Dropping the nap FAQs and adviceThe Final nap transition the 1-0 can be a long process and it can take anything from weeks to months from start to finish so take a deep breathe and try and be patient. LOs show it has begun and deal with it in different ways. They may:
• Start to refuse the nap
• Start to refuse bedtime needing longer afternoon A time.
Depending on what your little one is doing you can try various things to help them through the transition.
If your LO is refusing naps:
* Start to switch up how your LO takes their nap. i.e. encourage them to lie down on the sofa when they’re feeling tired. Keep the sofa cosy with blankets and cushions to encourage them. Some LOs do better this way due to their personality. The pressure of a head strong Toddler being told to sleep can be enough to make them do the exact opposite...***
* Give LO quiet play time in their room with low lighting so as they may rest up by themselves and lie themselves down for a nap. What is helpful about this method is they will dictate their own A time and often nap before you would have put them down. Once again, this is a ‘low pressure’ method...***
* Encourage quiet time half way through the day if LO refuses the nap completely. This will allow your LO to recharge without sleeping and help them get through the day.
* Shorten the day. Many LOs need a day length of as little as 10.5 hours when dropping the nap. This would mean a super early bed time and it takes a leap of faith but it is essential for many/most LOs. Nights can consistently be 13.5 even 14.5 hours long when 'no nap' takes hold. Day length can eventually extend to 11 or even 12 once they start to adapt.
* APOP car naps. Doing this every day can be a time consuming and expensive way to get your child to sleep, but during an OT melt down it could be your only saviour.
* Some parents have found that a short cat nap late in the day of around 20 mins is enough to stop melt down and still achieve a decent BT.
* For some Toddlers physical activity is absolute key to achieving a nap or a decent BT.
If your LO still likes his nap/isn’t refusing it but BT has become a struggle then you may try:
* Cutting back the nap by 15 mins at a time. You can leave BT at the same time whilst doing this.
* You may find the perfect nap time in order to not have to shift BT. If not then the day may also need lengthening gradually.
* If LO is sleeping a short night due to the 1-0 try shifting the nap earlier in order to make A time to BT longer. This can work well for LOs
who can't deal with a shorter nap.
* Contrastingly you can try shaving time off the beginning of the nap leaving WU time the same, which results in nap capping and pushing out simultaneously. For some LOs the long 1st A time can continue to over ride a shorter 2nd A time.
* Let LO nap the same length but move BT later lengthening the day. This is the toughest route for parents to take but some LOs simply can't
deal with a shorter nap and need to keep the long nap and shorter night.
Self RegulationThe halfway house is when your LO still needs a nap but not every day. What works for some is a couple of ‘Top up Naps’ a week or a nap every other day. Achieving this can often be tricky so the best/easiest way to do this is by implementing naps on the sofa or in their room of their own accord…see *** in previous text. Otherwise you may find they will drop off in the car when you least expect it.
The 1-0 is not a simple case of taking the route that will achieve the most sleep for your child…which I admit I previously believed. It is finding the route that helps your child to deal with the transition in the best way they can in order to avoid OT. As I previously said some LOs need their sleep spread some do well going cold turkey ‘no nap’ and will sleep a long night to compensate, consistently. The challenge is to figure out what works best for your LO.
And a final note. When your LO starts nursery/Kindergarten/Preschool you may find even if they have dropped the nap previously the need for it returns, due to the high energy/stimulation of the day….and off you go again
.
For support join us on the ‘Dropping the nap’ support thread which you can find on the
Sleeping For Toddlers board.
Good Luck everyone
