Reply To: Bedtime taking a long time

[Emma H]

Hi Pav,

It’s so lovely to hear from you again!

I can’t believe Rohan is already going through another nap transition—time really does fly!

Based on my calculations, Rohan would be around 7 months old now.

Between 6 and 9 months, babies typically transition from three naps to two, so it’s possible that he’s ready for this change. You mentioned that you felt he was ready because he was waking up earlier in the morning. Could you let me know what time he’s waking up and if there were any other signs that made you think it was time to drop a nap?

As you mentioned, there can be an adjustment period when transitioning to fewer naps. During this time, it’s not uncommon for babies to need a third nap if the second nap was short, and then slightly adjust their bedtime to accommodate this third nap. This wouldn’t happen every day, but just on those days when they have a short second nap.

If you would like to continue trying with the 2 nap schedule, here are a few tips to help Rohan settle into this schedule:

1. Maintain a Consistent Wake-Up Time: Keeping a regular wake-up time helps regulate his internal clock.
2. Stick to Regular Nap Times: Consistency with the first and second naps encourages his body to adapt to the new schedule.
3. Allow the Second Nap to Lengthen: With a consistent routine, the second nap should gradually become longer.

If the second nap doesn’t lengthen as expected, you might consider capping the first nap to about an hour. This can help distribute his daytime sleep more evenly, allowing the second nap to become the longer one. Additionally, this adjustment ensures that the wake window between the second nap and bedtime isn’t too long.

The two-nap schedule you mentioned sounds great! One thing to keep in mind is that when transitioning to two naps, the first wake window is typically shorter, around 2 hours. You might try shifting the first nap to 9:00 AM instead of 9:30 AM. Here’s how the revised schedule could look:

• Wake Up: 6:45 AM / 7:00 AM
• First Nap: 9:00 AM
• Wake Up: 10:30 AM
• Second Nap: 1:00 PM / 1:30 PM
• Wake Up: 3:00 PM / 3:30 PM
• Bedtime: 7:00 PM

Regarding your question about Rohan waking at 4:30AM and if it counts as an early morning wake. Given that he was only awake for a few minutes and he fell back to sleep, I wouldn’t count it as an early morning wake. However, it’s still a good idea to check that his bedroom remains dark during that time, because if there is light coming in then it could encourage him to wake up earlier.

I hope that helps,

Emma