So you think you're headed for a nap transition, huh? Well, before you jump in, here are three things I wish EVERY parent knew before making the move to drop a nap. Let's dive in!

As a quick aside, if you are ready for a nap transition, I highly recommend checking out my comprehensive Nap Transition Guide which walks you step by step through each of the different nap transitions your child will have.

1. Is your child the right age for a nap transition?

First things first. Is your child at the right age for a nap transition? Or are they too young to drop the nap that extra nap? If you try to transition them before they are fully ready and capable, you will end up with a tired and cranky baby who will start to sleep even worse! Transitions work best when they happen at the ideal ages.

Here are some general guidelines I like to use for seeing if baby is the right age for a nap transition:

• 4 to 3 naps should happen around 4-5 months
• 3 to 2 naps should happen around 7-9 months
• 2 to 1 naps should happen around 15-18 months
• 1 to 0 naps should happen around 3-5 years

If your child is not within a week or two of these lower end ages, then you are either jumping the gun or you're dealing with a different root cause of your sleep issues. There is no rush to drop a nap!

2. Is your child exhibiting these signs of being ready for a nap transition?

Look for these signs that your baby is needing to drop a nap:

• More frequent night wakings than usual
• Shorter naps than usual
• Early wakings than usual
• More difficulty falling asleep

These are all signs that your baby could be needing to drop a nap. However, I want you be able to see patterns with these signs rather than just having this happen a handful of times over several weeks. As a general rule of thumb, these signs should be happening about 50% of the time AND causing issues with sleep and mood, especially before you take the leap early.

I repeat- there is no rush to drop a nap!

3. Do you have a plan for handling sleep disruptions during a nap transition?

Before you even think about going through a nap transition, you need to have a plan in place. Have it in your mind, talk about it with your partner, maybe even write it down if that will help!

Your child's sleep will be disturbed during a nap transition. There is no magical way around this. So it's vital that you know how you will handle extra night wakings, short naps, overtiredness, etc. BEFORE it even happens.

If you've previously sleep trained, I recommend pulling your sleep coaching method out of your back pocket and applying it during this time. If you choose to assist your child to sleep during these extra disruptions, that is always fine. Just make sure you're honest with yourself about the habits you may be introducing. My rule of thumb is to avoid introducing habits you don't want to continue long term. Otherwise, you'll just have to make habit changes later on!

Alright, those are the top things I want you to know before you go through a nap transition!