Navigating nap transitions
One of the trickiest aspects of supporting a great sleep schedule is how often that schedule will change in your baby’s first 18 months! Your baby will switch from napping all day long as a newborn to a predictable 4 naps, then 3 naps, then 2 naps, then 1 nap all within a span of about 15-18 months. And one day that final nap will vanish and you will shed a tear over how quickly your child has grown AND how much you miss that middle-of-the-day break (spoiler alert #1 - you can still get that break!). For the purposes of this guide we’ll be covering all the different nap transitions, when to expect them, how to manage them (spoiler alert #2 - bring bedtime earlier), and how to suss out whether your child is truly ready to drop a nap or just going through a nap strike.
This is a long post, so feel free to skip ahead to the nap transition that is relevant to you!
Important note: When I reference ages of babies, I am referring to their ADJUSTED age. In plain terms, this is the age your premature baby would be had they been born around their due date. This is important for premies, since their sleep development aligns not with their actual birth date but with their anticipated due date.
The math is simple - take your baby’s actual age, subtract the number of weeks early they were born, and this is your baby’s adjusted age. For example, Kayla is 6 months (24 weeks) old, and she was born 8 weeks early. 24 weeks - 8 weeks = 16 weeks. We would expect Kayla’s sleep patterns to be consistent with those of a 16 week old.
Moving from 4 naps to 3 naps
Four months is a funny age. Your baby is maturing out of the newborn stage but not quite ready for a fully clock-based schedule. Four months old is the latest age I still recommend following wake windows versus circadian-rhythm “bio times.” Wake windows for a 4 month old are 1.25-2 hours. Based on these wake windows, your 4 month old will be taking 4 naps per day totalling approximately 3-4 hours of day time sleep.
By the time your baby is 5 months old you should be aiming for a 3-nap schedule based on your baby’s bio-times - the times your baby is primed for sleep based on innate circadian rhythms. Rather than counting the exact number of minutes of each wakeful period, you will be following more of a clock-based schedule. Ideally we are aiming for a solid (1+ hour) morning nap, a solid (1+ hour) early afternoon nap, plus an additional afternoon catnap. This afternoon catnap should start no later than 4:00pm and be less than 45 minutes long. This catnap is simply a “bridge to bedtime.”
How will I know my baby is ready to drop to 3 naps?
You will know your baby is ready for this transition when:
Your baby is around 5 months old adjusted
Your baby is able to stay awake for 2-2.5 hours between sleep periods
At least two of the naps are 1+ hours in length
Keeping the 4th nap means your baby is going to bed at 8pm or later (too late!)
Ok so we dropped to 3 naps…now what?
Whenever your baby drops a nap, we need to move bedtime earlier because they’ve lost a chunk of sleep. Well, the sleep is not lost, it’s actually going to be tacked on to the total night time sleep now! But in order to add it to night time sleep, bedtime needs to start earlier to prevent your baby from becoming overtired. Don’t worry - as your baby grows over these next couple months, they will be able to stay awake a bit longer between nap and bedtime and bedtime will gradually move a bit later. Until the next nap transition!
My baby is 5 or 6 months old and has never napped longer than 30 or 45 minutes. Should we stay with a 4 nap schedule?
No, at this age you may actually be reinforcing short naps by keeping 4 naps each day. Work on stretching your baby’s awake time between naps in small increments to help them build up their sleep pressure. (Short naps are also commonly caused by relying on parental assistance to fall asleep by feeding, holding, rocking, etc, so working on independent sleep skills can be a huge help too!)
Please note that these ages are averages! Some 6 month
olds are ready for 2 naps
and some 14 month olds are
ready for 1 nap.. You’re the parent, you know your child
best!
Moving from 3 naps to 2 naps
This is actually the easiest nap transition, in my opinion. When your baby is between 7-9 months old and consistently napping 1-2 hours for both morning and early afternoon naps, you can say goodbye to the catnap and voila! I have actually seen 6 month olds move to a 2 nap schedule as well, provided they are sleeping nice and long for their two naps.
How will I know my baby is ready to drop to 2 naps?
Most babies naturally fall into a 2 nap schedule because they start resisting that 3rd nap on their own. You’ll put your baby in the crib or pop your baby in the stroller for their typical 3rd nap…and your baby just will not fall asleep.
Now, if your baby does not fall asleep for the 3rd nap for the first time, don’t immediately assume the 3rd nap is gone forever! For some babies, nap transitions are gradual and they may still require that 3rd nap some days while resisting it other days. If your baby has skipped the 3rd nap for the first time, continue to offer a 3rd nap for at least 1-2 weeks. On days your baby does not take the 3rd nap, see below.
Ok so we dropped to 2 naps…now what?
