3 to 2 nap transition

[Tryingno1]

Wondering when people did this and how? My lo is 6 months 1 weeks I think it’s prob too early to loose it but struggling to get last nap in day. I did 2 naps yest and ended up with him being awake 330-430 which he usually does do. So thinking of going back to 3 today and capping the naps so I can fit the third one in?? His wake times are about 2.5 just

[Tryingno1]

Oh just seen ur also at 6 months! Mine woke again last night 330-450 even though I did 3 naps exact same times as when he has slept through. Looks like the long wakes r starting again :/

[Tryingno1]

Thanks lemon drop! My lo did the 2 hour wales for about a month during the 4 month regression and then woke at 530. I was literally going. Out of my mind!!! Hence
My apprehension to change things when they r really good for the last 26 days!!! ( not that I’m counting!!

Thanks for he tips how old was ur little on when u did it? Part of the issue is mine isn’t doing his lunch nap for long enough consistently....one day will be 2 hours the next 1 so have to get a longer last nap...

[Lemondrop99]

We’re literally just going through this and had exactly the same problem, except my DS (also 6 months old) could be up for TWO hours in the middle of the night. It was horrific. I’m 99.9% it was caused by cortisol build up due to over tiredness, but he simply would not take that last nap.

We tried for as long as we could, but we dropped the nap at the start of April. It was worse at the start, quite a lot of long wakings around 3am. Then it became hit and miss, sometimes he’s wake and feed and go straight back to sleep, sometimes he’s stay awake. We just rode it out and now things seem much better. Last night he slept through for the first time ever (and probably the last!!).

Our current routine is

Wake 6.30/7
Wake time 2.5 hrs max
Nap 9.30-10
Wake time 2.5/2.75 hrs max
Nap 12.30/1-2.30/3
Wake time 4 hrs max
Bed 6.30/7pm

Sometimes we’d being bedtime forward so he’d only been awake 3.5 hrs before bed. He still gets very tired by bath time but yesterday managed it without tears.

Anyway, from my limited experience I’d say

1. Push for that cat nap if you can, even if only 10-15 mins
   
2. If that’s not happening. Give up, ride it out and know that it’s just a period of adjustment (but I know how horrid those night wakes are!)
   
3. Our baby to bed 3.5-4 hrs max after lunch nap. A 6/6.30pm bedtime is fine for transition
   

My DS’s awake times do seem to be adjusting now, by it’s been a bumpy 2-3 weeks. Good luck!

[wintertravel1980]

DD dropped her third nap at 6.5 months. I was not sure she was ready but DD has proven me wrong (in fact, I realised she had been ready for a couple of weeks). It took her a few days to adjust but she comfortably managed a 4 hour awake time between her second nap and bedtime. Her awake time for the rest of the day was around 2.5 hours.

Nap transitions are always difficult and are a bit of trial and error so it may be worth experimenting with (1) temporary early bedtime and (2) pushing back the second nap. If you can move it to 1.45-3.45pm, you may still keep the 8pm bedtime.

[Tryingno1]

But today he’s only done 1.5 his afternoon and woken himself up so will have to do a 30 Min cat nap

[Tryingno1]

Yep I wake him from both most often
Mine can do a bit longer if it’s a full nap but not a short one, but ur right wt should be longer end of day. Glad he’s seeping though!

[FortheloveofJames]

At about 7 months we were doing wake at 7/7.30- first nap 3 hours after that for no more than an hour and then 2 nap 3 hours after that. Naps normally ending by 4 at very latest for bedtime no later than 7.30. Things are slightly different now as he has been sleeping through for a few weeks and is getting up earlier at 6.30/7. I’ve found my DS is always able to manage a longer awake time before bed. Sometimes this can be 4 hours depending on how the day has gone.

Looking at your current times it’s going to be difficult to drop the last nap without going for an early bed. Do you wake him from the morning nap?

[Tryingno1]

ATM it’s
Wake 630-7

Nap 945-1045 (this is a long wake I know but it’s to reduce the early rising and he stays in crib playing for 30 Mins before I get in , obv earlier if he cries it’s moved it from 530 so not keen to change it!)

And then 115-315ish
And then cat nap of 15 at 545-6
Bed 8

So wake time 2.5 hours but then only 2 hours after the cat nap - not sure if the wake time post cat nap is ok?

He’s an early riser so don’t like 7pm bedtime! He used to wake at 530 as he only does 10.5-11 at night hence the 8 bed suits us

It’s just fitting in with a squeeze atm

[FortheloveofJames]

Prior to dropping the last nap it was always a cat nap of 30 mins max.

Our awake times moved to closer to 3 hours. The way I worked it was- if the second nap took us past 3 pm then I wouldn’t do a 3rd nap and go for a 7pm bedtime. It’s a bit of trial and error, could try pushing the naps back 15 mins at a time and see what happens. What’s your current routine in terms of wake up, nap Lengths etc. Also, it could be just a coincidence that he was up in the night, it’s normal, mine did it quite a bit and it’s just one of those developmental things sometimes

[seafoodeatit]

*Swapped to 2 naps not 3 months!!!

[seafoodeatit]

8 months here when he fully swapped to 3 months, he was still having 3 naps at that age but the last nap was only about 20/30 minutes in the evening.

[Tryingno1]

Last night was first night after 2 naps and lol wo said he was babbling away loudly to himself for an hour! So I think that’s him saying he’s not quite ready!

[Tryingno1]

Thanks for the love of James...
Do u rem what your wake times were roughly when you made the swap? I think we might need to wait another week or 2...he’s not going down for naps as before but also he needs them earlier than allows only 2 naps! Def in the middle. Thinking it will prob be gone 7ish months but your right I’ll let him
Guide me!

[FortheloveofJames]

We started the 2-3 nap transition about 6 months ish. He did this himself and I followed his lead. It started when he took longer and longer to settle for his morning nap as he wasn’t tired enough. We went through a phase of having some 3 naps days and some 2- consistently only on 2 naps by 7 months. He didn’t sleep through back then and sometimes he’s be up for a a bit in the night anyway so I can’t say it really impacted his night sleep as he wasn’t sleeping through anyway. It is normal for night sleep to be a bit disrupted when going through a nap transition, I’m sure it takes a little bit for them to adjust x

[userabcname]

Ah good luck! Hopefully you will manage to keep your settled nights!

[Tryingno1]

Thanks! Mine just started sleeping through and we had a great routine

And now it’s time to change things around!

[Tryingno1]

Thanks! Mine just started sleeping through and we had a great routine

And now it’s time to change things around!

[userabcname]

Well DS has never slept through a night in his life (he is 10 months now!) but I found night time was worse without the 3rd nap as he was overtired by bedtime. Even now I make sure 2pm is the earliest he goes for his second nap as he really struggles with that last stint of awake time before bed - too long and he is really hard to settle.

[Tryingno1]

Did you have any problems with him overnight before you dropped it? Some people say the 3rd nap can cause problems if not dropped at 7ish months?

[Tryingno1]

Sorry my message was meant to say
330-430 am awake which he usually doesn’t do!
Thanks x

[userabcname]

Oh he just kind of did it himself btw - I would follow your baby's lead as to when and how.

[userabcname]

Mine started dropping his first nap at 8 months and was consistently down to 2 naps at 9 months. He is now awake say at 6am, first nap at 9.30pm, second nap at 2pm and then bed at 6.30pm. That's a rough outline as wake up time varies.