Drop The Nap – When Is It The Right Time?

You survived the often challenging transition from two naps down to one nap. You’ve been cruising along, and then all of the sudden your two year old goes on a nap strike. Is it already time to drop the nap?

Nope. It’s time to show patience and a little bit of persistence. 

There are several reasons to prioritize keeping your kiddo’s nap as long as possible. 

• First, you want to look at your child’s total sleep in a 24 hour period. Preschooler’s need 11-13 hours of sleep each day. Children under the age of 3 years old typically thrive when they are sleeping 12-13 hours in a 24 hour period. The nap is often critical to getting your child the total amount of sleep they need. 
• Second, a nap improves a preschooler’s ability to regulate their emotions. This typically means less hitting and biting, fewer tears and tantrums, and less anxiety. 
• Third, naps help preschoolers with their learning. Recent studies of preschool children found that children who napped remembered more of what they had learned in the morning and the previous day than classmates who did not nap. Those who napped daily retained the most knowledge.

How do you know if it’s a nap strike or it really is time to pull the plug on the nap?

The most important thing you need to know about the transition from one nap a day to no naps is that it’s a gradual transition. It should happen over a period of months. For months or years, your child has been napping daily, and then it will drop to most, but not all days. A couple months later they may only nap three days a week on average, and they days they nap will vary. 

Your child not napping every single day doesn’t mean it’s time to drop the nap. It just means they are beginning the gradual transition away from napping. That’s why it’s so important to continue to provide a rest period each day.

If you’re child is under the age of 3 years old, consider the resistance a strike. If you consistently put your child down for a nap or rest period each day, they should resume napping daily within a week or two.

If your child is between 3 years old and 4 years old, you’ve put them down for a nap each day, and they haven’t napped in a month, they’ve likely dropped their nap for good. I would, however, encourage you to continue to offer “rest time” until they are at least 4 years old. This gives them the opportunity to nap on the days they need it.

If your child is still napping when the start of Kindergarten is approaching, just keep going with that nap until Kindergarten starts. Once school starts, prioritize an extra early bedtime to help your kiddo get the full amount of sleep they need. 

How do you keep the nap if your child is resisting the nap you know they need?

If your child is two years or older and you haven’t already introduced a toddler clock or light system, now is the time! If you have one and it “hasn’t been working,” it’s time to reintroduce it and remember that it will only work if you, the parent, follow the rule (e.g. don’t let your child ignore the clock).

This light is my current favorite for a toddler clock system. I recommend red when it’s time to sleep or rest (the nap) and green when it’s okay to wake up. 

Rest time for your preschooler should start between 12 and 12:30 P.M. This allows them time for a nice nap that doesn’t interfere with bedtime. Set the toddler clock for 60-90 minutes. The rule is that your child needs to stay in their room during quiet time. Set them up in bed with a few books and leave them to it. If they haven’t fallen asleep when the light turns to the wakeup color, rest time is over and you’ll move on with your regular afternoon activities.

If your child does fall asleep, wake them by 2:30pm. If your kiddo is taking a really long nap and struggling with bedtime, start by capping the nap at 90 minutes, and then, if necessary, cap the nap at 1 hour of sleep. Still struggling at bedtime? Make sure you’re not trying to put your kiddo to bed after they’ve caught a second wind and check out my steps for an easier bedtime.  

Here’s to keeping our preschoolers well-rested and ready to take on each new adventure!