Naps: How & When to drop them
Is it just me or just when you think you have the daytime routine nailed, everything changes and you feel as if you’re back to square one? Babies can be so tricky at times as they are CONSTANTLY developing and changing. Sometimes just keeping up with them puts your head into a spin doesn’t it?
If you can rule out causes like over or under tiredness, room environment, hunger, sickness AND your baby is in the right age bracket, then it is likely that the time is nigh to drop a nap! Note the word USUALLY. All babies are totally unique and some may be ready to drop a nap sooner or later than this. So how do you know when it is the right time for YOUR baby?
Here are some classic signs to watch out for:
They are in the right age bracket
There is no fool proof time zone for this to happen, however, here are some rough parameters:
3 month-old babies usually have 3 naps
6-8 month-old babies usually drop to 2 naps
12-15 month-old babies usually drop to 1 nap
At 2.5-3 years naps disappear- sometimes!
Taking a long time to settle at the normal nap time
If your baby was a nap angel last week but has turned into a nap demon this week and just won’t drift off, this could be a sign that they are not tired enough and need more awake time before their nap. Dropping a nap can allow for this and help create a more age-appropriate schedule which, in turn, prevents that horrendous battle at nap time.
Early Morning Wakings
It’s 5am and you hear the squeak of your little darling ready for the day except you’re not feeling quite so full of beans. Sound familiar? If this has started to happen and it wasn’t an issue before, this is another sure sign. Day-time and night-time sleep are a finely balanced duo and, sometimes, too much day-time sleep can begin to impact how much they snooze during the night as your baby’s sleep needs have already been met during the day!
Shorter naps
Your baby was enjoying some wonderful 1 hour or 2 hour long naps and now they are more like 30-45 minutes! Whaaaaaaat? If they are not knee deep in a developmental leap or sleep regression, it could be that they are just not tired enough and their ‘tired tank’ is simply not full before they go to sleep. It could be that they need more awake time before they sleep and so, dropping a nap could be the answer!
Bedtime battle ground
Naps are going well but, all of a sudden, bedtime is something you begin to dread as your little one fights it with all their tiny might! Sound familiar? This is also a little sign from the nap Gods that it could be time to re-address your day-time schedule! If you can relate to this, look at the last nap of the day and where it sits- it could be that this awake window needs to be longer so that their ‘tired tank’ is more full and this could mean dropping a nap.
As with most things baby sleep related, naps and day-time schedules are another fun jigsaw and there are other factors that can impact how long a baby sleeps for during the day however, if you are experiencing two or more of the above and have been for a few weeks, it is likely that they are ready for a change.
For more advice, see our instagram or Facebook page or, to talk through any sleep related issues in more detail, just get in touch!
C&E xx