Anyone know how you actually drop a nap?

Could it be related to teething or a regression?

can’t see any teethies and once he’s on me he’s perfectly fine. He isn’t in hysterics, he just wakes up and calls out. He’s always had a good few false starts since the regression but it’s been fine but the past week have been ramped up like crazzzyyyyy

I feel your pain, I had a good sleeper until teething kicked in and also a short napper… but would nap longer if out on a walk in the pram

You were the beacon of sleep in the early days 😭😭😭 really feel for you that’s so much waking up.
This is unhelpful but my LO sort of made the transition on his own so maybe yours will too in the coming days? I guess though I helped him by stretching wake windows gradually over a week ish so he went from 1hr 30 to 2+ hrs and then only had time for three naps. I also stopped letting him start the day before 7.15 (even if some days he’ll only sleep on me after 6am) so his first nap is consistently later. Before sometimes it would be at like 8.30 which I don’t think helped. Also my LO has about between 3.5 and 4 hours of naps a day. I think he wakes more initially in the night if he’s had a lot less. If 2 naps have been shorter(coz it’s pram or car) I’ll make sure he has a much longer contact nap to catch up (was 2hr 45 today as he was catching up 🙈). Hope it gets better soon!

Extending wake windows means your baby will be tired enough to connect their sleep cycles. I’d start with the first one of the day, since that nap extends first. Once the naps extend, you will drop a nap because there isn’t enough time in the day 😇

A good place to start for nap 1 is 2 hours and 15 minutes from waking up.

As to sleep training, I know you didn’t want any comments on it but: sleep training doesn’t necessarily mean crying; that’s just one or two methods.

Part of my LO’s ‘sleep training’ was wake window tweaks. I tracked it in a spreadsheet for two weeks, tweaking the windows with my sleep consultant until we got it right.

I just went cold turkey 3 days ago. We‘ve been having horrid nights for weeks on end and we ended up stretching each of his wake times a bit and skipped the last nap. Thought it Couldnt get worse than him waking every hr on a good night but he has decided he can do 3 hr stints again (has always woken 2-4x at night) so unsure if its coincident but it seems to be much better.

HALF AN HOUR, I’ve managed to get a wash on, wash up & im currently dancing to insomnia because we all know there is no sleep happening tonight

hahahahh oh how that crumbled hey 🤪. I do hope he drops it himself because i want to follow his lead entirely and if he’s tired then it feels mean to not let him sleep 🥲. I’m glad your little girl has dropped her naturally, I’m hoping he does but it’s hard to see the light haha. I’m going to try push him and hope for less false starts :)

what app is this?

Yeah do understand sleep pressure works hence wanting to keep him up longer. Just clearly something isn’t working from his own routine. I don’t follow online wake windows, there’s no science behind them & naturally we’re individuals.

I do appreciate your approach isn’t crying but Sleep training of any sort is not my gag. I think we’ve different approaches (and follow different people online regarding sleep) and that’s perfectly fine 😀

cold Turkey on naps?

bringing bed time any earlier isn’t feasible when I’m on my own, I’ve a dog that won’t wee in the garden to walk. He usually wants to go to bed at 6:30-ish. Last night I pushed him and it was the exact same as tonight where I took him to bed at his first cue at 6:30. Maybe we need a super rubbish pram nap (shame the weather is so poor!). Glad 3 naps is working out tonight!!

Yes I saw your comment the other day. Sorry to read of that. It’s very exhausting, I hope it passes for us both too. I wish I knew what was going on in his little brain 🥰

Try extend his first wake window. I read somewhere that’s recommended as they can associate that with bedtime still as opposed to naps? 🤷🏻‍♀️ then he can still have enough afternoon sleep to hopefully not get too overtired! You’ve got this 🙌🫶

After I saw he was struggling to fall asleep for naps I extended wake windows to no less than 2h and he’s started to drop the 4th nap. Last wake window can even push 3h. He doesn’t really show sleep cues anymore, so I only follow the timeline. It can be tricky if he wakes at 6am, but we’re slowly getting there - now one nap is sometimes even 1.5h instead of the religious 40 min he’s been giving me since 2 months old 😁

Cold turkey on dropping the last nap instead of phasing it out like some people suggest. He is now up anywhere between 2-3hrs depending on time of day (longer towards end of day) and its really helped build up more sleep pressure and reduce wakings in the early half of the night

That was my night last night! Well, two nights. Mia dropped 4th nap about 2w ago, we do 2-2.5hr wake and 30min nap. Last wake window is usually 3-3.5hrs. normally has bath, feed and bed 6.30-7, depends on last nap. She always had false start or two, but it's okay, she then would often have long stretch, feed, 2hr sleep and 4-5am comes to bed with me and sleeps till 7.30-8. so now I watch the clock for 2-2.5hrs wake and she goes down like a dream. Plus I play the same lullabies every single nap (at home or car) and bedtime, which month later I think actually works, usually asleep by 2nd/3rd song.
2d ago we had friends over and our schedule god messed up and she had 2 naps only (2hrs total) and that got her to be fully awake at 9pm. Still wasn't back in schedule yesterday and had shit night....
I read somewhere babies this age need 12-16hrs total sleep, if you're pushing 16, but your baby is closer to 12 ideally, you get false starts/wakings. For us, can't do long day naps

I’ve dropped my boy to 3 for last week n it’s worked perfectly, he was doing this too. Fighting naps and then only having 15/20 mins so I just don’t think he was tired enough.
I make his wake windows 3 hourly now xxx

Managed to stretch his awake period well. He’s had 2 naps but did wake at 10am.. it’s now 8pm, he was tired and was getting upset so done bedtime and the exact same thing is happening. There must be plenty of sleep pressure 🤷🏼‍♀️

I don’t know if I am doing nap time correct but my 6 month old has always had 3 naps a day and he’s starting to not bother much with his last one, he naps 3 hours after waking up so if he’s up at 7am he normally sleeps around 10 and if he’s up 8am he normally sleeps around 11, then his next nap is 2/3 depending on when we’ve woke up then his last one tends to be around 5pm and then his bedtime is now 8pm.

He seems content with it he seems to be in a routine with it, these times weren’t made by me just what he’s always seemed to do himself.

If he’s overly tired I will help his sleep 🥰

Thank you for your replies. Following the couple nights after my last comment, I stretched him out still and he’s now fine on three. Usually goes to bed at 6:30-ish & since we’ve been on holiday he’s had 3 false starts at the beginning. Wakes up more if he hasn’t fed before bed :)