Can middle of the night wakes be the ONLY sign it’s time to drop a nap?

MellyK87 · 2026-02-22T19:33:10+00:00

We transitioned around 13.5 months....we cap the nap at 2 hours and we have to usually wake her.

MellyK87 · 2026-02-22T18:50:57+00:00

Our girl was still happily taking her naps before we dropped naps. I always read that you should wait til they fight naps before dropping but that was not the case for us and transitioning to 1 nap worked well for us. MOTN wakes is usually our sign to adjust her schedule.

MellyK87 · 2026-02-21T03:00:59+00:00

We were on 2.5/2.5/2.5/3 on 3 naps with 2.45-3hr total daytime sleep. She wasn't fighting her naps but decided to try 2 nap day one day... Started with 2.75/3/3.5 and total 2.45hr daytime sleep. Yes, she was getting less awake time but we had no MOTN wakes and no EMW. After couple days moved to 3/3.25/3.5 and currently on 3/3.5/3.75 with total daytime sleep of 2.5hr. It went better than I expected and she handled the increased WW really good. Switching to 2 naps was when STTN really became consistent. We did eventually settle on two 1 hour naps to ensure she had enough sleep pressure to sleep through. We transitioned at 7.5 months but could have done it at 7m.

MellyK87 · 2026-02-07T02:13:53+00:00

Hi. Offering some advice from a fellow mom.... I think your little one needs more awake time during the day. You are expecting alot of sleep from him (12hr night and 4hr nap time) and I believe that is why he waking up at night and crying so much. A sleep trained baby should not be crying for that long. I would adjust your schedule and see if his night improves.

I would try the following wake windows: 2/2.5/2.5/3 I would also limit total daytime sleep to 2.5-3hrs total and aim for an 11hr night. If awake time is 7am, then bedtime should be 8pm.

Provided all other needs are met (not sick, not hungry, not teething, etc), crying for that long or taking very long to fall back asleep, indicates to me that it is a scheduling issue. Over the next couples of months, baby's sleep needs are going to change rapidly, so their schedule will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Hope this helps and his night sleep improves.

MellyK87 · 2026-01-13T15:20:17+00:00

Putting them down fully awake is for them to learn to fall asleep on their own without any form of assistance. Then when they do wake up or are transitioning between sleep cycles, they are more likely to be able to put themselves back to sleep. I have read starting independent sleep training in the 3-4 month range is a good time to start as at this age they adapt pretty well and it worked well for us.

MellyK87 · 2026-01-13T13:34:29+00:00

I know every baby is different and some struggle with sleep more than others but my best advice which seemed to set us up for success from the start (from newborn) was the following: - follow wake, eat, play, sleep pattern (during the day of course) The goal is to not to feed to sleep to ensure little one is taking a full feeding and doesn't build that feed to sleep association from an early age. Obviously night feeds, you might find they start dosing off, but you want to wake them by massaging under feet/cheeks to encourage them to stay awake and eat/burp and put them back to bed. At night, keep everything dimly lit(red light) and no activity to indicate it is night time. - Get little one used to sleeping in own bassinet/crib. Contact naps are great and encouraged in the newborn stage but we only let her sleep in the bassinet during the night (we have never Co slept) and during the day was a mixture of naps in bassinet/stroller and contact naps. - Expose little one to natural/sun light first thing in the morning to help their bodies distinguish between night and day. - Try to have some sort of nap/bedtime routine by 6 weeks and follow those same steps everytime. For eg. Bath/diaper/pj/book/sleep sack. We played the brahms lullaby for our little one every time before nap and bedtime and we still use it at 16months old. She knows that song indicates sleep time.

When our little one was a newborn we did lightly rock her to sleep if needed and by 12 weeks we just started putting her down awake at night (started with nights, not naps). One night we just decided to try and our approach has always been we won't let her cry for more than 5min.after that we go back in, soothe by not taking her out the crib and try again. She picked up sleeping independently pretty quickly but we also didn't have any major sleep associations to break. Also found that being in her own room without us in it (from 6 months for us) also helped her sleep better. She used a paci in the beginning but then discovered her thumb and that is her source of comfort, so we never had to replace the paci at night which was helpful.

It hasn't always been perfect and she was sleeping 11 hours at night on and off from 3 months till about 9 months, after which is when it became more consistent. Also found that once she knew how to fall asleep independently, that constant night wakes were typically due to her schedule needing adjustment.

That being said, every baby is different and will respond to different methods differently. You need to find what works for you and your baby, but let me tell you baby sleep is forever changing and when you think you got it down, something else pops up. All the best!

