Nap Transitions Overview
You know that newborn phase where all baby does is eat and sleep on repeat (with some dirty diapers mixed in) …. It doesn’t last forever. Eventually, all babies start being able to handle more time awake, and the older they get, the less sleep they will need.
Around 2-3 months, baby will start to predictably sleep about 4 times a day. Over the next few weeks/months, as wake windows start increasing, the last nap will be phased out. And so begins your journey into the wonderful world of NAP TRANSITIONS.
I make a lighthearted joke of it, but more often than not, these times are HARD. So let me try to break it down for you and make it just a little bit easier, so that you are prepared and know what to expect.
A few things to keep in mind:
In order to start dropping naps, baby needs to be able to handle more time awake. And so, we have to PUSH our babe. We’ll have to navigate the fine line between pushing them a little bit so we can get into a new schedule, and at the same time, not pushing too hard that they go into overtiredness. This may lead to short naps TEMPORARILY, but don’t panic – that doesn’t last forever!
You may need to do an early bedtime during nap transitions to compensate for the overtiredness.
It takes TIME for our bodies to get used to change, and it’s no different when it comes to our body clocks with new nap times. Don’t be surprised if it may take 2-6 weeks (yes, I know that’s a big range lol) for baby to adjust to their new nap schedule.
Before you start making changes, make sure you’re seeing the signs for at least 2 weeks. In the first year of life, so many changes are happening, and the signs you are seeing could be indicative of developmental growth and not a nap transition.
4—>3
When does this happen? Typically around 4-5 months.
What are some signs we’re seeing?
Baby will start refusing the 4th nap (either crying a lot before finally falling asleep, just crying the whole time, or playing quietly in their crib)
There wont be time left in the day for a 4th nap (remember, we are going by wake windows, so as we increase baby’s awake times, the 4th nap will get pushed out of their day)
Early wakes are possible if baby is napping too much in the daytime
Baby isn’t as tired at their usual nap time
Baby starts taking shorter naps than usual
What will baby’s day look like on 3 naps? Naps will be occurring every 2-2.5 hours.
What we want to see is that the first 2 naps of the day are AT LEAST 1 hour long. The 3rd nap of the day really serves only as a catnap, to prevent baby from being way overtired by bedtime. It’s totally normal for the last nap of the day to be short. It’s also okay for this nap to happen in the stroller, car seat, or while being worn.
3—>2
When does this happen? Typically around 6-8 months (though it can happen as early as 5 months or as late as 9 months).
What are some signs we’re seeing?
Nap length is decreasing (could be any of the naps, but usually the 3rd one starts becoming shorter – maybe 20 minutes long; there tends to be a lot of crying or playing before they finally fall asleep – if they even do fall asleep.
Baby does not seem as tired during their usual nap time (which is a sign to start increasing their wake windows).
What will baby’s day look like on 2 naps? Naps will be occurring every 2.5-4 hours.
Nap total should be between 2-4 hours (depending on baby’s age, sleep needs, night sleep, etc). Early on, stick to wake windows, but around 8-10 months, a “by the clock” schedule will start to emerge and you can stick with that (definitely makes life a lot easier when you know the exact times babes will be going down for nap/bedtime!).
2—>1
When does this happen? Typically around 12-16 months (it is possible that it can happen before 1 year, but it’s rarer, and it can also happen a little later, around 18 months).
What are some signs we’re seeing?
Typically, the most common sign is that baby will start to sleep longer for their morning nap (2.5-3 hours), and progressively shorter for their afternoon nap.
Baby will start refusing their second nap, either crying the whole time, or playing quietly in the crib. (If they do fall asleep for this nap, it tends to interfere with bedtime.)
This is happening 4-5 times a week for at least 2 weeks. It’s very common that baby will give you trouble for 2-3 days, and then nap beautifully and easily the next day for both naps (but then go right back into troublemaking mode haha).
What will baby’s day look like on 2 naps? With a baby who wakes at 7 am, I like to see the nap happening between 11:30 – 1 pm. 11:30/12 for 1-1.5 year olds; 12/12:30 pm for 1.5-2 year olds; 1 pm for 2+ year olds.
How do you make this change?
This change is probably one of the toughest because we’ll really be pushing baby over a period of a few weeks to stay up for a much longer time frame than they’ve ever had to. So before you decide to make this change, be sure baby is actually ready because once you start, you have to stick to it – there’s no turning back! (Going back and forth can confuse baby’s body clock.)
Remember, baby is still going to be tired at their usual nap time, so try to distract them: offer a fruit snack (natural sugar), take them on a walk (sun) – in a sense, we’re trying to give them a second wind.
Start by moving baby’s morning nap down by 30 minutes every 3 days (example below), letting them sleep for as long as they go for. You can offer a second nap, and if it happens, great. If not, move bedtime earlier. During this time, it is NORMAL for nap length to vary. However, that doesn’t mean you should just settle for a 1 hour nap – give baby the time and space to get into another sleep cycle.
EXAMPLE: On a 2 nap day, baby naps at 10 am. Now that we’re trying to shift the nap, here’s what we’re going to do.
On Sunday – Tuesday, put baby down for their nap at 10:30.
On Wednesday – Friday, put baby down for their nap at 11 am.
On Saturday – Monday, put baby down for their nap at 11:30. (If baby is on the young side, you can stop here.)
On Tuesday – Thursday, put baby down for their nap at 12 pm.
I said this before, and I’ll say it again – it will take time for baby to adjust to this new timing! This transition is no exception. It is a hard one, but baby (and you!) will get through it!)
1—>0
When does this happen? This change can happen anywhere from 2.5-5 years old. It’s such a big range, but every child is truly different.
What are some signs we’re seeing?
Baby will nap in the afternoon as usual, but then bedtime is a problem.
Baby is not falling asleep for their afternoon nap.
What can you do? Good news is, you have some options, kind of...
If baby is napping in the afternoon, let them keep napping! Just do a later bedtime (8/8:30/9 depending on how long they nap). This works because baby will still be getting their total sleep needs met, but with less of it happening at night.
If baby is napping in the afternoon, start to cut that nap short and see if that solves the problem at bedtime. (Shift from a 3 hour nap to 2 hours, to 1.5, to 1 hour.)
If neither of the above options work for you (maybe you don’t want a later bedtime OR cutting the nap short does not fix anything), deny the nap! Doing this, however, means that you HAVE to set an earlier bedtime.
If you do remove the nap, implement “quiet time.” This involves your child staying in their room (or other private space) and doing quiet activities (coloring, reading, building blocks, etc). Until your child is used to this change, you will likely also need to set an earlier bedtime.
Side note: most kids nowadays are not able to find ways to entertain themselves without electronics, other people being present, other people planning for them, etc. Among its other benefits, quiet time is a great way for children to learn how to do this, how to play independently, and how to be in a space uninterrupted for a given amount of time.
What will your child’s day look like without a nap? Different every day is probably the best way to put it. It’s super important at this time to be FLEXIBLE because it is NORMAL for the days to vary with naps happening some days and not on others, bedtime happening earlier or later, your child being overtired one day and not another, etc
Be consistent with good sleep habits and continue to offer the nap/quiet time/appropriate bedtimes, but don’t stress when things turn out unexpectedly.
Okay, so that’s it on nap transitions!!
I know I just bombarded you with a whole lotta info (maybe one day I’ll separate it lol), but now it’s all in one place. Save it for when you’ll need it again when your babes is going through their next transition.