factors, it could be time to drop a nap. Look for the following signs that it might be time:
Your child is at (or close to) an appropriate age to drop a nap (see chart!)
Your baby suddenly doesn’t seem tired at nap time and is taking longer to fall asleep
Nap length is decreasing and/or wake time is increasing
You’re seeing more protest, night wakings and/or early mornings
You’re running out of time to squeeze in the last nap without it interfering with bedtime
If you’re noticing at least two of these signs 4-5 times a week, it’s likely time to drop a nap. If your child is showing these signs but is not at an appropriate age to drop a nap yet, wait a couple of weeks as it could be linked to development.
How to make the transition? Let’s use the 2 to 1 nap transition as an example:
Gradually push the first nap 15-30 minutes later every couple of days until their nap time lands around 11:30/12pm. This could take a couple of weeks.
Continue to offer a second nap for the first couple of weeks if the first nap is short.
If baby doesn’t not fall asleep for second nap, move bedtime up as early as 6:00pm to compensate.
Some things to keep in mind:
For some children, dropping a nap quickly improves nap length and for some children it decreases nap length in the short term due to over-tiredness. Both are normal!
If nap length decreases, a second nap in the car or stroller can be used temporarily to take the edge off before bedtime. This is meant to be just a short catnap of 15-20 minutes (or perhaps just the length of the drive from daycare to home!)
You will likely notice your baby still appears tired at the usual naptime, so you will have to distract them a bit to get them to the desired nap time.
Moving bedtime earlier by 30 minutes for a few weeks can help with the gap in time and prevent overtiredness. Even though 6:00pm may seem far too early for bed, it is only for a few weeks while baby adjusts.
Keep in mind that with any nap transition, it may fluctuate from day to day for a couple of weeks until baby fully transitions. If your little one has recently started daycare and is doing one nap at daycare during the week, it’s ok to offer two naps on the weekend to help them catch up until they are fully adjusted.
Saying goodbye to the nap!
Ending daytime naps... Sigh. I know what a bittersweet time it is when your child no longer needs to nap. You’ll miss the long stretches where you could get some things done around the house or take a rest yourself! On the other hand, when naps end you gain more flexibility in your schedule and there’s a whole world of daytime activities for families that you can now start to partake in.
Most children start to show signs of being ready to make this transition between the ages of 2.5 and 3 years. Some children easily keep napping past 3 years of age as well and enjoy great naps until they head off to school! If that’s the case for you, then keep enjoying as long as it is working well for you and your child!
In most cases, children continue to nap just fine during the day, but you may start to notice that they start resisting bedtime. Often, they still go to bed happily and follow their routine like any other night but when you put them to bed you may notice they just don’t fall asleep like they used to. Parents with video monitors often notice their child lays quietly with eyes open, others sing or roll around, or appear to be re-enacting their day to their lovey. If your child is older than 2 years, and you notice this behaviour happens for 4-5 times in a week and is becoming a trend rather than a one-off then it is time to consider the following options:
1. Start capping their nap to see if that improves bedtime and overnight sleep. Start by cutting it by 30 minutes and if that doesn’t do the trick, cut it by another 30 minutes.
2. Leave the nap alone and move bedtime later (usually no later than 8 or 8:30pm). Start moving bedtime later by 10 minutes for 3 days at a time until you reach a time when you child falls asleep within 15-20 minutes of being put to bed.
3. Cut the nap completely and consider replacing it with “quiet time”. If your child goes to daycare, it’s best to discuss this option with your provider as some daycares cannot commit to not napping your child. You do however always have the option to not offer a nap on the weekends knowing that your child will continue to nap during the week at daycare. Keep in mind that for children who drop their nap early (those of you with 2.5-year old’s read carefully!), you’ll want to move bedtime earlier. Once your toddler adjusts, you can push bedtime out again.
Some nap transitions are easier than others but remember it takes the body 4-6 weeks to fully adjust to a significant change in sleep patterns, so don’t expect your child to adjust immediately.
