How do I know when it is time to drop a nap?

Was your baby already sleeping for longer than 30 minutes during each nap and sleeping at night? If the answer to that question is no, then let’s first work on getting your child to sleep enough hours before cutting any naps. Babies who aren’t napping well, aren’t asking for less sleep. They are usually asking for more or at different times. If your baby never slept well then dropping a nap is not the answer.

If your child has been sleeping well and all of a sudden is fighting a nap or is waking up in the middle of the night then it may be time to drop a nap. The most common time to drop from four naps to three is 4-5 months, from three naps to two is 6-8 months, and from two naps to one is 13-17 months. Please note, if your child is in this age range and sleeping well for their naps and overnight, then wait for signs before dropping. If it ain’t broke..

In order to successfully drop a nap, you may need to change your nap schedule slightly. A gradual approach is my go to for this. Each day, you will stretch their wake window by 10-15 minutes. So if they are due for their nap at noon then you will put them down at 12:15 and same for the next nap. Tomorrow, nap time will be at 12:30 instead of 12:15 and so on. Eventually the last nap of the day won’t fit in the schedule and you will be putting them to bed slightly earlier than normal. Once they adjust to less naps the bedtime can resume at its normal time.

If you are still struggling with getting your child to sleep longer than 30 minutes for naps or you are up all night with them, I can help! If you are up all the time and have no alone time during the day to get anything done (did you shower today?), I can help you get to a better place where you can do something for yourself.

Good luck!

xxMelanie