When is my little one ready to drop a nap?

Nap transitions – the timing of readiness can be confusing, the thought of it can be daunting and unfortunately we can get it wrong. 

This blog is going to cover the average age little ones are ready to drop a nap and provide with you with a little more education on how nap transitions work.  

Why is it important that babies and toddlers have the right amount of naps each day? Well, studies have found that children who nap in line with their sleep needs have longer attention spans and are less fussy than children who nap poorly. Children who have adequate rest in the day also tend to sleep better at night. Naps are one of the most difficult areas of sleep to get right but getting naps right makes such a difference to a child’s behaviour, mood and their ability to sleep well and more peacefully during the evening (AKA easier days and nights for you). There are many ways to help improve a child’s day sleep, timing and getting the number of naps right is the first step to this. 

We always recommend families view their little ones behaviour as a message. For the cherubs who still developmentally need day sleep, generally without it they are not going to be as easy going and happy vs. if they napped in line with their needs. For example: We have worked with families that have had a particularly challenging time with the “terrible twos”. However, as part of our evaluation we have found that the root cause isn’t the child’s age. The cause of the difficult behaviour is due to the child’s lack of sleep and dropping the daytime nap too soon. Upon working naps back into the schedule the parents have noticed a big and positive change in the child’s mood, subsequent actions and overall sleep.

So what do we need to remember when we consider taking away those naps? Remember that the need for day sleep comes down to a child’s biological need for naps and how long they are capable of staying awake for between one sleep to the next. As children get older they are capable of staying awake for longer periods of time and their day sleep will become less. Always judge your child’s sleep needs by observing their behaviours throughout the day. If you are dealing with constant crankiness and difficult behaviours it’s possible your child has dropped a nap too soon.

As a guide, below are the common ages for nap transitions (give or take depending on your child’s unique sleep needs). 

· 3 naps to 2 naps (approximately 9 months)

· 2 naps to 1 nap (approximately 15 - 18 months)

· 1 nap to 0 naps (approximately 3.5 - 4 years)

Please note our little ones are all different and the number of naps required is also dependent on how well rested they are, whether they have adequate day sleep and how well they sleep at night.

If you are having difficulty with naps, wondering how many naps your little needs or whether they need a nap at all we are here to help. We also recommend getting your hands on a copy of our Scheduling Guide where we take you through the day to day scheduling from 1 months through to 5 years and even better the guide is only $16.99. Get your copy here

 Hayley & Katie xx