Nap Transitions 101
I get SO many questions regarding WHEN to transition from a nap. How do I know it’s time? Is my child ready? I don’t want to negatively impact their sleep!
I hear you – it can be confusing. The answer here is it depends completely on your CHILD and their own unique sleep needs. They will most likely cue you in when they are ready to make this transition.
Some signs to look out for:
starting to refuse naps and takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep
consistently skipping naps
has lengthened one nap and consequently refused others
is waking earlier than normal, or
has sudden night wakings when they were previously sleeping through the night
I recommend holding onto naps for as long as you can, so to really be certain that your child is ready, I want you to look for this pattern: any of the above happening or occurring consistently.
This ensures that it is not a regression or developmental progression, and that your baby's sleep needs are truly changing - the amount of sleep they need and/or where that sleep occurs in a 24 hour period.
Keep on reading to see where your child is at when it comes to nap transitions…
3-2 Transition
Most babies are ready for this transition between six and nine months of age, although it can vary depending on the child. While your baby is taking three naps a day these naps and aren't necessarily occurring at the same times each day. I recommend following age-appropriate wake windows to know when they’re ready for a nap. Due to the nature of a 3-nap day, bedtime is still flexible, and should be falling between 6:00-8:00 PM. depending on when that last nap occurred. It can be easy to manipulate naps (cap them) at this stage to get an appropriate bedtime. I used to do this all the time with my little one because I would always aim for a bedtime between 7:00-7:30 PM.
I know there’s the age old saying “never wake a sleeping baby” but I will most definitely wake my baby if it means he will sleep through the night! You see, too much day time sleep can have an impact on night sleep. Night sleep is always my priority because it is more restorative, so if daytime sleep is going to affect that, you bet I'm going to be controlling the naps at this stage a bit more. Not only are naps mentally and physically restorative for baby, but they also take the sleep pressure off so we’re not left with a completely overtired baby at bedtime.
As time goes on, you will likely find the third nap of the day starts to get pushed later and later and begins to interfere with bedtime. The timing just doesn’t work out. This is a sign it’s time for the 3-2 nap transition.
“But how are they going to make it through that wake-window after their afternoon nap to bedtime without getting overtired?”
This is where that temporary early bedtime may be needed until your child is able to adjust to longer wake windows.
Once your baby is on a 2-nap schedule, you can start having more consistent nap times! This is great when it comes down to planning activities and getting together with friends and family (yay social life!). You'll want to figure out these times based on your child's wake window and what time they typically wake up for the day. For example, if your baby wakes for the day at 7:00 AM, naps will likely occur around 9:00 or 9:30 AM and 1:30 or 2:00 PM. Bedtime would likely fall around 7:00 PM. You could plan your day around a similar schedule to this - obviously this will vary from child to child and how their specific circadian rhythm plays out.
2-1 Transition
This is a big one and it can take time to make this transition. This transition typically occurs between 12-16 months (most commonly between 14-15 months). Some babies are pushed to drop to one nap a bit early when they move to a certain room at daycare, and if you need help with the transition, I am here for you!
We want to make this a gradual change for your child. Let’s say your baby’s nap has consistently been around 9:00 or 9:30 AM but recently it’s been taking them over 30-minutes to fall asleep. I would start by pushing the nap to 10:00 AM and capping by 11:00 AM. Do this for about 5-7 days.
Next, completely phase out the morning nap and push the start of their nap to 11:30 AM. From here, you will mostly likely have a temporary early bedtime around 6:00 or 6:30 PM until your child is able to handle a longer wake time without getting overtired. Once this nap is consolidated to 2-3 hours, you can go back to your regular bedtime around 7:00 or 7:30 PM.
To wrap things up…
Nap transitions are HARD and it takes time for your little one to get used to – it’s a BIG change for their little bodies! My best advice is to stay flexible — yet consistent, with your expectations and know that with a little time and effort you WILL all get through this. If you need extra support through this process, I’d love to be your guide!
