As parents, we work so hard to figure out what’s going on with our little babes. Many of us struggle to get them onto a proper schedule and once we finally think we have found our groove; they go and throw us a curve-ball. (Is my baby in a nap transition?) A growth spurt, sickness, or a leap shows up and everything we thought we knew is out the window.

My Mom said it best: “Right when you think you’ve got your baby figured out, they go and change everything on you.”

Our babies are forever changing and forever growing. At such a crazy rate too right?! I mean the evidence of that is clear with just a quick photo comparison of your 1 day old vs 1 month old. 

So how do you know when your child’s sleep needs are changing?

It can be a tricky thing to figure out. Sometimes I find it quite easy to spot a child who is trying to drop a nap, and other times I really have to do some experimenting to know for sure. Keeping a close eye on sleep times and even keeping a sleep log can really help. I ask all my clients to jot down detailed sleep times for the entirety that we work together. This gives me an insider look and allows me to see the whole picture. I encourage you to do the same, especially if you’re struggling with your little ones sleep at any point. It can be extremely eye-opening. (And I don’t know about you, but my days as a mother really *really* blend together sometimes! So writing it down is totally necessary.)

The average age for nap transitions

Age will be your first clue to know if it may be time to drop a nap. And remember these age ranges are an AVERAGE. I have seen babies make transitions much earlier from time to time

Transition from;

  • 4 naps to 3 naps: 3-5 months
  • 3 naps to 2 naps: 6-8 months
  • 2 naps to 1 nap: 13 months -19 months
  • 1 nap to 0 nap: 2.5-4 years old 

So your child is in the average age bracket…

What other signs should you be looking for to start the nap transition?

Naptime is all a sudden a struggle. 

Your happy little sleeper who used to fall asleep in a few minutes at nap time is now taking a while to fall asleep. This could look like either she is happily playing in there for a while before dozing off or of course the opposite, she is very UN-happily trying to fall asleep. This rule only applies of course if nap time at one point was going well. If it’s always been a struggle send me an email and let’s fix that.

Early mornings are all of a sudden a struggle.

(Are you seeing a theme here?)

Early mornings are a beast and can be caused by all sorts of things. If you missed it you can catch up on my early morning’s post here. But if your usual 7 am alarm bell is all of a sudden waking at 5 am with no chance of falling back asleep, it can be a sign that a nap needs to go. This is something that I see often with a preschooler is still napping during the day. They make up for that 5-7am sleep stretch that they missed out on by taking the nap in the middle of the day.

Nap lengths are getting longer. 

When we see nap lengths increase, this can mean that our babies are ready to have longer wake times in between naps and take naps less frequently throughout the day. If you’ve got a younger babe (typically 7  months and younger) and looking at transitioning from 5-4, 4-3 or 3-2 naps, you may feel like you just run out of time during the day for that last nap.

Parents of almost one-year-olds take note. This is especially typical of the 2-1 nap transition. You may find that you’re now having to cap the first nap just to have time in the day for the second nap.

Catnaps.

Just to confuse you, catnaps can also be a sign that a nap needs to go. But this rule only applies if your child use to take good naps and now is taking “crapnaps”. If our child is put down before enough sleep pressure has built up, catnaps can be the result. Extending wake times can help with this. But remember that short naps are muddy waters to wade through. My catnap blog post might be of some help.

Bedtime has become a gong show

If bedtime had been going smoothly but now you’re facing major protest, take a look at naps and wake times. If your child is still on multiple naps during the day try first increasing the wake time before bed a touch and see if it helps. And if you’ve got a preschooler and now this fight at bedtime has been going on for a couple weeks or more…. I’m sorry to tell you that it may be time to either cap or pull the nap entirely. And godspeed, that 1-0 nap transition is a rough one.

The last nap of the day is a crap shoot

We’ve all been there. It’s 5 o’clock and your 5-month-old has been awake since 3 pm. You need another nap out of him so he can make it a reasonable bedtime. You get him into the crib and now it’s 5:35 and he’s still fighting the nap like crazy. You’re trying to get dinner on the table and your stress level is high. You think to yourself, “yesterday he went down at this time no problem?! What is up with him today!?” Sound familiar?

This situation is a common one while our babies are trying to transition out of that catnap at the end of the day. One day the catnap will go swimmingly and the next they fight it tooth and nail. When this happens, working on lengthening nap durations and wake times will get you closer to finally dropping that nap. Until then it can be a little painful!

Things to remember about a nap transition

The thing to remember when it comes to nap transitions is that they can be hard on our little ones. Especially the big ones, the 2-1 and 1-0 are 100% the toughest nap changes that our babies go through. Be patient and expect some bumps in the road. Sometimes it can feel like a hot mess for a few weeks before you finally settle into a new normal. (For the 0-1 it can actually take a few months for your child to finally be okay without it. Until then – no car rides after 3 pm! Haha! #kiddingnotkidding) 

Transitioning to a new nap schedule can be daunting but will be SO worth it once you get settled into it. You can do it Mamas! And if you need a helping hand or a listening ear, I am always here for you. Or you can check out my free masterclass 

With love, 

Christine