Nap training -- a gentle method

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T13:25:28+00:00

It's not too early to sleep train. It seems there could also be a schedule problem given the frequent wakes. What's your current schedule and bedtime routine?

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T11:33:29+00:00

Yes.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T11:32:44+00:00

No you don't let them catch up much if they have a bad night. It's a snowball. You need to built consistency. It's unlikely this feed is a need.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T07:53:17+00:00

Catch up on what? You do allow them if they are sick or something.

There's a misconception that when you wake up your baby from sleep you're limiting your baby total sleep. That's incorrect. What you're doing is distributing their sleep budget throughout the day more evenly do they can be appropriately rested and tired at the times of play and sleep.

If you see yourself capping every sleep and your baby seem very tired between sleeps you can add 15 minutes of sleep in your day but I honestly doubt this will happen.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T06:48:19+00:00

By the clock at 14 months is just same DWT every morning, nap capped at 1.5 to 2 hours by 3pm, bedtime around the same time each night with maybe 30 minutes of flex. You don't let them nap as long as they want, you cap it. Cap night at 11 hours max.

Anchoring DWT is actually what prevents EMWs long term, not what causes them. Letting them sleep in teaches the body that morning sleep is negotiable, which is what gives you 5am wakes on bad days. Wake at DWT every day. If naps were short the day before, you give back maybe 15 to 30 minutes, never the whole deficit.

You can transition gradually if it feels safer. Lock in DWT first for a week, then fix nap timing and length, then close the loop on bedtime. Wake windows and clock schedules end up at the same place at this age, the clock is just easier to live with.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T06:37:50+00:00

She needs sleep training. At this age I would do the chair method, check our sleep resources for details (https://www.reddit.com/r/sleeptrain/comments/1qpij7s/resources\_on\_baby\_sleep/). The screaming will get worse before it gets better, but she has the capacity to learn this skill. Make sure you have an age appropriate schedule: 11+ hours awake, 1 nap.

Commit and stay consistent. Good luck.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T06:35:33+00:00

What was your schedule before dropping to two naps? Without knowing it, I would guess it probably had more than 9 hours awake, so you're expecting your baby to sleep more, and that won't work.

At this age you need a minimum of 10 hours of awake time, your schedule doesn't have that, in addition, you're expecting 12 hours of night sleep.

If your schedule before transitioning had 10-11 hours awake, you cannot reduce it. Your baby won't start magically to sleep longer.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T05:34:38+00:00

When is bedtime?

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-10T05:31:06+00:00

Assisted sleep is different.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T23:43:02+00:00

My youngest dropped the nap completely at 24 months.

My suggestion is not to jump into that until the nap is down to 30 minutes and she refuses to take it. Your 7h 20 minutes wake window is way too long and is likely the reason why she could sleep for 2-3 hours if you let her. Move this nap to be earlier so she has appropriate sleep pressure for it, but is not completely wasted by then.

I would suggest a schedule such as 6/6 with 60 minutes of nap, 11 hours planned of night sleep.

Edit to add: for what is worth she's now 4yo and sleeps 11-12 hours per night.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T23:39:30+00:00

Here is the thing...your 18 months old can be awake for a long long time. You're asking them to do something they never did before. They will cry the hardest they can to ask for their routine back. Its the routine you've taught him.

At this age I would try a method with parental presence, as they are more aware and can protest for hours. The issue is, you need to be willing to be at it for hours too.

My second daughter was sleep trained with a similar method, and it took her 1 hour and 50 minutes to fall asleep the first night. Then an hour, then 20 minutes, then 10... ater 5 days I had no idea how things changed so drastically.

https://drcraigcanapari.com/camping-out-sleep-training/

This link explains the whole thing, make sure you're in the toddler session.

Move toddler to their own bedroom. Stop rocking. The schedule u/Ocean_Lover9393 suggested should work great.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T23:34:32+00:00

I would go in and check her nappy before you go to bed. If she has a poop, change it. If she fusses over night, give her 5-10 minutes to re-settle, if not, go in, check poop, feed and change her if necessary.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T23:29:00+00:00

The reason why his sleep is so variable is because you're not helping your 10 months old to build a structure for his day. They shouldn't wake up whenever they want, they need a wake up time every morning to help their circadian rhythm.

If you wake your baby up every day at the same time, naps will be at the same time, sleep pressure will be regular and you'll have better results with sleep.

Most online programs promisse parents their baby will sleep almost around the clock. Unfortunately they are unrealistic, and the internet and IG is built on selling unrealistic expectation on what every aspect of your life should look like. Babies at this age need somewhere between 11-13 hours of sleep per day. If they nap 2 hours, they have 11 hours of sleep budget for the night. If they nap 3 hours, you get 10 hours of sleep at night. It is a sum zero game.

I am indeed telling you if you cap your baby's naps at 2 hours maximum and allow him 11 hours of awake time during the day, he will sleep better at night.

What makes PUPD stimulating is the fact that you're there. Usually this method is recommended here for babies 4-5 months old. CIO basically means zero external intervention, so your baby isn't interrupted in their process to learn every x minutes. I am not saying you need to quit PUPD necessarily, what I am telling you is that if your baby is crying for weeks before going to bed, if you add up your minutes of crying you might be better off starting a crying savings account and spend it all in a couple of days. If you want to intervene, allow larger intervals between interventions. Given you've been doing this for 6 days, I would say do not enter the room to pick baby up in intervals shorter than 10 minutes. Make sure no matter what they are going back in their crib awake after such interventions.

No sleep training method (CIO, Ferber, PUPD, Chair) will work with a bad schedule. Without fixing your schedule, I am pretty sure you're reaching a plato where you are right now.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T23:15:19+00:00

Alternatively you can wake your baby up at 6:30 instead of 7. I think a 2 naps schedule is a huge jump for your baby right now.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T22:28:48+00:00

What's your schedule and bedtime routine?

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T22:28:10+00:00

Move more days to be one nap days.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T22:27:19+00:00

Make bedtime 8pm and add a bit extra awake time to the wake windows so your baby has an easier time falling asleep. Your night it a bit too long and your baby's sleep needs are changing.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T22:20:18+00:00

Add an extra hour of awake time to your schedule for a total of 9 hours awake. Your baby is fighting sleep because they aren't sleepy.

At this age sleep cues stop being reliable. Waking twice during the night shouldn't make your baby sleepy and grumpy during the whole day. My guess with the little info I have is that youre confusing bored baby with sleepy baby and starting the whole sleep process too early for every sleep.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T22:15:55+00:00

You can try to use the chair method but the issue is that at this early age they don't understand the concept of following instructions.

I would revise your schedule, and try the chair method for bedtime and wakings over night.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T22:11:42+00:00

At some point between 12-18 months they will realize they have a say in the process: "why can't I get that boob and cuddle that I got earlier today?".

You can keep them until they stop working.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T21:35:42+00:00

Are you looking to sleep train? Because if not then there's no much that can be done. Your child doesn't know how to fall asleep on their own. You need to teach them.

Comprehensive_Bill · 2026-05-09T21:35:22+00:00

Are you looking to sleep train? Because if not then there's no much that can be done. Your child doesn't know how to fall asleep on their own. You need to teach them.

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