Your little one is growing up and they’re needing less and less sleep…uh oh!!
Naps can be tricky things to master…and as soon as you think you have got on a schedule which works for your little one things start to change!
We often find parents think their little ones will just drop the nap when they are ready, and this can happen – that nap starts getting forced out (or refused) – but this only happens some of the time. Often little ones’ bodies will whisper to us that they are ready to transition naps in other ways too:
Often you will find your little one will start stalling, playing, and generally finding going to sleep at bedtime tricky – whereas they had always fallen asleep independently and pretty well previously.
Another way your little one’s body may whisper is if your little one is awake, for no reason, during the night…perfectly happy and ready to play (not just practicing a new skill).
Finally, waking early in the morning ready for the day (before 6am) when they have always slept well before (and there is no reason for their wake) is also another way we can tell our little one is saying ‘I am ready to transition a nap’!
If you have had two weeks of the above behaviour, then your little one is probably ready to transition to less naps BUT we know this is not always clear cut so if things feel a bit off, it may be worth a conversation with a sleep consultant to support your next steps.
This article was written by Little Dreams Consulting, a baby and child sleep consultants working with tired parents around the UK to help everybody get a better night’s sleep.
Visit the Little Dreams website here.