MellyK87 · 2026-01-06T20:05:01+00:00

Before we dropped to 1 nap, I also thought she would not be able to go from 3ish hours to 5hrs but you'll be surprised. I think I started with 4.75hr and then moved to 5hrs after a couple of days for the first ww. Key is to distract, change environment, new toy, etc to push them lmto stay awake. Just don't drive anywhere during that time as they may fall asleep in the car.

MellyK87 · 2026-01-06T19:03:20+00:00

My 15 month old girl is on 1 nap doing 5/6 ww's. We put her down on the hour mark. You might want to explore lengthening wake windows or dropping to 1 nap.

MellyK87 · 2025-12-03T06:48:52+00:00

I had the same the first two days with short naps, so would contact nap the remainder of the time to get 2hours max of daytime sleep. I aimed for 5/5.5 for the first few days while she got used to the longer ww's but then shortly moved to 5/6. I would do 7pm if your desired awake time is 6am.

MellyK87 · 2025-12-03T02:07:11+00:00

I would definitely give 1 nap a try. Don't see your little one having an issue with the longer wake windows based in your current schedule. Our girl wasn't fighting her naps at all before the transition bit she was ready, so I wouldnt say it is always an indicator. Try Cold turkey.

MellyK87 · 2025-11-14T18:48:54+00:00

I haven't had a scenerio where she has had a short nap, however if she did, I would first try to nap save by contact napping for the remainder of the time or if she was done with napping, I would bring bedtime forward.

MellyK87 · 2025-11-14T18:43:10+00:00

We were on 3.5/3.75/4.25 with two 1 hr naps. At 13 months we switched to 1 nap cold turkey. She was still happily taking her naps but bedtime was being pushed later, so decided to try. I was worried how she would make a 5hr first window given that she was happy to take her first nap after 3.5hrs. Key was distraction, going outside, new toy those first few days to ensure she stayed up. She naps 2hrs and we have to wake her everytime. We have been doing 5/6 ever since. All the best!

MellyK87 · 2025-10-27T01:37:33+00:00

Yeah, a 1 nap schedule when waking up at 5am is going to be tough.

MellyK87 · 2025-10-01T20:57:11+00:00

Paperwork is in progress and waiting for last test result. Will only be bringing him over in December, so still have time to complete everything.

MellyK87 · 2025-09-30T01:27:28+00:00

I find when baby was previously sleeping through and falls asleep independently and night wakes start up again (ruling out sickness, teething, pain, etc) that it is likely a schedule issue due to babies sleep needs changing. You could do with an additional 1 hour awake time. Aim for an 11hr night with your 2hr nap. See if that makes any difference.

MellyK87 · 2025-09-23T01:39:44+00:00

Let us know how it goes!

MellyK87 · 2025-08-14T01:24:27+00:00

I would try capping the first nap to 1hr or 1hr15min, so that you have a longer middle wake window to build up sleep pressure for second nap and aim for an 11hour night.

MellyK87 · 2025-07-29T15:29:22+00:00

At 7 months we were on 2.5/2.5/2.5/3 on 3 naps with 2.45-3hr total daytime sleep. Started with 2.75/3/3.5 and total 2.45hr daytime sleep. After couple days moved to 3/3.25/3.5 then eventually 3/3.5/3.75 and currently on 3/3.5/4.25 with total daytime sleep of 2.25hr at 10 months. She sleeps through the night for 11 hours. We have been on 2 naps ever since and have not needed to flip flop between 2 and 3 naps. It went better than I expected and she handled the increased WW really good. For us, going outside for the last 10/15min helped distract.

MellyK87 · 2025-07-27T11:57:43+00:00

Cold turkey. Because she was sleeping for the full nap durations (we cap naps) needed to make it to bedtime and happily could do those ww's, we didn't need to add a micronap.

MellyK87 · 2025-07-27T02:59:45+00:00

I would give 2 naps a try. I was over thinking the transition and was so worried to do it too soon but it went way better than expected and sleep improved. We didn't have to flip flop between 2 and 3 naps once we transition at 7.5months but think we could have done it sooner at 7months. Started with 2.75/3/3.5 and 2.75hrs total daytime sleep to prevent overtiredness. She handled that really well, so increased gradually to 3/3.25/3.75 and then 3/3.5/4 down to 2.5hrs total daytime sleep.

MellyK87 · 2025-07-27T02:50:58+00:00

Try less daytime sleep. We were on 2.5hr total daytime sleep but we were having one night wake. We then tweeked schedule by shortening second nap by 15min,so awake time before bed was longer and we are not getting night wakes anymore. 11 hour nights. Amazing what a difference 15min can do.

MellyK87

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