Tips for navigating naps with school drop-offs and pick-ups
Juggling naps while managing school drop-off and pick-up can feel like a never-ending puzzle. You finally get your baby on a great nap schedule, and then—boom!—a new school year starts, and suddenly you’re forced to wake them up earlier than planned or keep them awake longer than they’d like. It’s frustrating, but the good news is that with a little flexibility and strategy, you can still support healthy sleep habits for your baby, toddler, or preschooler while managing the realities of school schedules.
In this blog, we’ll walk through practical ways to adjust naps around school runs, including solutions for different ages and tips for handling those inevitable tough days.
1. Managing naps for babies (2 naps or more) during school runs
Newborns and younger babies need a lot of sleep, and their schedules don’t always align perfectly with school drop-off and pick-up times. But with a little creativity, you can still help them get the rest they need.
Tip #1: On-the-go naps
If your baby is still young and taking multiple naps a day, they may be able to nap in the car or stroller easily during school runs. While motion sleep isn’t always as restorative as crib sleep, it can be a great option for at least one of their naps.
Use a car seat-safe nap environment – Ensure your baby is safely buckled in and remove any puffy jackets or swaddles in the car. As a reminder, sleeping in their car seat while safely installed in the car is fine but removing the car seat and placing it on the floor is not considered safe because it messes with the angle at which your baby is placed while sleeping. Never leave your baby sleeping in an unattended car or in their car seat that is placed anywhere but the installed position in the car.
Bring white noise – A portable sound machine can help drown out school traffic noise. If you don’t have a small portable machine to grab and go, you can always use your phone in a pinch by downloading a white noise app and either setting the phone close to their car seat or connecting to the car’s bluetooth and broadcasting for the whole car. But don’t forget to turn off your notifications so that it doesn’t startle your drifting baby!
Transfer if possible – Some babies transfer well from car seat to crib. If yours does, take advantage of this! If yours doesn’t, fear not. You can simply take the scenic route home and try to get them a longer nap if possible. Aim for 30 minutes minimum if your baby happens to fall asleep in the car during their nap time.
Tip #2: Manipulating nap start times
If motion naps don’t work well for your baby, consider slightly adjusting their wake windows to align naps around school runs.
If your baby usually naps at 9:00am but you have drop-off around that time, try shifting their first wake window by 15-30 minutes later so they can nap as soon as you return home. This works especially well for babies who aren’t prone to drift off in the car because they will naturally just stay awake until you get home and can put them down for naptime.
If your baby typically naps at 2:00pm but you have pick-up at 2:45pm, try capping the previous nap slightly earlier so they are tired enough to go down and nap before school pick-up. This can work well for families who only have drop off/pick up on some days of the week so you don’t have to wake your baby from a nap every single weekday.
If your baby typically sleeps past 6:00am in the morning, but you are running into issues with the timing of naps and pick up/drop off, you may decide to start waking them slightly earlier. For a baby who wakes naturally at 7:00am, it can be extremely helpful to wake them at 6:15 or 6:30am and just shift their entire schedule earlier to avoid conflicts. This will only work for some families depending on how nap times and drop off times align, but it’s worth sitting down with a pen and paper and seeing if it would help!
Tip #3: Splitting the nap
For babies who struggle to get long stretches of sleep on-the-go, you can try a "split nap" approach. If they take a short nap in the car or stroller, you can offer a second, longer nap in the crib later.
Example: If your baby sleeps for 10-15 minutes on the way home from drop-off, don’t assume the nap is over—offer another nap in their crib about an hour later.
The micro nap in the car will be just enough to wipe out some sleep pressure, so don’t expect your baby to go back down as soon as you return home. They may need about 45-60 minutes of awake time to rebuild that sleep pressure before they are ready to be put down for their actual nap in their crib.
2. Naps for toddlers (1 nap) with school schedules
Once babies transition to one nap a day (usually around 15-18 months), timing that nap around school runs can feel tricky, but it’s doable!
