Your little one has just eaten their lunch, and you’re looking forward to a little quiet time as they take their afternoon nap. But when you suggest that they hop into bed and settle down while you read them a story, they refuse and exclaim that they aren’t tired! You let them stay up a while, hoping to avoid any arguments, but an hour later, they still don’t want to settle down. Come the evening, they’re moody and irritable but still not very sleepy, and then in the morning, they’re groggy and unhappy. What’s going on with their sleep schedule? Do they no longer need their afternoon nap? Won’t they be too tired without it?

Naps are vital for growing babies and toddlers, but there’s a lot of discussion about when to schedule naps and how long they should last, and if your child’s napping needs are changing, it can be difficult to know what to do.

So, we’ve put together everything you need to know about daytime naps for toddlers, starting with their nap needs.

What are the nap needs of toddlers?

Sleep schedules for babies can be erratic and hard to predict, but come six months, most will nap once in the morning (around 9:30) for an hour or so and once in the afternoon for 1 or 2 hours. Once they’ve reached the age of 12 months, your child will typically drop the early morning nap and only nap for a couple of hours after lunch, while toddlers approaching 3 years will likely give up napping altogether.

Now, some toddlers will require a little more sleep than others, and some need a little less. So if your little one doesn’t quite meet these needs, there’s nothing to worry about!

Before we explore nap planning, let’s quickly remind ourselves why naps are so important at this age.

Why are naps so important for toddlers?

As our kids grow and develop, their bodies and brains work extra hard to keep up. When they take a break from running around and finally have a nap, their bodies and minds are given time to rest and recharge, which lets them keep on playing and learning each and every day. Children also experience natural lulls in energy come midday, which will affect their overall mood, so a nap will help to stabilise energy levels and get them right back on track. Also, it’s harder for children to fall asleep at bedtime if they’re overtired, so napping can actually improve their nighttime sleep.

Finally, when they're napping, you get a little time to yourself. After all, we all need some quiet time.

So, with all of this in mind, let’s find out how you can help your toddler nap and also transition through the nap stages.

How can I plan naps for my toddler?

Find out what your child needs, and be consistent. Based on our previous advice and your own experience with your child, consider what their nap needs are, and if they’re working, stick to them! Most toddlers will need between 1 and 2 naps, one in the morning and one after lunch, both lasting around 1 to 2 hours.

Stick to calm activities before napping. Read them a story or put some calming music on before a nap. Avoid screens and any games that they’d hesitate to put down.

Make sure the nap space is quiet, dark, and free of distractions. It’s very important that the nap environment encourages sleep, so it must be dark to release melatonin and quiet so as not to wake them. If you’re living in a noisy area, consider a white noise machine.

How do I help my toddler through nap transitions?

Transitioning from 2 naps to 1. When transitioning to one nap, afternoon naps should eventually take precedence. If your toddler suddenly sleeps less in the afternoon or struggles to fall asleep, it’s likely time to limit the morning nap. Begin by waking them 15 minutes earlier from their morning nap and see if this results in a deeper nap in the afternoon. If not, wake them after an hour or even after just 45 minutes, and eventually you’ll find a balance that lets them sleep longer and deeper in the afternoons. If this works for a while, stick to it, creating a new nap routine.

However, if you’d like to do away with the morning nap, try to keep your little one distracted in the mornings and up until lunch so that they stay awake for longer. During this transition, allow them to nap if they really need to, but only for a maximum of 10–15 minutes so they still have some sleep pressure for their nap after lunch. Also, try not to let this be later than about 10.30 or 11 a.m., as otherwise it will interfere too much with mealtimes, their next nap, and bedtime. To compensate, it will prove helpful to have them go to bed a little earlier at night.

After a few weeks, they’ll soon need no morning nap at all.

Transitioning from 1 nap to 0 naps. Between the ages of 2 and 3, your toddler will reach the point where they don’t need a daytime nap at all. The usual indications for this include:

They suddenly protest at being put down for a nap.

They go to bed but don’t fall asleep.

They refuse to go to bed at night.

They suddenly wake up during the night for seemingly no good reason.

Their sleep schedule becomes erratic and hard to predict.

They are waking up earlier in the morning.

They stay up later in the evenings and struggle to fall asleep at night.

When the time comes, the transition will be a lot smoother if you schedule some quiet time around the time of the afternoon nap.

Scheduling quiet time to replace the afternoon nap Decide on how long quiet time will last, somewhere between 30 and 90 minutes, and make sure to be consistent. Choose a calm and cosy setting—perhaps their bedroom or a little den area in the living room—free of screens and exciting toys. Put together a selection of books, jigsaws, colouring utensils, and paper, and encourage them to keep busy with their chosen activity during quiet time. Your child will find it very helpful if you outline the rules and length of quiet time. They may even enjoy having a timer go off once it’s time to come out.

How should I plan daytime naps?

On Unii’s Toddler Sleep Journey, we ask how to plan daytime naps.