Whenever your baby drops a nap, we need to move bedtime earlier because they’ve lost a chunk of sleep. Well, the sleep is not lost, it’s actually going to be tacked on to the total night time sleep now! But in order to add it to night time sleep, bedtime needs to start earlier to prevent your baby from becoming overtired.
To illustrate - if your baby was previously going to sleep between 7-7:30pm on a 3 nap schedule, they will likely be ready for bedtime between 6-6:30pm. Don’t worry - as your baby grows over these next couple months, they will be able to stay awake a bit longer between nap and bedtime and bedtime will gradually move a bit later. Until the next nap transition!
But Rachel, my baby is definitely not napping 1-2 hours each nap. When will we ever get down to 2 naps?
First, give it time. Some babies continue to take 3 naps at 9 months old. Second, this is a great time to focus on your baby’s independent sleep skills. If your baby is dependent on you to fall asleep for naps (nursing, bottle feeding, cuddling, rocking, driving around in a car) then they may be stuck in a position of waking after a single sleep cycle because they have never learned how to transition through sleep cycles without assistance. (Not sure how to achieve independent sleep? Check out my sleep packages to get started!)
Moving from 2 naps to 1 nap
If frequent nap transitions have been driving you crazy these past 7-9 months, then rejoice! Your baby will stay on a lovely 2 nap schedule for a while, generally until your baby is 15-18 months old.
On the flip side, I get a lot of questions about whether it’s ok to switch a baby to 1 nap at 12 or 13 or 14 months simply because it’s more convenient for the family schedule. My personal style is to prioritize my children’s sleep and follow their cues/needs, but I completely understand why other families are eager to nudge their children toward 1 nap. And to those families I say - try it. If you have a baby who is more adaptable and a little more go-with-the-flow when it comes to schedules, it just might work out for you! However, if you do move to 1 nap a day and your baby starts waking repeatedly at night or starts waking dreadfully early in the morning, those are signs that your baby is overtired and probably needs to go back to a 2 nap schedule for a bit longer.
How will I know my baby is ready to drop to 1 nap?
You will know your baby is ready for this transition when:
Your baby is between 15-18 months old
Your baby is consistently (10+ days) EITHER
Taking a very long time to fall asleep for morning nap (or refusing/playing through the morning nap entirely) OR
Taking a great morning nap but taking very long time to fall asleep for the afternoon nap (or refusing/playing through the afternoon nap entirely).
A note about nap strikes…
If your child will not fall asleep for the morning or afternoon nap for a few days in a row, do not assume your child is ready to move to one nap! Nap strikes may occur during developmental leaps (language acquisition, learning new physical skills) or due to toddler stubbornness.
Continue to put your child down for naps at the regular times and give your child at least 60 minutes to settle down for the nap. If the nap is just not happening that day, go on with your regular day and make sure to give your child an early bedtime. If these nap protests last 10+ days and your child is 15 months or older - your child may be ready to drop to 1 nap.
Ok so we dropped to 1 nap…now what?
Whenever your baby drops a nap, we need to move bedtime earlier because they’ve lost a chunk of sleep. Well, the sleep is not lost, it’s actually going to be tacked on to the total night time sleep now! But in order to add it to night time sleep, bedtime needs to start earlier to prevent your baby from becoming overtired.
To illustrate - if your baby was previously going to sleep between 7:30-8pm on a 2 nap schedule, they will likely be ready for bedtime between 6:30-7pm. Don’t worry - as your baby grows over these next couple months, they will be able to stay awake a bit longer between nap and bedtime and bedtime will gradually move a bit later. Until the next nap transition!
My 10/11/12/13 month old baby is in daycare and just graduated to the next room where only 1 nap is offered. But my baby is doing well on 2 naps at home. What should we do?
Ahhhh daycare. So wonderful and yet often so misaligned with baby’s sleep needs! I have seen many babies. who were prematurely forced into a 1 nap schedule because of a daycare’s policies. These babies often struggle with chronic overtiredness, night wakes, and early morning wakes.
So what to do?
Ask for your child to be moved back into the 2 nap room. Explain your child’s sleep needs, how most babies need 2 naps until at least 15 months old, and how you plan on transitioning to 1 nap based on your child’s sleep behavior not simply their age. Will daycare listen? I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot! Feel free to send your daycare director this blog post and have them reach out to me at rachel@pinestreetsleep.com, I love to educate!
If there is no flexibility with the daycare’s nap policy, it’s not the end of the world. But your baby will need super early bedtimes (I’m talking 6pm) on daycare days until fully adjusted to the new schedule.
On days when your baby is home with you and not at daycare, go back to your 2 nap schedule! Yes this is ok, no it is not confusing for your baby. Let your baby nap!
Dropping the nap entirely
Most children nap past age 3, some keep that nap until age 5! The nap will stay mid-afternoon starting after lunch and should be over by 3pm so as not to interfere with bedtime.
