I get these questions all of the time. When is my child going to transition from three naps to two? When will she move from two naps to one? When will she stop napping altogether?
Nap transitioning isn’t a cut and dry thing. It takes time and if a child transitions too early, it can wreak havoc on the rest of your child’s sleep, not to mention make her a cranky pants during the day. Here are some general guidelines for when nap transitions occur, and how to handle them:
1. Three Naps to Two:
This transition usually happens somewhere between 6 months and 9 months of age. Some babies are good nappers from the beginning and settle into a pattern of two long naps a day early on. Others need a third cat nap to help make it to bedtime. You will know your child is ready to move from three naps to two when she stops taking that third cat nap. Most children will just play (or protest) through it. When you make the move from three to two, your timing of the second nap may become a little bit later (1:00 instead of 12:00). Be patient if the nap is short while you make this change. Use an earlier bedtime to make up for that shorter nap and to keep your child from becoming overtired.
2. Two Naps to One:
This one can really be a doozy. Babies will go through periods where it looks like they are ready to transition to one nap, but if you try to switch them over, they have a really difficult time. One of these cases is when your child is hitting a developmental milestone. If your child is playing, standing, rolling, sitting in their crib because they just learned or are learning that skill, it’s going to affect their naps because the brain doesn’t stop working because the clock says it’s time for that 1:00 nap. It’s common to see these disruptions last for a few days to a week. It does not mean your child is ready to move to one nap.
Children usually show signs of being ready to transition between 15-18 months. I always recommend that you keep those two naps as long as you can. Yes, it is inconvenient to have to be home for two naps, but it is more inconvenient and more difficult to struggle with an overtired child who is having a meltdown because she can’t stay up all morning long. It can get ugly, friends, and I want to keep you from the ugly as much as possible.
Your child will likely stop taking their morning nap. Sometimes they will take it one day and not the next, and if that happens, I would continue to offer it until it becomes more consistent that they are not taking it. There are some cases where the afternoon nap is affected, but for most kiddos, it’s the morning nap. When you are ready to take the plunge, you’re going to need to aim for a nap around 12:00. Many babies have a lot of trouble making it to noon, so try to avoid cars and strollers because it’s likely they will fall asleep for a cat nap and then it will be harder for them to fall asleep at the nap time.
Expect that this nap will initially be short, but it will lengthen if you give your child time to fall back asleep if he/she wakes early. Use an earlier bedtime if your child’s nap is short so that they aren’t completely overtired by bedtime and so you don’t run the risk of super early wake ups (a common issue when toddlers make this transition).
3. One nap to none:
I hear some families of two year olds proclaim that their child just won’t nap anymore. Naps can disappear at this age because parents allow them to disappear after a few disrupted naps, but most children will nap if they are still offered one. On average, children tend to consistently nap until they are three or four. If your child stops napping, require that she spend a set time laying down or doing quiet, screen-free activities in their room. It’s good for their bodies to get that physical rest if they aren’t going to nap (and it also gives you a break as well). If you’re lucky, your child will continue to nap until they are not allowed to nap anymore when they go to school. And even then, you can still offer quiet time on the weekends.
Bottom line: We often want to rush to the next step with our kids, but we can’t rush their natural development. Sometimes waiting for that development can feel like forever. When it comes to nap transitions, be patient and let things happen when your child is truly ready.