Tips for 8 month old dropping a nap?

[Anonymous]

My 8 month old appears to be dropping a nap. He just refuses to sleep at all for that third nap. My problem is days like today. He woke up super early (5:20, he usually wakes up closer to 7), and would not go back to sleep. He napped from 8:30-10 and 1-2. I put him down at 4:30 hoping he’d take a short nap, but no dice. So now, if I don’t want him to be up 5 hours and way over tired, I have to put him to bed at 6 (usual bed time is 7). This seems like it would just reinforce the early waking. But at the same time, I’m worried the 5ish wake ups are happening because he’s getting over tired.

So my question is, for anyone who helped their 8 month old drop a nap, how did you do it? What did the schedule look like? If they woke up early from nap #2, what did you do? Somehow the math just doesn’t add up for two naps. If they are only napping 2-3 hours a day, but can only be awake 2-3 hours at a time, how is it possible for them to only take 2 naps?

[Anonymous]

I’m in the same boat with my 6 month old. He took two 30 minute naps today at daycare. We’re doing what you’re doing. Super early bed so he hopefully tacks on missed day sleep to night sleep. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Either way you don’t want them getting too overtired as their wake times stretch so early wakes and 3 am parties happen. Sometimes a third nap is necessary to readjust their schedule. Then you try 2 naps again. This transition blows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in the same boat with my 6 month old. He took two 30 minute naps today at daycare. We’re doing what you’re doing. Super early bed so he hopefully tacks on missed day sleep to night sleep. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Either way you don’t want them getting too overtired as their wake times stretch so early wakes and 3 am parties happen. Sometimes a third nap is necessary to readjust their schedule. Then you try 2 naps again. This transition blows.

Lol. Thank you! It does blow. I begged him to sleep at 5 and it worked, so I guess I’m about to wake him up and see what I get!

[Anonymous]

Have you looked at Taking Cara Babies? This really helped me when we went from 3 to 2 naps:

https://takingcarababies.com/how-to-drop-a-nap-in-8-steps/

I know it seems like it’ll take forever in the moment, but it won’t be too long! Maybe took 1-2 weeks or so.

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

I have an 7 month old (4th kid). Honestly, none of my kids have had 3 naps past 5 months! So maybe I am doing something wrong, but for my kids, by 8 months sleep schedule looks like this:
6:30/7 wake
9am-10:30 Nap 1
1:30-2:30/3 Nap 2
7pm- bed
If baby is fussy s/he might just be bored? Take a walk, drive, bath, etc. change environment.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure 8 months is when they will only need 2 naps.
I adopted a 7 month old (years ago) and he was on a 2 nap a day schedule and that worked for us.

If I had known I could have gotten him to nap 3 times a day, that would have been a game changer

Good luck

[Anonymous]

I think either Ferber or Weissbluth (can't remember) would say to not do the 1st nap until at least 9 am at this point.

Also, don't stress. It will even out soon. You might wake up at 530 am a few times but it'll get back to normal soon enough, mostly on its own.