Is your baby all of a sudden refusing to take a nap they consistently take? Is your child fine if they do miss a normal nap? Is your schedule all thrown out of wack? If this is your current situation your child is most likely going through a nap transition. Today I am going to help you understand what a nap transition is, what you need to do and when the tell tell signs that one is occurring.
What is a nap transition:
A nap transition or in other words “dropping a nap” is when your child’s wake window increases and they require less sleep during the day. This results in less naps than the normal and requires a nap transition meaning you need to drop a nap. The nap that is usually transitioned out is the last one of the day. Possibly making bedtime a little earlier for time being until your adjust to the new nap schedule.
What to look for:
You will know when it’s time for a nap transition when you see the following signs:
- You baby or toddler refuses to take a nap: Most parents find that they little one suddenly starts refusing a nap that they normally have been taking without any issues. This is the BIGGEST sign that a nap transition is approaching.
- The timing of your baby’s or toddler’s naps begin to change: The parent tends to notice that before a nap transition, the schedule generally is chaos. Nap time goes from being predictable and routine to all over the place.
- The length of your baby’s or toddler’s naps begins to change: Suddenly those long lengthy naps in the afternoon become consistently shorter.
- The behavior of the child when missing the nap is fine: If the child was up playing during the nap and is happy as a clam up until the next nap or bedtime, good chances are that it’s time to drop a nap.
- Bedtime becomes a battle: This is often seen in toddlers, but it you have a child who can easily nap for two-three hours but now won’t go to bed until hours after their bedtime, it’s time to cut back the nap.
Do not jump to conclusions too quickly. That’s why I always tell my clients to wait at least 7 days before starting a transition, because sometimes it’s just a regression and your child actually does need that nap. So real of thumb.
Always wait at least 7 days of nap transition signs before starting the nap transition process. ALWAYS!
I can’t tell you how many times I thought my own son was ready for a nap transition and it was just a regression. Until 7 days of symptoms still offer the nap! Even if they don’t take it!
How to handle it:
When you have seen the signs for a week and you know it’s truly time for a nap transition then start the process. There are two ways you can do this: cold turkey or slow progression. Let me explain each:
Cold Turkey Approach
- Set your new designated nap time and push your child’s wake window until you get to the new desired nap time.
- This approach sometimes works better for some babies and not so much for others. It defiantly is the quickest approach, but please consider your baby’s temperament before just deciding to jump in cold turkey. How well did your child do with transitioning out of the swaddle and other transitions? Have they done well with the cold turkey approach in the past? If not try my next approach.
Slow-Gentle Approach
- Set your new designated nap time and each day push 15-30 mins closer to that desired nap time. Once you get to the set nap time you will no longer have to push the wake window any further.
- This approach takes longer, but like I said before it may work better for your baby/toddler to do it this way due to temperament.
Conclusion:
Nap transitions can be difficult, but don’t fret. Just like regressions it will pass. I usually see it take 1-2 weeks to get back to a predictable schedule once the nap transition process has started. Stay consistent with your sleep training methods and your schedule will be back to it’s new normal!
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