Giving up naptime can bring on a lot of anxiety for some mamas. Not only do you feel your toddler or preschoolers need to rest in the middle of the day, but hey, so do you. And I’m always here to remind you that your needs matter, but there are some benefits to dropping the nap when your kiddo is ready.
Benefits To Dropping The Nap
FREEDOM! You are no longer bound to a naptime schedule. Your days have just opened up to so many possibilities: longer zoo trips, park play dates at any time, running errands without a deadline….
Early Bedtimes. Now that your kiddo isn’t napping during the day he is going to need an earlier bedtime, which means parents get even more much needed “Me Time” in the evenings.
When And How To Drop The Nap
It’s been a long time since you had to think about adjusting the naptime schedule. I mean, the last nap transition was when your toddler made the switch to a one-nap schedule between 14-16 months.
On average, kids drop the nap between 3-4 years of age. I’ve seen some toddlers drop it as early as 2.5 and others keep it up until starting Kindergarten.
Once you start noticing that sleep is a little off, give a week or two before making any changes as it might be due to a developmental milestone and they go right back to being a napping champ once it passes.
Most parents are waiting for their child to stop “needing” the nap. Meaning, they assume their toddler or preschooler needs a 1-2 hour nap every day because he falls asleep at naptime. And, if he didn’t need the nap, he wouldn’t fall asleep, right? Not necessarily.
Oftentimes, the first sign of needing to drop the nap isn’t that the child stops napping or even takes a long time to fall asleep at naptime (although, this scenario does happen for some). It’s that bedtime becomes a nightmare.
Your little guy that used to nap from 1-3 and then fall asleep easily at 7 or 7:30 now battles bedtime. He takes FOREVER to fall asleep, he’s getting out of bed every 5 minutes with every excuse in the book, and out the window goes your Netflix-and-glass-of-wine time.
In reality, what’s happening is that your little one is getting less restorative nighttime sleep, and that’s where the benefits of sleep happen. So it’s so important that kids this age get 11-12 hours of nighttime sleep.
So How Do You Know It’s Time To Drop The Nap?
If your kiddo is between 3-4 years old and….
Still naps well, but used to fall asleep easily and now take a long time and bedtime has become a struggle
No longer falls asleep quickly for a nap or won’t nap at all
How Do You Give Up The Nap?
There are a couple of options. First of all, if you really don’t want to lose naptime, you can try capping the nap at 1 hour and/or then moving bedtime 30 minutes later (8 pm at the very latest). If that doesn’t solve the problem of bedtime battles and you’ve given it a solid week of being consistent, then it’s officially time to drop the nap.
Pick a time when you are available for extra support as you make this change because it’s a big one for your little guy and he might be clingy and grouchy as his body adjusts.
No more napping, but you will most likely notice that he is pretty tired in the late afternoon. Keeping him awake is key for a smooth bedtime so get him outside and a snack to help him through this transition. A piece of fruit is a great option for a little burst of energy.
He will definitely need an earlier bedtime for several weeks. For some, it’s as early as 6:30 pm and that okay. Don’t let that early bedtime scare you as some parents worry it will result in early morning wakings. For most kids, it won’t. But, they still need the necessary 11-12 hours of sleep.
After a couple of weeks of a 6:30 bedtime, you can move it to 7 pm where it will stay for several years.
If you have been using a wake-up clock for your child, keep it at the same time.
Conclusion
Dropping the nap has some real benefits, but does take time.
Kids drop the nap between 3-4 years old
Bedtime battles are the most common sign your kiddo is ready to drop the nap
It takes several weeks for their bodies to adjust, so be patient.
As always, if you’ve got other sleep struggles going on, reach out. I can help! Sleep is my jam.