Managing Your Baby Or Toddler’s Nap Transitions

Managing Nap Transitions For Babies & Toddlers

From sleep routines to wake windows and everything in between, naps are a huge part of life from birth until around 3 years of age. It can be hard to imagine life without your baby taking daytime naps. Figuring out when and how many naps can take some work, and just when you’ve mastered one nap routine, it’s time for a new one. So, when do toddlers drop their nap?

We take a detailed look at nap transitions, how many naps each age group should be taking and what signs to look out for to help prepare you for when it’s time to drop a nap.

What are nap transitions?

A nap transition happens when a child is routinely taking a certain number of naps per day and then drops one of those naps. As your little one is able to comfortably stay awake for longer periods, they naturally require less time for sleep. Nap transitions often happen in line with developmental milestones, and can differ greatly from child to child.

Why is it important to follow nap transitions?

Every child is different when it comes to rates of development. The required amount of sleep for one child may be quite different to that of another child the same age. That’s why following nap transitions is so important. The signs that your child is ready for a nap transition will help prevent you from dropping one of your child’s naps before they are ready.

Sleep for young children is integral to their development. In an ideal scenario, children should be encouraged to take daytime naps for as long as they need to. It’s normally somewhere between 3-5 years of age that a toddler will drop their last daytime nap.

When do nap transitions happen?

As a general guide, nap transitions tend to happen around the following ages:

3-4 months of age 4-5 naps per day
4-6 months of age drop to 3 naps per day
7-10 months of age drop to 2 naps per day
14-18 months of age drop to 1 nap per day
3-5 years of age drop the last day time nap

When do babies drop to two naps?

In and around the 9-month mark, your baby will typically drop to 2 naps per day. When this happens, you should also consider adjusting the nap times slightly so that the wake windows on either side of the 2 naps are more even.

For example:

3 naps

Nap 1 9:30 – 11:00

Nap 2 13:00 – 14:30

Nap 3 16:00 – 17:30

drops to:

2 naps

Nap 1 10:00 – 11:30

Nap 2 14:00 – 15:30

When do toddler’s drop their last nap?

Commonly, it’s around 3 years of age when a toddler will drop their last daytime nap. Perhaps the biggest nap transition, your toddler will show that they are ready to stay awake throughout the day as they are able to sustain their energy and alertness for longer periods of time.

It’s also worth mentioning that just because a toddler has dropped a nap within their daily routine, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t or shouldn’t take a nap during the day if and when they need one, particularly if they are unwell or have had a broken sleep the night before.

How to tell if a nap transition is approaching

When to drop one nap or when a nap transition is approaching, there are a few tell-tale signs to look out for:

Consistently waking very early in the morning
Taking shorter naps

Skipping naps altogether
Taking a long time to fall asleep, or wanting to play, chat or sing in the cot or bed

It’s important to note that resisting naps could also be part of a sleep regression, so consider all the signs before deciding to proceed with a nap transition for your child.

What happens if I dropped a nap too soon?

In short, if you drop a nap too soon, you will have an overtired child on your hands. Overtired children can often be emotional, have tantrums, and show fussy behaviours because they are too tired to get through the longer period comfortably.

How long do nap transitions last?

Nap transitions can last for several weeks, although if your child is ready, it could take only a few days for them to adjust.

Which nap transition is the hardest?

The difficulty of each nap transition depends on whether your child is ready for it or not. If your child has good sleep foundations and is allowed to rest when they need to, the transition should be fairly smooth. Nap transitions are a natural part of your child’s development.

Sometimes the more challenging part of a nap transition can be a change of schedule for the entire family or household. Often parents and caregivers enjoy some much-needed time during naps to either rest themselves or get some work, or life administration in order. When this time is removed it can add extra pressure. It can however open up more lifestyle freedom.

What to do during nap transitions

Parents and caregivers play a vital role during nap transition. Check in regularly with your child to ensure they are coping with the changes. You could also consider offering an extra nap every now and then during transition periods, should you feel your baby or toddler is struggling to stay awake comfortably.

How to get a baby through a nap transition?

To help your baby through their nap transition, consider the following:

Extend wake periods gradually
Earlier bedtime
Spread out remaining naps
Offer an additional nap from time to time if you feel your baby or toddler isn’t coping to help ease the transition

How to get a toddler through a nap transition?

When your toddler drops their final nap, they may still benefit from rest time. By this time, you will likely have a good sense of your toddler’s overtired signs. If your toddler is showing signs that they are overtired, you could:

Offer some rest time or quiet play instead of a nap
Give them an earlier bedtime
Stick to the new routine, rather than chopping and changing