Naps are a HOT topic for parents. When teaching your baby to be a rockstar sleeper, naps can be the last thing to fall into place. And, right when a baby seems to find a rhythm, it’s time to drop a nap and start a new nap schedule all over again. So, how and when do you make the shift from 3 to 2 naps a day?
When to Make the Change?
A baby’s circadian rhythm starts developing when the baby is around 12-16 weeks old. You’ve all been through it - it’s the dreaded 4-month sleep regression. Once a baby is around 6 months of age, you start to see naps get a little more consistent. If you’re still dealing with short naps, click here. I’ve got some tips for you.
A baby’s age gives you a window of time when to make the transition. Babies make the switch to 2 naps around 7 or 8 months of age. There is a handful that will do it at 6 months and I recommend making the switch by 8 months at the latest.
Pay attention to your baby’s cues. How is that 3rd nap going? If you put your little one down and he falls asleep but is then awake 20 minutes later, it could be time. The other likely scenario is your baby that used to go down easily is doing a bit of protesting or goes into his crib willingly, but just hangs out without ever falling asleep. Your little one might need more awake time, which organically results in less time in the day for 3 naps.
Make Sure It’s Time to Make the Transition
If either of those 2 changes has recently occurred to your baby’s 3 nap schedule, give it 2 weeks before deciding it’s time to make the switch.
The reason to pause before making the change to his naps is that you want to make sure the sudden disruption to nap 3 isn’t due to developmental milestones, like starting to sit up or crawl. Or because of something else like travel, sickness, or change in his schedule or environment. Be consistent for a couple of weeks to see if it passes.
In two weeks, if the third nap of the day is short or non-existent 4 or 5 times a week, make the switch. And once you do, don’t look back.
How Do You Switch to 2 Naps?
First of all, congratulations on making it to the season of napping. You are no longer paying close attention to wake windows. You’ve graduated to a timed nap schedule. And let me tell you, it’s glorious when you know what time your baby naps and goes to bed. Woohoo!
Here is where you start
Nap times need to be adjusted by 30-45 minutes to bridge the gap in daytime hours. If the nap schedule was roughly 9 am, 12:30 pm, and 3:30 pm, the new schedule should be in the range of 9:30/10:00 am and 2:00/2:30 pm. You can base this on his wake time for the day and the recommended wake time window of 3-4 hours. The key is to have naps that start in the same 30-minute window each day and not have a lot of variation in nap time.
For some babies, this instantly improves nap length. For others, it decreases nap length in the beginning due to over-tiredness. If nap length decreases, a third nap in the car or stroller can be used temporarily to take the edge off before bedtime. This is meant to be just a supervised short catnap of 15- 20 minutes.
Tips for a Smooth Nap Transition
Here’s the bad news. It can take 4-6 weeks for babies to transition to a new nap schedule. Be patient and consistent and he will get there.
Push back naptime
Push the naptime back by 15-30 minutes a day for three days (for example: if the nap was 9 am, go to 9:15 am for three days). Continue pushing the time back 15 more minutes every three days until the desired naptime is achieved. This may be a time when you use the above-mentioned third catnap to get them through to bedtime.
Make sure…
Nap one isn’t before 9 am
Nap two isn’t before 1:30 pm
Bedtime isn’t before 6:30 pm
Once you are on that rhythm for a few days, you will most likely be able to push everything a bit later.
Distraction, baby!
You will likely notice your baby still appears tired at the usual nap time, so you will have to distract him a bit to get to the desired nap time. Some outside time and a little fruit usually do the trick. A little bit of natural sugar can be SO helpful here. Who doesn’t like snacks?
An early bedtime, but it’s not forever
Moving bedtime earlier by 30 minutes for two weeks can help with the gap in time and prevent overtiredness. Even though 6:30 pm may seem far too early for bed, it is only for two weeks to help get through this transition.
Stick to the plan
Remember, it takes the body 4-6 weeks to fully adjust to a significant change in sleep patterns, so don’t expect your child to adjust immediately. If it seems that naps are getting shorter or more difficult, stick with your plan even though your baby may seem a little cranky. Use the third catnap and/or an earlier bedtime to get through the transition.
And once you’re on that 2 nap schedule, you can enjoy the predictability of your day. You know exactly when your baby will be napping and it makes it SO much easier!