How will I know my child is ready to drop (or cap) the nap?
You will know your child is ready to drop the nap when:
Your child is 3+ years old
Your child is experiencing 10+ days of consistently playing through nap time rather than falling asleep
Your child is taking a great nap but experiencing 10+ days of trouble falling asleep at night (taking much longer than normal) with no prior problems falling asleep.
Your child is taking a great nap but experiencing 10+ days of waking up in the middle of the night or very early in the morning with no prior problems of night wakes.
My child definitely still needs a nap but bedtime is impossible and my child doesn’t fall asleep until 9pm or later. Should we go ahead and drop the nap?
No! Naps are so beneficial for children and if your child is easily falling asleep at nap time (or struggling in the afternoon without a nap) then we don’t want to cut the nap yet. Before removing a nap entirely evaluate your child’s current sleep schedule and bedtime routine:
Is the nap ending too late? If your 3 or 4 year old is still taking a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon, the first thing to do is consider capping the nap rather than eliminating it completely. I wouldn’t expect a 3 year old who is taking a 2 hour nap and waking at 3pm to be tired enough for bedtime at 7:30pm! So if nap time has been going from 1-3/3:30pm, start by waking your child up around 2:30pm and see how that affects bedtime. It is ok to cap the nap at max 1 hour as well, so that your child is getting a decent nap without going too late into the afternoon.
Is your child enjoying screen time before bed? There is a time and place for screens, but that time is NOT before bedtime! (IMO the best time is while dinner is being made so you don’t have to listen to whining about how hungry everybody is - and bonus if you set your kids up with a show and a plate of veggies to snack on!) Screens produce a lot of blue light that inhibits the brain’s natural production of melatonin. So even if your child is nice and calm in the evening while watching a show or playing on a tablet, they may have difficulty falling asleep because their brain is still wide awake, activated by all that blue light. An easy rule to follow is “no screens after dinner” to best support your child’s natural production of melatonin. Replace after dinner screen time with quiet drawing time, quiet play, a nice walk around the block, or extra books.
Does your child need you to stay in the room or in the bed to fall asleep? Many parents end up sitting in their child’s room or laying in their child’s bed just to get their child to sleep. Especially if this is a newer routine, this behavior may actually be drawing out bedtime even more. Why? Because your child knows you will leave once they’re asleep, and that puts your child on high alert. Some children actively fight sleep for this reason, or become anxious about the prospect of the parent leaving that they struggle to get calm and settle. If this sounds like your child, you may want to consider creating a new bedtime routine that does not involve you staying with your child as they fall asleep. Unsure how to make that happen? Check out my sleep packages to get started!
My child definitely still needs a nap but is refusing it and now our afternoons are a mess . What should we do?
Nap strikes are really common. Kids love to assert their independence! Before resigning yourself to the loss of the nap, consider whether this could be a temporary nap strike. Continue to put your child down for the nap at the regular time and make sure the room is dark! You can call it “quiet time” if your child has a strong reaction to the word “nap.” You can also let your child choose one more sleep buddy to join them in the crib/bed for this special quiet time. And then leave the room. Give your child 60-90 minutes of quiet time in the crib before going in to say “nap time is over!.” Nap strikes usually end within 10 days. If this behavior persists, your child really may be ready to drop the nap and afternoons may be difficult for a while as your child adjusts to staying away for an entire day. Give your child an extra early bedtime.
Ok so we dropped the nap…now what?
First, it’s truly ok to mourn the loss of the nap. Young children require a ton of energy and attention and that nap is a much-needed break for caregivers. That said, all is not lost! Once the nap is gone, offer a “quiet time” daily around when the nap used to happen (usually after lunch). Even when your child is ready to stop napping, they still need some downtime mid-day to recharge (and parents/caregivers need to recharge too!). Quiet time should happen in the bedroom with some quiet toys (blocks, dolls, books, legos, stickers and paper, nothing electronic or with loud noises). In the beginning, your child may sometimes fall asleep in quiet time and that’s ok. The transition to no naps is gradual. It may seem like “1 nap is too many and 0 naps is not enough” for a couple months as your child adjusts to remaining awake for an entire day.
Finally, and this should go without saying…pull bedtime earlier. That may look like 6-6:30pm for a while depending on your child’s behavior in the afternoon. Without an earlier bedtime your child will have a hard time making it through the day and the early bedtime will allow your child to achieve some extra highly restorative sleep. REMEMBER - these extra early bedtimes are temporary as your child is adjusting to this new schedule. After a couple months you will be able to gradually move bedtime later by 15 minute increments.
I hope this guide provides you with the knowledge and confidence to manage your baby’s changing sleep needs!
Rachel Glantz is the certified pediatric sleep consultant and founder of Pine Street Sleep LLC.
