10/20/2026
Dropping the nap isn’t random. And it’s not something we should decide based solely on a birthday. 👀
I was reminded of this research while at the NIH last week, and it is such a fascinating way to think about nap transitions.
A 2022 paper by Rebecca Spencer and Tracy Riggins proposes that as a child’s brain, and specifically the hippocampal-dependent memory network, matures, their brain becomes more efficient at storing information. That may reduce the buildup of sleep pressure that previously made a daytime nap necessary.
In other words: the transition out of naps may be connected to what’s happening INSIDE the developing brain.
And this is one reason I don’t love advice like, “Your child is 3, so it’s time to drop the nap.”
There is a LOT of individual variation. Some children transition earlier, some later, and the transition itself can take months rather than happening overnight.
So if you’re wondering, “Is my child actually ready to drop the nap, or are we just having a rough nap phase?” that’s a much better question than simply asking how old they are.
Sleep transitions are developmental. They deserve more nuance than a number on the calendar.
And if you’re stuck in the messy middle where your child fights the nap, bedtime is getting later, mornings are shifting, and you have no idea whether to keep offering the nap or let it go, you don’t have to figure it out by trial and error.
👉 Book a discovery call with me. We’ll talk through what you’re seeing, whether your child is actually ready for this transition, and what a personalized plan could look like for your family.
Your child doesn’t need a generic sleep schedule. You need a plan that makes sense for YOUR child.
📚 Spencer RMC & Riggins T. Contributions of memory and brain development to the bioregulation of naps and nap transitions in early childhood. PNAS. 2022;119(44). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2123415119.
