Signs Your Baby is Ready to Drop a Nap
There are soooo many nap transitions in the first year! Just when you’ve figured out your new routine your baby will likely start to show signs they are ready to drop a nap! As your baby grows and matures your baby will be able to stay awake for longer periods of time between naps. Every few months you will find that your baby’s schedule evolves and it is time to drop a nap!
Here are 6 signs that your baby is ready to drop a nap:
Your baby will likely show some of these signs, but not necessarily all of them! I recommend waiting two weeks before making any daytime schedule changes. If your baby has more often than not shown any of these signs during the two week period, then move forward with the nap transition and rest assured it was not just a regression or road bump
Long naps are now much shorter
Did your baby used to take nice long naps over an hour? And now after 30-45 minutes, your baby is awake and ready to go again? It’s possible your baby needs more awake time to fill the tired tank in order to fill the sleep tank!
Your baby is now taking a LONG time to fall asleep for one or all of the naps
Maybe your baby used to fall asleep for a nap in 5-10 minutes and now it’s taking 30+ minutes to fall asleep for nap if at all! Your baby may also initially play in the crib then get cranky and frustrated and cry if this is the case!
Your baby is able to stay awake for longer than usual without becoming fussy and not acting tired at usual nap times
There is a fine line between needing more awake time and becoming overtired. When you see this sign start to happen consistently for 2 weeks, then this is time to start lengthening the wake window in 15-minute increments to find the new sweet spot!
You have a new alarm clock before 6 a.m.!
If your baby is getting too much daytime sleep from too many naps they may start to wake up earlier for the day! This is not the time to start the day, so hold strong on getting your Wee One out of the crib until your desired wake up time and know that the schedule needs adjusting if this goes on longer than a couple of days!
Bedtime starts to become later than usual
If your 7 p.m. bedtime is now turning into 8 p.m. or later, it’s time to make a change! The natural window for bedtime for babies is between 6-8 p.m. Your baby needs enough sleep pressure before bedtime to fall asleep easily and if the last nap of the day is ending too close to bedtime it’s likely time to drop a nap!
Your baby is within an age range expected for a nap transition
4 naps ——> 3 naps ——> Between 4-5 months old
3 naps ——> 2 naps ——> Between 6-8 months old
2 naps ——> 1 nap ——> Between 13-15 months old
1 nap ——> 0 nap ——> Between 3-4 years old
What should you do if you think it’s time to drop a nap?
Read this blog post on 6 Steps to Drop a Nap to guide you!
Nap transitions do not happen overnight! It takes 2-4 weeks to adapt to the new routine and make schedule adjustments. While you are lengthening wake windows and transitioning to a new daily schedule, I recommend moving bedtime earlier! This will help your baby adjust to longer wake windows without becoming overtired by the end of the day. 6 p.m. is okay during a transition time!!!
Need more help with navigating nap transitions? Reach out for a consultation to talk through your current sleep situation.
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