Is My Baby Ready To Drop a Nap?

How do you know when your baby or toddler is ready to drop a nap?

We get this question a lot!

Around 9 months, most babies are ready to move to 2 naps. Around 15-18 months, most are ready to move to 1 nap. Often we see parents giving up a nap too early, so try not to be too hasty when you’re considering a new schedule. 

Next thing to consider with dropping a nap: is your baby falling asleep smoothly and independently at naptime? If they’re protesting a nap by crying shortly after you put them in the crib, that might mean they’re tired, but they aren’t happily self-soothing and sleeping independently. In other words, protesting a nap is different than not needing a nap. In this case, you’ll want to work on establishing or re-establishing a pattern of self-soothing. 

(Okay, but how do I do that? See the 4-24 month online sleep class or schedule a sleep consultation.)

But let’s say your baby is not protesting. She’s hanging out, mostly content, in her crib for 30 min every day for a week or so without falling asleep. That’s a sign she may be ready for longer awake spans. When you lengthen your baby’s awake spans, it will eventually necessitate dropping a nap.  It’s math!

Once you’re seeing that the last nap is pushing bedtime later, dropping a nap becomes a smart move. In fact, we always recommend having a cut off time for the last nap (the cut off time will get earlier as your baby gets older). Remember bedtime is the most important moment to be consistent with timing. When you protect that early, regular bedtime, it will train your baby’s internal clock, which makes falling asleep easier and gives us better quality sleep through the night. Making sure those naps fit in without delaying or making bedtime inconsistent is key to supporting your baby to have the best sleep possible.