How to Know When Your Child is Ready to Stop Napping

Wondering if your toddler or preschooler is ready to drop naps? Here are the 4 real signs of readiness, plus what to do instead of quitting cold turkey.

Child wearing white laying in a bed of white bedding smiling and looking toward the camera

One of the biggest mistakes parents make with napping is allowing the nap go too early. It is not uncommon for parents to say, “My child decided she was done taking naps at age two! You are so lucky your four year old is still napping!” Then you get the mama iwth a four year old quietly stressing if something is wrong with her kiddo because she is still napping.

Nothing is wrong. Every child drops naps on their own timeline, and knowing the real signs of readiness (instead of just going off of instinct, comparison, or your toddler’s wishes) makes all the difference.

It might be something you fear (how will I ever get anything done if my child doesn’t nap?!?). It might be something you eagerly anticipate (freedom to leave when I want to!). Ready or not, the day will come when your child will no longer need a nap each day. We all know it will come. The big question is when? What age? How do you know when your child is ready?

4 SIGNS OF YOUR CHILD IS READY TO STOP NAPPING

Here are four signs to watch for to know your child is ready to drop the nap. We are talking about dropping the nap and not sleeping at all during the day anymore.

Age

Age is a huge factor. Two year olds still need to have a nap each day. They might not sleep every day, and they very well might fight you on it, but a nap should be a part of the normal routine. A two year old is not old enough to decide if sleep is best for him/her or not.

Most three year olds should still have nap as their normal routine. A three year old will definitely not sleep each day, but still call it a nap and put her down. Do not stress when she doesn’t sleep.

Age four is the most common age to be read to drop one nap a day. At age four, you might start cutting out nap if your child is ready. However. I strongly recommend transitioning to rest time and not just dropping naps from the daily routine (see section below for more on this).

Also, please note that while a two year old isn’t ready to drop the nap every day, there will also be days your two year old will not sleep for nap time. That is normal and nothing to stress over.

Attitude

One of the biggest tells is how your child behaves in the evening and the following day after skipping a nap. If your child is still able to be obedient and continue on with her normal disposition, then skipping nap works for her. If she becomes an emotional wreck, starts trying to annoy people on purpose, or starts disobeying you uncharacteristically, then you know she was not ready to be without a nap.

Sleep Patterns

Another sign to watch is the sleep patterns. Watch your child’s sleep patterns closely. Does your child actually sleep at nap? If so, does your child sleep well at night? If naps seem to make it so your child doesn’t sleep well at night, take a log for a couple of weeks before you decide to take action. Actually write things down. You don’t want to think naps are interfering, be wrong, and drop the nap. That will lead to sleep and discipline troubles. If you do think naps are trouble after a couple of weeks, start with shortening the nap and see if that is enough. It is better to start with shortening the nap rather than cutting it entirely.

Sleep Needs

Every child has different total sleep needs. Some need the lower end of normal, while some need the higher end of normal. Among my children, I have a wide range. You might assume that a child with low sleep needs will be dropping the one nap a day earlier than those with high sleep needs. That might be true, but my two low sleep needs children still napped daily at age four. Sometimes the less sleep a child is getting at night, the more he will need a nap in the day.

>>>Read: What to Do When Your Toddler is Climbing Out of the Crib

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD DROPS THE NAP

When your child is ready to drop that one nap and be nap-free, it is very wise to still have a rest time each day. In the very early stages of dropping the one nap, your child will sleep most days and stay awake some days. As time goes on, that flips. Your child will stay awake most days and sleep some days. There will still be days a child who is no longer napping will need a nap. Those will be rough days if your child doesn’t have the opportunity to sleep.

That is why you have rest time.

When you have rest time, your child is in bed or a location where sleep can happen if needed. The location should be private and free from distractions. This way, if the child is tired, she can have a nap that day. Rest time should be at the same time each day and in the same location as much as possible. Rest time is a great time to allow your child to look at a stack of books. Rest time should be for 30-60 minutes.

Please remember that you can be flexible. When your child is ready to move to rest time, you might want to take off one afternoon to go do something out of the house, even though it is over rest time. This is absolutely okay! Just like your child could miss nap some days, your child can now miss rest time some days. Just make sure if you are home, rest time happens. Also make sure that your child doesn’t get to decide whether or not rest time happens. YOU are the parent and YOU decide.

>>>Read: When To Drop Rest Time

FAQ: DROPPING NAPS

What age do most kids stop napping? Age four is the most common age for kids to be ready to drop to one nap a day or stop napping altogether, though it varies widely by child. Some children with lower sleep needs may be ready earlier, while others nap daily past age four.

How do I know if my toddler is ready to drop their nap or just going through a phase? Track it for a couple of weeks rather than reacting to one bad night or one skipped nap. Watch attitude, obedience, and nighttime sleep quality across several days before deciding the nap itself is the problem.

Should I replace nap time with rest time? Yes. Rest time gives your child a private, distraction-free space to sleep if she needs it, while still building in a predictable daily break even on the days she doesn’t sleep.

CONCLUSION

The day will come when your child is ready and able to drop to zero naps a day. Be sure your child is actually ready to do so before you drop that nap. When you do drop it, continue on a rest time in the place of nap time so your child can still have a physical and mental break each day to recharge.

How to Know When Your Child is Ready to Stop Napping: 4 Signs to Watch For pinnable image

This post first appeared on this website in September 2016