6 Signs Babe is Ready to Drop a Nap

Naps are a tough piece in the puzzle of sleep Finding that naptime sweet spot can be a challenge. It almost feels like every time you and babe settle into a naptime groove it’s time to make adjustments to awake times or completely drop a nap! 

Such is life with a babe I suppose. Always keeping you on your toes! 

There are 6 boxes that you want to tick off before moving on and actually dropping a nap, let’s walk through them together.

1. How old is your babe? 

The first thing to consider is your babe’s age:

Between 4 and 5 months, babe will transition from 4 naps per day to 3. 

Between 6 and 8 months, babe will transition from 3 naps per day to 2. 

Between 12 and 18 months, babe will transition from 2 naps per day to 1. 

Remember that these ages are ranges. If your babe holds onto a nap longer, no problem.

If they are showing signs of being ready to drop a nap earlier, that’s okay too. If this is the case, make sure you read all the way through to number 6! Hold onto those naps as long as you can!

2. Bedtime is consistently being pushed between 8 and 8:30 pm.

Having a bedtime between 7 and 8 pm is what we are aiming for on a more consistent basis. That last nap of the day will start pushing bedtime later, meaning it’s almost time to drop that catnap. When a later bedtime starts to happen more and more consistently, it is a telltale sign that a nap transition is coming.

3. Babe is struggling to fall asleep.

The sweet spot for having babe fall asleep on their own when set down is between 5 and 15 minutes. If babe is taking longer than that or is protesting when that is not usually the norm, this is another big sign for you mama! 

When babe struggles to fall asleep after their typical awake window, they are telling you that they are ready to stay awake for longer stretches of time. 

4. So many early mornings and night wakings.

Night wakings and early mornings will on occasion just happen. Sometimes you know exactly the reason, other times it may not be as clear.

If you have a babe who is consistently sleeping well and morning and/or night wakings start to pop up, there is a reason!

Take a peek at how long babe is sleeping during the day, perhaps it’s time to cut back on daytime sleep [not sure how much daytime sleep is right for your babe, grab an awake time guide here]. But, if those early mornings and night wakings become the new norm, it’s likely that babe is ready to stay awake for longer periods of time. 

5. Long naps are suddenly short.

Naps are generally the last piece of the sleep puzzle that comes together. Once nighttime sleep is going well, daytime sleep will consolidate. This happens between 5 and 6 months old but can happen earlier if babe has a solid sleep foundation. 

So, if your usually long napper has started to become the Queen or King of catnaps, you guessed it, it may be time to drop a nap! 

Remember, it’s very normal for the LAST nap of the day to be a catnap until babe is on a 2 nap per day routine. 

This means that a 30-45 minute catnap is completely normal. This short nap helps babe release some sleep pressure so they are able to make it to bedtime without getting overtired. 

But when those nice long snoozes just aren’t happening for babe anymore, it’s likely that the need to build up increased sleep pressure from longer awake times.

6. Happening at least 3-4 days of the week for at least 2 weeks. 

This one is important. 

I know that when things are feeling super off 2 weeks is a long time to ask you to wait. But, there are so many leaps, progressions, and developments that our babes go through, these off periods are not always signs that babe is ready for a nap transition. 

When things start to go wonky with naps. Take note. You don’t always need to be tracking babe’s sleep but it can be helpful when things go sideways to keep track of what’s going on and when. 

If it becomes consistent and over the course of two weeks for at least 3 or 4 days of the week, move forward with slowly transitioning away from one nap. 

So, you’ve ticked all the boxes. Now, how do you actually transition babe to a new nap routine? 

I’ve got a blog for that! Check out 6 Steps to Dropping a Nap [like the boss parent that you are]!