The 3-2 Nap Transition; 2 Nap Schedule
The 3-2 nap transition can be a tricky one since it’s common for babies under 6 months to struggle with naps. Well, it’s common for every child to struggle more with naps than with bedtime because at nighttime, melatonin (the sleepy hormone) is in our favour! During the day, we don’t produce melatonin, so we are strongly relying on sleep pressure and the sleep environment to get a good nap.
With my clients, I most often see the 3-2 nap transition happen around 6-7 months. By this age, babies can tolerate longer wake times and they are also much more alert to their surroundings. Plus, the addition of feeding them solids can help with a natural boost of energy during previous periods of tiredness.
If your baby is on a 3 nap schedule and you’re wondering when to transition, pay attention to these things to see if your baby may be ready:
How long are they taking to finally fall asleep for their naps? If it’s over 15+ mins each time they get put into the crib, that’s an indicator that your baby needs more wake time which can turn into 1-less nap.
Does your baby take super short naps now? If we aren’t following the proper wake window schedule, then it can be common for babies to still fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time, but then wake up after just 1 sleep cycle is finished. This is because their body was tired enough to sleep longer.
Has your schedule been pushed so much that when your baby takes a third nap, bedtime is really late? If this is the case, then I recommend slightly pushing the wake windows again, and cutting out the third nap.
Of course, if your baby shows one of these signs, once, I don’t want you jumping to any conclusions just yet. We like to see patterns in their sleep - so if 1 or more of these things have been happening for a week or more, then it may be time to consider the 3-2 nap transition.
A great 2 nap schedule would follow the wake times of 2.5 - 3 - 3.
Meaning that when your baby wakes up in the morning, they need 2.5 hours of awake time before their first nap. Once they wake up from that nap, they need 3 hours of awake time before their next nap. Then, when they wake up from their 2nd nap, they need a full 3 hour wake window again before being ready for bed.
This wake window schedule could like something like:
7am wakeup
9:30-11am nap
2-4pm nap
7pm bedtime
If you have made the transition and you’re struggling with meeting the full wake window schedule, I suggest offering some fruit/veg puree around the time that your child used to nap. For example, if they used to nap at 9am and now their morning nap is at 9:30am, then I recommend sitting them in the highchair at 8:55am and feeding them to give them a natural boost of energy.
Nap transitions can be hard, so if you’re in the thick of it and feeling t i r e d, you’re not alone. Full nap transitions can take up to 4 weeks to solidify, but the more consistent you are, the smoother the transition.
