How do I help my toddler keep napping as he gets older? Virtually all 2-year-olds and about 87% of 3-year-olds nap, while only about 8% of children still nap at age 5. A number of things influence the transition from a having a nap plus nighttime sleep, to nighttime sleep only. We know that a [...]
How do I help him transition to one nap per day? Little ones transition from taking two naps to one nap per day by about 18-months-old. The easiest way to do that is to slowly move the morning nap a bit later every few days until he is napping at about 1:00 p.m. You will also notice that the [...]
What can I do if my little one misses a nap? It’s not the end of the world if your baby misses a nap. For younger children who take multiple naps per day, you can simply move on with your day and offer another sleep opportunity later in the day or at their next scheduled naptime. If your child is [...]
Should I take away her naps? No – in fact, overtired children actually take a longer time to fall asleep at bedtime and wake up more times at night. So, instead of keeping them up later or skipping naps to help them sleep, be sure to have an early bedtime and keep those naps in [...]
Will he sleep better at night if he does not nap? No, your little one won’t sleep better if he skips a nap. Children between about 1- and 3-years-old biologically need sleep twice per day: overnight and a nap during the day. If you take away your little one’s nap, it may actually be harder for [...]
My little one has an inconsistent schedule during the day because of work and childcare schedules. What are some things that I can do to keep her naps consistent? If you are able to keep your child’s naptime within an hour each day, she may be able to adjust to these differences fairly easily. [...]
My preschooler stopped napping! What can I do to help him nap more often? The first step is to think about whether or not your preschooler still needs a nap each day. Most children (in places like the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom) will stop napping between the ages of 3 and 5 years. [...]