Troubleshooting Nap Challenges and Managing Nap Transitions (Stress-Free)
Naps can be tricky to navigate!
Naps are a big part of early parenthood! And quite honestly, there are SO many bogus rules out there that simply stress parents out when it comes to naps. Let’s change that!
In this blog, you will learn what is biologically normal when it comes to naps. You’ll learn how to troubleshoot common nap challenges including tips for transferring your baby, how to lengthen naps, nap refusals and all you need to know about wake windows (This may not be what you expect!) Then, you’ll learn about nap transitions and how to confidently guide your little one through them! You’ll want to bookmark this for later!
Why Do Babies and Toddlers Nap?
Throughout the day your little one does not have the sleep hormone melatonin to help them fall asleep. Instead, their ability to fall asleep relies on homeostatic sleep pressure.
Sleep pressure is related to the neurotransmitter in the brain called adenosine. As we spend time awake, adenosine rises and we become more and more tired. During a nap the adenosine decreases and your child will generally wake up feeling refreshed.
In young babies sleep pressure rises quickly. As your child gets older, their wake times become longer and they need less daytime sleep.
Simply put, your baby or toddler needs to have a nap(s) to decrease sleep pressure and prevent overtiredness throughout the day and before bedtime.
Where Should Naps Happen?
During the first 6 months of life naps in the daylight will help establish and regulate the circadian rhythm. (So don't worry about sitting in a dark nursery for hours and hours per day!) Once they're older and more distractible, do what works best for your baby and family dynamics.
There is no such thing as “junk sleep”. Nap locations can be flexible. Watch their cues and make changes accordingly. If you do find your little one is becoming too distracted to nap in the light, accommodate a dark environment when possible.
Contact naps are incredibly normal. Infants attach through the senses in the first year of life. They feel most safe when they can see, hear, touch, and smell you. It is normal for them to sleep longer when in your arms, in a carrier or laying beside you.
Short Naps - Are Catnaps A Problem?
Short naps can be very normal, especially if your baby is under 6-8 months old. Many families find that naps naturally start to lengthen when their baby starts to become more mobile and/or when they transition to fewer naps. There is a lot of pressure on parents to get their babies to have very long naps from a very young age.
It is important to remember that we cannot teach or make another person sleep. If your baby is waking happy, growing well and meeting their milestones then trust that they are getting the amount of sleep that they need.
Long naps don't necessarily lead to more night time sleep. Your baby will only sleep so many hours in a 24 hour period. This amount will vary from baby to baby.
For example: Baby Ethan (12 months) generally sleeps a total of 12 hours in a 24 hour period. If Ethan took 2x 2 hour naps this would only leave 8 hours of overnight sleep. Ethan has in fact had wonderfully long naps, however; this won’t change the amount of total sleep he needs in 24 hours and could lead to a challenging night.
Review the following if your older baby or toddler is having short naps:
Re-evaluate awake time: Is it possible your little one isn’t tired enough for their nap i.e. they haven’t built up enough sleep pressure and need their wake windows lengthened? Try keeping them awake for an extra 15 minutes.
Floor time/exercise: Is your little one getting enough exercise? If your child has had a sedentary day it is understandable that they would have a short nap(s).
Re-evaluate sleep environment: Might they benefit from a dark, quiet room for naps if they are going through a highly distractible phase?
How To Lengthen a Nap?
If your little one is waking up from a short nap and is still tired and cranky you could try to get them back to sleep for 5-10 minutes. If they don't fall back asleep within that time frame it is unlikely they are going back to sleep.
If they are regularly waking cranky after a certain amount of time (say 30 minutes), go to them a couple of minutes prior to this. When you see them start to wake, try to coax them back to sleep with a gentle hand on their chest/patting. If this is unsuccessful, don’t hesitate to breastfeed, rock, etc your baby back to sleep.
Before Transferring Your Baby For Their Nap…
You are your child’s safe space. When you put them down, help them remain connected to you in any way you can to help with the transition.
Some ideas:
Sleep on their sheets so they smell like you
If breastfeeding, put a few drops of breast milk on the sleep space
If age appropriate, have them fall asleep with their lovey
Warm the area with a heating pad or warm blanket (ensuring to remove and also make sure the area is not too hot prior to putting them down)
When To Transfer For An Independent Nap?
Put the baby down as soon as they have fallen asleep. If they do wake up during transfer their sleep pressure will still be high. Due to this, it will likely be easier to get them back to sleep with a hand on their belly or gentle patting/shushing.
OR
Wait until they have entered deep sleep. This can range between 10-20 minutes. Check if your baby is in deep sleep by lifting their arm a bit. If it flops back down they are likely into deep sleep.
Transferring Your Sleeping Baby
Place your baby in your arms horizontally prior to putting them down
Place your baby feet first so they don’t feel as though they are falling
Keep baby close to you for as long as possible during the transfer
Once down, keep your hand gently on their chest until they are settled
Transfers won't always be successful! They will be harder for some babies than others.
How Long Should You Try For a Nap?