Tip #1: The "Car nap top-off" strategy
If your toddler falls asleep on the way home from school drop-off or pick-up but wakes up once you stop the car, don’t stress. Many toddlers can be transferred to their crib for a longer nap, or if they absolutely won’t you can always offer an early bedtime to help make up for the lost sleep.
Tip #2: Shift the nap earlier or later
For a toddler who typically naps at 12:30pm, but school pick-up is at 12:15pm, try shifting their nap to begin at 1:00pm instead. Toddlers are more adaptable than babies and can often handle slight schedule shifts. The hardest part with this one will be keeping them awake in the car. But don’t be afraid to be loud, crank the music, open the windows, etc. Also, if you’re picking up an older child from school, ask them to help you keep the toddler awake. Make a little game out of it and have fun with it.
On the flip side, for a toddler who might nap from 1:00-3:00pm but you need to pick up a sibling at 2:30pm, you can try to shift the nap earlier instead. Aim for 12:15 or 12:30pm for their nap start time. They may not be able to fall asleep until closer to 1:00pm but that extra time in the crib is still restful- even if it’s not as restorative as actual sleep.
Tip #3: Quiet time as a backup
Some days, your toddler may miss their nap entirely due to school logistics or from getting a short car cat nap in earlier. If that happens, don’t panic! Offer a "quiet time" in their crib or bed with books and soft toys to help them rest. This can still provide them with some downtime, even if they don’t sleep. Remind them that it’s okay if they can’t sleep, they still need to have a rest in their crib each day.
3. Navigating naps for preschoolers (3-5 years old) and school schedules
By preschool age, most kids are either dropping their naps or closer to dropping the nap. Even if they still need a nap, they are much better equipped to have days where they miss naps because they won’t get overtired as easily as a baby or toddler. If your preschooler still naps and you’re balancing school schedules, here’s how to make it work:
Tip #1: Weekend naps to catch up
If naps during the week are inconsistent due to school pick-up times, it’s okay to offer a longer nap on the weekend to help them recharge. Try not to stress about them napping “too long” on the weekend if they are making up for missed naps throughout the week- assuming that bedtime isn’t becoming a battle!
Tip #2: Earlier bedtime on no-nap days
If your preschooler skips a nap due to school, an earlier bedtime (by 30-60 minutes) can help prevent overtiredness. Lean into the early bedtimes. If there is no nap, a good general rule of thumb is to allow them for roughly 11-12 hours of overnight sleep. So count backwards from their typical “out of room” time in the morning to determine how early to put them down.
Tip #3: Encourage rest even without sleep
If your preschooler no longer naps but seems overtired, encourage "quiet time" instead—dim the lights, offer a cozy space, and allow them to relax without pressure to sleep. If a typical time for “quiet time” isn’t doable due to pick up/drop off, it’s okay! You can place that quiet time at any point during the day that works for the family schedule. Read more about quiet times here.
4. Handling the tough days (because they will happen!)
Even with the best plans in place, there will be days when naps don’t go as expected. And that’s okay! Here’s how to handle those off days:
Give yourself grace – Some days will feel chaotic, and that doesn’t mean you’re failing. Juggling multiple kids and multiple schedules is HARD. No one expects you to do it perfectly and your child will be fine with some off nap days. Leave the guilt and sense of failure behind.
Make up for lost sleep with an earlier bedtime – If naps were cut short, move bedtime up by 30 minutes. Early bedtimes are the secret weapon here. Not only are they good for your child who has had messed up naps, but it’s good for you too! Look at it as a positive- you’re down time for the night just got moved up. Woohoo!
Don’t stress about one bad nap day – Babies and toddlers are resilient, and tomorrow is always a fresh start!
Final thoughts
Balancing naps with school drop-offs and pick-ups can feel overwhelming, but with a little flexibility and patience, you can make it work. Whether it’s manipulating nap start times, embracing on-the-go naps, or simply accepting that some days won’t go as planned, the key is to do what works best for your family.
And most importantly—if today didn’t go smoothly, tomorrow is a new day! You’ve got this.
Are you feeling like your current sleep issues go much deeper than just nap schedules? Schedule a free call with me and we can create a plan to help the whole family get the rest they need!
