Nap no more? You’ve got this!
This happens to be exactly what's going on in my house right now: the dreaded and also excitedly awaiting milestone - NO MORE NAPS 🎉👏😂! Here are some tips to help you know when your kid is ready to drop their nap and prepare for the transition:
IS MY KID READY TO DROP THEIR NAP?
By the age of 3, many kids are showing signs of readiness to drop their nap, even if they are still falling asleep during nap time. Signs of readiness include: taking a long time (30+ minutes) to settle for sleep at bedtime, a consistently later bedtime (8:30pm or later), waking especially early in the morning, and sleeping less than 10 hours at night. IF your kid is showing some or most of these signs and/or fighting nap time consistently over multiple days / weeks, it’s likely time to try dropping the nap.
If you have a preschool aged kid who is NOT showing these signs and is happily napping daily, then there’s no need to try to drop their nap now, but keep an eye out for these signs as this may indicate that their sleep needs are changing and they may not need a nap anymore (even if they are falling asleep during nap time).
PREPARE:
Talk often with your kid during the daytime about this transition for a few days beforehand. You know your kid best - some kids benefit from lots of explanation and information and others may not, so trust your gut here.
Prepare their room for quiet time - ensure all the toys are ok are ok for them to play with independently, move potentially dangerous or messy things out of reach etc…
Decide if you’d like to enforce “Quiet Time” instead of nap and communicate those rules in advance to your kid (e.g., you’re going to stay in your room for quiet time. You can decide what you’d like to do and we’ll come get you when quiet time is over)
I recommend setting up an “Ok to Wake” clock (if you haven’t already) and letting them know that it’ll turn green when quiet time is over.
TRANSITION:
You’ve got this! Know that it may take a few days or weeks for your kids to stop coming out, asking questions, fighting quiet time etc… and this is natural and normal. Commit to giving the transition some time to sink in and set firm boundaries (e.g., if you plan to not allow your kid out of their room for quiet time, please enforce this and remind yourself and your kid that they are safe in their room).
QUESTIONS? Please reach out to me to chat more about working together. I’m there to help guide and coach you through this transition. You’ve got this!
