Two vs. Three Naps

[redhorizon343]

How do you know it's time to switch to two naps?

Books I've read suggest to eliminate the evening nap first, and adjust the afternoon nap accordingly. My LO has decided on her own to push back her morning nap to 10:30 or 11. I do not know what to do with this. Yesterday she took 3 naps, and her last nap was at 5:35-6:05! (All of her naps are 30 minutes. She went to bed fine and was asleep by 8). 

[acorn99]

I wish I could help. We are still normally getting 4 30 minute naps. When he wakes up really early, he can usually squeeze in a fifth. Sigh.

[Chrisse]

It's not even on my radar of concern right now. Maybe it should be. As for right now, when LO needs a nap, she takes one. Sometimes it is two day, sometimes it's four. We had one horrid day where it was only one nap. Yuck.

[redhorizon343]

I've decided to stop worrying about whether she gets enough sleep because it is evidently completely out of my control anyway. But when she takes a late morning nap I'm just like "what do I do now?"

[gahorseygal]

Dang my LO could never be awake that long. 1.5 hours tops for her before nap time. We get 3 naps a day.

[vk]

It is different for us everyday. Usually he takes 3 short power naps but sometimes he will take an hour nap and he only has 2 that day. I try to keep him awake after 4:30pm because we try to get him to bed around 7:30ish.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2015 8:18:06 GMT -5 gahorseygal said:

Dang my LO could never be awake that long. 1.5 hours tops for her before nap time. We get 3 naps a day.

This is me too.  DS just started going 2 hours between naps.    

[puffandstuff]

I would let your LO do it on their own. Some babies need it and some don't.

[weeklyplanner]

Feb 4, 2015 8:24:57 GMT -5 @lizziebennett said:

Feb 4, 2015 8:18:06 GMT -5 gahorseygal said:

Dang my LO could never be awake that long. 1.5 hours tops for her before nap time. We get 3 naps a day.

This is me too.  DS just started going 2 hours between naps.    

Same here. 2 hours and then I'm trapped under a napping baby. Also, LO is sleep trained at night and I've found that a short nap between 4 and 5:15pm makes it so he goes to bed with very minimal fussing. On the days his last nap is over around 4pm, he cries before falling asleep at 6:30-6:45pm. So, I decided to say "screw the experts." My kid actually sleeps better and longer when he has a cat nap 1.5-2.5 hr before bedtime. I think it helps him avoid becoming over tired.

[mandapanda1382]

Feb 4, 2015 8:11:31 GMT -5 acorn99 said:

I wish I could help. We are still normally getting 4 30 minute naps. When he wakes up really early, he can usually squeeze in a fifth. Sigh.

This!

Sometimes now he mixes it up and throws in a longer nap. I'm just taking his lead. No desire to try and control his naps.

[prairiegirl]

We get 3 solid naps a day and in bed by 8. We're JUST starting to get to 2 hours between naps. Morning is 1.5 hours and the naps after that are every 2 hours and then it's about 2.5 between his last nap and bed. From what I've read they'll start taking shorter and shorter last naps until it drops and they won't go down at all...

[redhorizon343]

Naps are such a bitch

[sweeetp812]

LO takes a long nap in the am. Then a shorter nap around noon 1pm and then a really short nap at night. I figure he will wean himself off his shortest nap. Usually we are in the car during that time so he either sleeps or doesn't

[sweeetp812]

Feb 4, 2015 10:03:42 GMT -5 prairiegirl said:

We get 3 solid naps a day and in bed by 8. We're JUST starting to get to 2 hours between naps. Morning is 1.5 hours and the naps after that are every 2 hours and then it's about 2.5 between his last nap and bed. From what I've read they'll start taking shorter and shorter last naps until it drops and they won't go down at all...

This is pretty much what our schedule is like

[annapunkalunka]

My LO pretty much sleeps every 2 hours for various lengths of time which typically gives us 3 naps a day. This weekend she was being a stubborn thing and wouldn't take the 3rd nap no matter how hard I tried. Then she got over tired and fussy. But then again she's always over tired and fussy because she doesn't sleep at night... So I am no help to you. I'm just following her cues.

[lunarmodule626]

Feb 4, 2015 10:10:17 GMT -5 annapunkalunka said:

My LO pretty much sleeps every 2 hours for various lengths of time which typically gives us 3 naps a day. This weekend she was being a stubborn thing and wouldn't take the 3rd nap no matter how hard I tried. Then she got over tired and fussy. But then again she's always over tired and fussy because she doesn't sleep at night... So I am no help to you. I'm just following her cues.

Yes. This. Some days they're all 30 minutes, other days one will be an hour, other days she'll take one two hour and nothing else. It's a crapshoot.

[lauraborealis]

My LO is also pushing back morning nap, to somewhere around 10:30 or so. If that nap is decent, she will only take 2 naps a day. So, typically it is something like away for 3 hours, nap for 1.5 hours, awake for 2 hours, nap for 1 hour, and up until bedtime. I would say we have more 2-nap days than 3-nap days.

[bobloblaw]

LO takes 1-2 naps at DC and on weekends. Usually it's one around mid-day and one later in the afternoon. One is longer, one is shorter. Usually the mid-day is longer. He almost always falls asleep in the car ride to and from DC.

[blckroses]

DD usually takes 4 naps a day, but her naps are typically only 30 minutes long. She's typically awake for 2 hours and then naps. I just go by her cues and haven't tried to change it up too much. I would love if she went down for the night at 8pm instead of 6pm, but she's on her own schedule.

[krisleico]

We just moved from 4 naps to 3. One morning, one afternoon and one catnap around 4:30 or 5. Usually one is longish (over an hour) and the other two are shorter (30-40 mins).

[theteno]

Our lo is transitioning too. Sometimes he takes 3 if he wakes up from his second nap before 3. I dont like letting him sleep paat 415, but if he wakess at 230 we try for a catnap ending at 5 the latest. 7 bedtime. If he sleeps later than 3pm then bedtime is 630, really. Weve done earlier, but then he eats so early he wakes too early in the morning.

[Aaemommy]

We do 2 longer naps. We got rid of the third when LO stopped falling asleep. Routine stayed the same but he just stopped going to sleep. He goes to bed earlier now though. He is usually in bed 6-6:30.

[HazyGrey]

Feb 4, 2015 10:03:42 GMT -5 prairiegirl said:

We get 3 solid naps a day and in bed by 8. We're JUST starting to get to 2 hours between naps. Morning is 1.5 hours and the naps after that are every 2 hours and then it's about 2.5 between his last nap and bed. From what I've read they'll start taking shorter and shorter last naps until it drops and they won't go down at all...

This. For all of you with cat nappers, hang in there! A few weeks ago my LO started taking long naps! I didn't do anything I think it was just up to her and her age.,

[sosayweall]

Feb 4, 2015 8:11:31 GMT -5 acorn99 said:

I wish I could help. We are still normally getting 4 30 minute naps. When he wakes up really early, he can usually squeeze in a fifth. Sigh.

Twinsies! I can't imagine DS taking 2 naps because they only last 20-40 minutes.