Nap Transitions
Everything changes so quickly when you have a baby under 2 years old. One day they’re crawling, the next they’re taking their first steps. One day they’re finally sleeping well and then out of nowhere… their sleep is a mess. So when you have that what the heck moment, consider that it may be time for your baby to drop a nap.
When your baby’s sleep suddenly becomes a hot mess, this may be their way of showing you that it’s time to drop a nap.
Below are the common signs that it’s time. Some babies may only give you one sign, while others will show a few signs. Keep in mind that you want to give your baby at least a few days of showing signs of dropping a nap before actually getting rid of it.
If your baby isn’t at a typical age to drop a nap, but has a sudden change in their sleep, check out my guide on sleep regressions. You can also book a free evaluation call with me.
Signs that your baby is ready to drop a nap:
Shorter naps
Sometimes these can be as short as 20-30 minutes. Your baby is telling you that they didn’t actually need a nap at that time!
Ability to stay awake longer between naps
You may be noticing that your baby’s wake windows are increasing. Once that happens, it gets really hard to fit in that last nap without pushing bedtime too late!
It’s getting progressively harder to get to sleep for nap or bedtime
If your baby is able to stay awake longer in between naps, but you haven’t increased their wake window, it can become difficult for them to fall asleep.
When your baby is ready to drop a nap, this also means that they’re often ready to get a little less sleep during the day. If they’re getting too much nap sleep, bedtime can be difficult. Dropping the nap can help to get your baby back to a developmentally appropriate schedule.
Refusing a nap completely
Sometimes your baby will just all-out refuse to take a nap.
If you have a 1 or 2-year-old who is already on a 1-nap schedule but is refusing a nap, wait it out. This is typical of a sleep regression at this age and if they truly need their nap, they will start napping again soon!
Waking early in the morning
Yep, early-morning wakings can be a sign that your baby is ready to drop a nap. If this is the only sign that your baby is showing, look into the other reasons for early morning waking before you drop their nap.
New wake-ups in the middle of the night
If your baby has gotten too much sleep during the day, they can suddenly start to wake at night. Often, this is a longer wake-up in the middle of the night.
The last nap of the day starts to run into bedtime
Maybe you have appropriately adjusted your baby’s wake times, but now bedtime is after 8:00. Dropping to the appropriate number of naps for their age will bring you back to a normal bed time.
How to do it:
Extend your baby’s wake time, then drop the last nap of the day. You will likely need to move bedtime earlier. It will take your baby a bit of time to adjust to their new schedule. They may get cranky at the end of their wake window. This means distraction on your part! You can distract your baby by taking them outside to play, setting up a new activity or new toy, or doing a craft.
When dropping from 3-2 naps, I prefer to start a schedule instead of relying on wake times to determine when your baby should nap. I still use wake windows to determine bedtime. This is a sample schedule. You can adjust it as needed, depending on when your baby typically wakes up.
Expose your baby to natural light. Light exposure helps to regulate your baby’s circadian rhythm. Just remember, once it’s time for bed, darkness is essential!
Keep your routine consistent. A nap transition is not the time to switch up the nap and bedtime routine! Keep everything in your baby’s routine the same as it was before the transition. You want your baby to recognize that it’s time to sleep, even when they aren’t going to bed at their previous time.
If you’re dropping naps completely, check out this blog post all about how to transition to being nap-free. Being nap-free doesn’t mean that you’ll never have an hour to yourself again! You can start having your little one do some Quiet Time, instead.
Ready to get some rest?