As mentioned above, sleep pressure is what drives sleep in the day. If your little one has not built up enough sleep pressure it will be a real challenge to get them to sleep despite your best efforts. If after 10-15 minutes your little one shows no signs of falling asleep, take a break. Continue watching their cues and try again in a little bit.
Nap Refusals
There will undoubtedly be periods when your child will refuse a nap, however; you might not be convinced they are ready to drop it altogether.
Some things to consider:
Are they working on one or more developmental milestones?
Teething or feeling unwell?
Have they become too distractible in their current nap space and need it adjusted?
Do they need one of their naps capped?
Are you feeling stressed and worried about your child’s sleep? (They pick up on our energy).
Evaluate the whole picture prior to making any big changes. If any of the above are occurring, offer a nap. If the nap doesn't happen they could have a distinct "quiet time" in place of it. It is likely a phase.
Wake Windows
Wake windows are the amount of time your baby is awake between sleep. Your child’s wake windows will change frequently in the first years of life. Keep in mind, wake window charts are not based on evidence but rather anecdotal experience.
A wake window chart may be helpful for you to reference as a starting point. From there, shorten or lengthen your child’s wake windows based on their individual cues.
Wake windows can change from day to day based on a variety of factors such as amount of exercise and daily activities.
Again, wake windows are NOT evidence based. Don't let them stress you out.
Signs Your Little One May Be Ready To Drop a Nap
Does well with longer wake times
Taking a very long time to fall asleep for naps
Refusing a nap over multiple days
Bedtime becomes a struggle and they are falling asleep later
It is age appropriate
They are sleeping less in a 24 hour period with the nap
Tips For Dropping Naps
Don’t drop a nap based on age alone.
Before dropping a nap, experiment with capping the nap first.
When your child has recently dropped a nap, it is normal to have a period of alternating back and forth between the number of naps.
When a nap is dropped, you may want to try to incorporate distinct quiet time in place of the nap.
When your little one drops a nap you may have to bring bedtime earlier during the transition. Remember that you have done this.
If you've dropped a nap and a few days later you find your little one is very irritable, cranky and/or can't seem to make it to bedtime then consider whether the nap was dropped prematurely. Would it be beneficial to offer the nap? Would they benefit from having the nap on alternate days?
If you've dropped a nap, brought bedtime earlier and a few days later you find your little one is waking very early, experiencing split nights, having more fragmented sleep or does not seem tired at bedtime then they may need their bedtime slowly pushed later again.
Nap Transitions
The ranges below are of course guidelines. Your child may fall outside of these time frames:
4-3 naps = 4-5 months
3-2 naps = 7-9 months
2-1 naps = 15-18 months
1-0 = 2.5 - 3.5 years
4-3 Nap Transition
This is generally a pretty seamless transition and does not require much, if any, intervention from you. As your baby tolerates more time awake between naps, there is naturally not enough time in the day for the fourth nap.
3-2 Nap Transition
Your child will drop the 3rd, last nap of the day
When? Generally between 7-9 months
Strategies to try prior to dropping:
Try to get the third nap using their preferred way to fall asleep.
If the third nap is not happening despite some extra help, you could try capping the second nap of the day to see if this provides them enough sleep pressure to have a short third nap.
When making the transition to two naps:
You will want to lengthen your baby's awake time before both the morning and afternoon nap.
If naps are left at the same time as they were while on 3 naps your little one will end up extremely tired in the evening and need a very early bedtime.
*Very early bedtimes may end up causing split nights, early rising and/or fragmented nights*
2-1 Nap Transition
Your child will drop the first, morning nap.
When? Generally between 15-18 months
Strategies to try prior to dropping:
If refusing the second nap, try capping the first nap. By doing this, you may find your child has enough sleep pressure to achieve the second nap.
If your child is on two naps but bedtime is getting pushed later because they are tolerating longer awake times, try capping the second nap to preserve sleep pressure for bedtime.
1-0 Nap Transition
When? Between 2.5-3.5 years with variability between ages 2-5.
Strategies to try prior to dropping the nap:
Cap the nap. Rather than dropping their nap cold turkey you could try shortening the nap by about 15 minutes every 2-3 days. You could cap the nap until it is down to a short 30 minutes.
When transitioning to 0 naps:
Your toddler may have a hard time making it to bedtime. You may need to bring bedtime slightly earlier for a period of time.
Offer quiet time when the nap would normally be.
You may find your little one benefits from having a nap on alternate days or on very active days during the transition.
Naps don’t need to rule your day
There you have it! I hope this blog helped calm some nerves and answer any outstanding questions you may have had about naps, what’s normal and how to troubleshoot common issues that come up. Naps don’t need to rule your day. Remember, the purpose of naps is to relieve sleep pressure so your baby or toddler can make it to bedtime. There is no magic nap length, it depends what YOUR child needs.
Naps are quite fleeting, in the grand scheme of things. Their wake windows and naps change frequently in the first couple of years especially. Most little ones will stop napping between 2.5-3.5 years old. Don’t let naps (and the common unrealistic expecatations around them) take over early parenthood for you.
