Nap transitions: When and how to drop naps
Babies reach many exciting milestones in the blink of an eye. When they’re ready to drop a nap from their daily schedule, it can be tough to figure out how to accommodate them and reorganize your schedule. Of course, your little one will naturally adjust to a different sleep routine at multiple ages, but if you’re new to nap transitions, it can be disruptive for your entire household.
Don’t worry! At My Sweet Sleeper, we’re all about helping families catch those ZZZs so that their waking hours can be spent to the fullest. Consider this your go-to guide for when and how to drop naps with your baby.
When should I expect to start dropping naps?
The different thresholds for nap-dropping occur every three to six months from the newborn days into toddlerhood. Babies aren’t born with a circadian rhythm, so they don’t really have predictable bedtime schedules until about 12 weeks. Once you’ve hit that point, you’ll start gradually reducing the number of naps your baby takes over the next year or two.
4-6 months: Around this time, babies tend to progress from lots of short naps throughout the day to a handful of structured naps—generally 3 per day, ranging from 1 to 2 hours in length. They’re developing habits that will establish their sleep foundation going forward, so it’s an important step!
6-9 months: As your little one gets more curious and less sleepy, they should only need 2 dedicated naps daily of up to 2 hours each. Try putting them down for these naps mid-morning and mid-afternoon since the dropped third one (late afternoon) won’t be necessary anymore.
12-18 months: The shift from 2 naps a day to just 1 at midday happens at about 15 months. They’ll rest for a couple of hours and then have plenty of energy for walking and talking. This 1-nap-per-day pattern suits your child up to 3-4 years old, when they will stop napping altogether.
The toddler sleep stage involves dropping that one remaining nap, so following a nap-free schedule that still works for them becomes the new challenge. Luckily, there are several ways to smoothly transition between naps so both babies and parents can sleep soundly.
Strategies for dropping naps
Your child will signal their nap preferences as they grow by constantly fighting naptime, waking from a nap sooner than usual, or skipping a nap without being tired or grumpy. These signs tell you that your baby is ready for a change!
How you drop a nap can have a big impact on the results, and you’ll have to think carefully about your child’s unique personality and behavior. It can be as simple as extending playtime or as complicated as reorganizing your daily workflow—it all depends on your baby’s relationship with rest. Here are a few tips for removing a nap comfortably.
Adjust the nap schedule: Before completely dropping a nap from your baby’s day, try moving the times they snooze to see if they merely want later naps or if they really don’t require the nap anymore. To avoid overtiredness, the stretch between their last nap of the day and their evening bedtime shouldn’t be too long.
Adjust their bedtime: Similarly, they might just need an earlier nighttime routine—especially if they seem ready to drop a daily nap. This adjustment can coincide with an abbreviated napping plan to facilitate an easier transition overall.
Shorten the to-be-dropped nap: Reducing the length of the nap in question by 10-15 minutes each day gives your baby the chance to adapt to the idea of dropping it completely. They may be waking up earlier on their own, too.
Incorporate quiet time: Instead of forcing your child to stay up by overstimulating them, they could benefit from turning that nap window into a relaxed bit of reading, calm play, or light movement. This ensures that it’s not such a stark pivot from nap to nothing.
A few tips for reducing naps and stress
As always, stay flexible! Some days, your infant or toddler will lean towards a nap even after it’s been dropped. If it’s a particularly active day, there’s no harm in allowing an extra nap.
Expect it to take time for them to get used to an altered routine. Stay as consistent as possible to make this natural process of nap-dropping less stressful for everyone!
When in doubt, you can always book a consultation with a pediatric sleep expert. If your family is struggling to edit the nap schedule effectively, there might be something else going on that’s impacting your baby’s ability to rest well.
Dropping naps without losing your sanity
Parenthood keeps us on our toes from day one, and it gets pretty overwhelming without the right support in place. If you’ve been worrying about when and how to drop naps as your little one grows, worry no longer! We’re here for you on this wondrous journey.
My Sweet Sleeper has assisted hundreds of families in their quest to sleep better by consulting with new parents and helping them set a schedule for their baby that makes all the difference. We specialize in correcting disordered sleep in infants, toddlers, and young children, as well as simplifying sleep for moms and dads.
Every night (or day) of fitful sleep that passes in your home pulls your family further and further back from the goal of achieving healthy rest. Sweeter sleep is just a click away—reach out today for happier sleep tomorrow!
Related articles:
The best sleep course for you and your baby.
Is your child struggling with sleep? Rule out these red flags first.
