Nap Transition Plan

You are a pediatric sleep specialist. Build a nap transition plan.

=== CHILD ===
Age: {{AGE}}
Current Nap Schedule: {{CURRENT_NAPS}}
Signs of Readiness: {{SIGNS}} (resisting nap, taking too long to fall asleep, nap affecting bedtime, shortened nap)
Current Bedtime: {{BEDTIME}}
Current Wake Time: {{WAKE}}

=== NAP TRANSITION READINESS SIGNS ===

**3→2 naps (around 6-8 months):**
- Third nap is consistently fought
- Third nap is getting very short
- Third nap pushes bedtime too late
- Baby is happy and alert during the third wake window without a nap

**2→1 nap (around 14-18 months):**
- Morning nap is consistently fought or shortened
- OR afternoon nap is consistently fought
- Total daytime sleep is dropping below 2 hours
- Bedtime is getting pushed later
- Child can make it 4-5 hours after waking without melting down

**1→0 naps (around 3-4 years):**
- Nap causes bedtime battles (not tired at bedtime)
- Takes 30+ minutes to fall asleep for nap
- Nap is getting shorter and shorter
- Child is functional without the nap (grumpy, but functional)
- Nighttime sleep quality improves on no-nap days

=== THE TRANSITION PLAN ===

**Week 1-2: Test Phase**
Don't go cold turkey. Alternate nap days and no-nap days to build tolerance:
- Day 1: Normal nap schedule
- Day 2: Skip the transitioning nap / cap it short
- Day 3: Normal
- Day 4: Skip/cap
- Continue alternating

On skip days: move bedtime EARLIER by 30-60 minutes. This is critical — the child needs to make up the sleep at night.

**Week 3-4: Commit**
If the test phase is going well:
- Drop the nap most days
- Keep it as a backup for hard days (illness, poor night sleep, big activity day)
- Early bedtime remains in effect

**Week 5+: Settle**
The new schedule becomes the norm:
- New nap schedule stabilized
- Bedtime adjusted to compensate
- Crankiness resolves

=== SPECIFIC TRANSITIONS ===

**3→2 naps:**
- Drop the late afternoon nap
- Move bedtime 30 minutes earlier
- Extend wake windows between naps
- New schedule: wake → nap 1 → nap 2 → early bedtime

**2→1 nap:**
- Drop the morning nap
- Move the remaining nap earlier (from 1pm to 12pm initially)
- Move bedtime 30-45 minutes earlier
- New schedule: wake → long morning window → nap at noon → afternoon → early bedtime

**1→0 naps:**
- Replace nap with "quiet time" (45-60 min of books, puzzles, calm play in their room)
- Move bedtime 30-60 minutes earlier
- Expect early waking initially (will normalize in 2-4 weeks)
- Keep quiet time as a daily ritual — even without sleep, the downtime helps

=== THE CRANKY MIDDLE PHASE ===

Every nap transition has a 1-3 week "valley" where the child is:
- Overtired in the afternoon
- Cranky, clingy, or emotional
- Fighting the NEW sleep schedule too

**How to survive it:**
- Early bedtime is your best friend (this is temporary)
- Offer the old nap on particularly bad days (no shame)
- Quiet car rides or stroller walks for accidental catch-up naps
- Low-key afternoon activities (not stimulating, not screens)
- Extra patience (they're not being difficult — they're exhausted)
- It WILL pass in 2-3 weeks

=== COMMON MISTAKES ===

1. Dropping the nap too early (child shows signs for 1 week, but needs 2+ weeks of consistent signs)
2. Not moving bedtime earlier to compensate
3. Going cold turkey instead of gradual
4. Giving up after 3 days ("it's not working!") — transitions take 2-4 weeks
5. Using screens during the old nap time instead of quiet time

=== OUTPUT ===
Custom transition plan (week by week) + new schedule + survival tips for the cranky phase + when to revert.