Nap Transitions - From 3 Naps to 2

You’ve finally got your little one settled into a nice, consistent sleep routine. He’s taking 3 naps per day, your feeding pattern is working well, and it feels like you’ve really hit your stride. Well, because babies are growing and changing every day (and like to keep us on our toes), we can’t settle for too long in this rhythm. Soon, it will be time to transition from 3 naps to 2.

Sometime between 6-8 months of age, baby will start to show signs that he is ready to move from 3 naps per day to 2. Sometimes it is easy to tell when it is time to make this change. Other times, it can be hard to break the habit of offering the 3^rd nap.

KNOW THE SIGNS

Here are some signs to watch for that might indicate it is time to move to 2 naps per day:

• Baby struggles to fall asleep for his 3^rd nap, takes a long time to fall asleep, or doesn’t fall asleep at all.
• The 3^rd nap is starting to push bedtime too late. That is, after a 3^rd nap, baby is not ready for bedtime until after 8pm (or past your baby’s happy bedtime).
• You find you consistently run out of time for a 3^rd nap, or it becomes really tricky to fit in all 3 naps.
• Baby starts to have uncharacteristically early morning wake ups.

The move to 2 naps per day is a little easier when:

• Baby’s first two naps are consistently 1-2 hours in length.
• Baby is able to comfortably stay awake for 2.5-3.5 hours at a time. 

When you start to notice any or all of these things happening, or if your baby turns 8 months old, it is a good idea to start intentionally moving toward some longer wake windows, and a 2 nap schedule.  

MAKING THE TRANSITION

Our goal on 2 naps is to ensure that those 2 naps are evenly spaced throughout the day so that baby never has to take longer than a 3-3.5 hour wake window, and that the final wake window of the day allows baby to comfortably arrive at a bedtime in the 6:30-7:30pm range.

We also want to ensure that baby is not getting more than 3-3.5 hours of daytime sleep, split between those 2 naps. I suggest that you allow the first nap to last as long as baby wants to sleep, up to two hours. If baby is still sleeping after 2 hours, wake him to ensure that he doesn’t go too long between feeds, and so that there is still time for a second nap. Then, depending on how long he slept for the first nap, you can determine how long the second nap can be. If he sleeps 2 hours for the first nap, the second nap should not be longer than 1-1.5 hours. If he sleeps for 1.5 hours for the first nap, the second nap can be 1.5-2 hours in length.

For a baby that is still adjusting to 3-hour wake windows (especially the first wake window of the day), a two nap schedule might look like this:

For a baby that is comfortable with longer wake windows, a two nap schedule might look like this:

Another example is a baby that wakes early, and then takes a short first nap:

In this scenario, the baby might not be very happy with a 3.5 hour wake window to get to his second nap. However, the benefit of stretching until 1:30pm to start the nap is that the final wake window of the day, before bedtime, is not terribly long. In fact, because baby woke at 3:30pm from the second nap, he can go to bed after only 3 hours awake if he’s showing signs of being ready for bedtime at this time. An extra-long wake window is not required.

Overall, at this age we are still offering a flexible schedule that is determined based on when baby wakes for the day, how long the naps last, how long baby is comfortably awake, and when baby starts to show sleepy cues. The exact time of the naps, and bedtime, will be a little different each day.

Of course, at this age, we are still aiming to maintain the great sleep habits that we are always aiming to achieve:

• Ensure that baby is awake during the final feed of the day, and throughout the bedtime routine so that he can go into the crib awake, and find his own way to sleep at bedtime.
• Aim for a minimum of 11 hours of sleep at night time. Try not to get him out of the crib too early if he wakes before 6am.
• Protect naps as much as possible so that he’s getting healthy daytime sleep. This will set him up for great nights as well!
• An early bedtime is always a great way to make up for a day when naps have been short, or when baby simply seems tired while adjusting to longer wake windows. Bedtime can be as early as 6pm, but in general we are hoping that bedtime will more consistently land between 6:30-7:30pm.

Your baby will likely be on two naps per day until sometime between 13-18 months of age. Wake windows may gradually lengthen beyond 3-3.5 hours, but not significantly or quickly. I find that a 4 hour wake window is not usually comfortable until after 12 months.

If you are struggling at all with this transition, or would like some help building a schedule that fits your baby at his age, please don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation, and we can work through it together.

And, if you’re hesitant or unsure whether your baby is ready, follow your instincts! If your baby meets the criteria listed above, it is worth a try. You will likely be amazed at how easily little one will sail through this transition.