Nap transitions: how and when to do it

Nap transitions are when your baby or young child drops a nap, whether it be from 3 naps to 2, 2 to 1, or 1 to none. There aren't exact ages when children drop naps, as children develop at different rates and a number of factors contribute to the timing. For example, the length of your child's naps, their bedtime, when they wake-up in the morning, the quality of their nighttime sleep, as well as other factors, all play their part.

Whilst the timing for nap transitions vary from child to child, common ages this to occur are:

• From 3 to 2 naps, 6-9 months.

• From 2 to 1 nap, 10-15 months.

• From 1 to 0 naps, 2-4 years old.

Signs that your child is ready to drop a nap

• They have stopped settling for their nap or their naps are getting shorter in length.

• They are waking earlier in the morning than they used to.

• They are taking longer to settle to sleep at bedtime.

• They have started waking during the night, when they previously didn't.

With each of these signs, you are looking for the pattern over several days rather than an occasional occurrence.

How to do it

It is usually best to transition away from a nap rather than instantly drop it. For example, reduce the length of the nap by 10-15 minutes a day and see how your child responds; keep in mind that you may need to adjust subsequent nap or bed timings.

Don't assume the nap being resisted is the one that needs to go! If they are resisting bedtime, it will be the third nap that may be ready to go. If they are resisting their afternoon nap it will be the morning nap that may be ready to go. When moving from 3 to 2 naps, go for morning and after lunch naps. When going from 2 to 1, drop the morning nap and go for a lunchtime one.

Dropping the last nap can be a tricker one to navigate, not least because unlike the previous nap transitions the age range for dropping this last nap is hugely different and therefore your child may be ready for this at a vastly different age to other children. Like with other nap transitions, it is best to transition away from this final nap rather than stop it instantly. Gradually reduce the amount of time they have for this nap and on days when they don't nap, replace it with quiet time instead. Knowing that this last transition is rarely linear can also be helpful; some days they won't need a nap, whilst on others they will.

If you would like to find out more about nap transitions, or would like help with your child's sleep, check out our range of Sleep Packages for more personalised support.