2 To 1 Nap Transition - Is It Too Soon?

Hi D. - We did the 2 to 1 nap transition 1 week before 15 months and so far, so good. I used "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" as a guide and our son is an excellent sleeper and napper. Around 14 months, he would take a nice big morning nap but then resist the afternoon nap. By the time 4pm would roll around he would be cranky and overtired. We knew it was time.

What we did was try to 'hold off' our son to a later naptime in the morning. I thought it would be really tough but it actually has been very easy. The key for my son is switching activities every 30 minutes or so and breaking our morning routine (he was like clockwork...around 9:00am he knew it was naptime and would begin to shut down). We started by leaving the house around 9:00 - went for a walk, played in the backyard, did grocery shopping, ran errands, whatever it took to introduce something new and exciting. Unbelievably it worked! We'd do lunch around 11:00 and then put him down for his nap - in the beginning around 11:30, then slowly pushed the nap back to noon. We knew we had to do this because the two nap system was no longer working for him plus he would also be moving up to the toddler room at daycare where they only do one nap a day.

I braced myself for a rough transition and just decided that I would have to be flexible and patient while we waited it out. Much to my surprise, the change has not only been SUPER easy, but now he takes a 3 - 3 1/2 hour nap when he is with us (it's about 2 - 2 1/2 hours at daycare). Initially I was (selfishly) sad that we would be losing the morning nap, but it has opened up our schedule so much that we can actually get out of the house for longers stretches at a time and we can start doing more fun things other than hanging out in the basement all the time. This hasn't affected his night time sleep at all - he still goes to bed around 6:15 - 6:30 at night and sleeps until 6:00 - 7:00 in the morning. Now, when we first started the transition he was tired and ready for bed a little earlier (5:45 - 6:00), so we put him to bed at that same time and he STILL slept until his usual morning wake time. This results in a more rested child who is better able to handle a longer wake period in the morning.

If you don't have the book, buy or borrow it. You will find helpful tips for managing the transition even if you never want your baby to cry it out (I used it more for timing of the naps, why we might need to put him to sleep earlier, etc.). Good luck to you and feel free to PM me with questions!

My guy switched at 13 months. It isn't too early. Also don't worry about waking her. Typically they will begin to go to bed a bit later but I wouldn't wake her if can help it. Haven't you every heard to never wake a sleeping baby......especially a toddler ;)

My daughter did it on her own at 11 months. (It sounds horrible, but it was WAY better than fighting with her twice a day....) Talk to your doctor, but every kid is different. If she is settled happily into a pattern of two, then stick with it. Some kids don't switch until closer to 2.

I don't think it was too soon. My daughter (16 months) has been alternating between one and two naps per day for a few months now. Just when I think she's down to needing just one nap, she has a few days where she wants to take a morning nap again. It's definitely hard to make plans for the day! Good luck.

I think my son was about 14 mo. when he gave up his morning nap. I really let him lead on this. He went from napping about 2 hours in the morning and another hour or 2 in the afternoon to suddenly refusing to nap in the morning. I was nursing him to sleep at the time and one day, while I was trying to get him to sleep for his morning nap, he just got up and went over to his toys and started playing. I thought, oh, he'll decide he's tired in a little bit, but he didn't. We did have to transitiont an earlier afternoon nap. He started taking his nap around noon, though we have slowly been able to push it closer to one. I think every kid is different and you should follow your childs lead. He had days where he still wanted to take a morning nap, but when he did he would not take an afternoon nap till around dinner time, and if he did that he wouldn't sleep at bedtime. That of course was the other way I new that it was time. Of course now, at 16 mo., there are many days I'm doing good to get him down for 1 nap without to much of a fight.=)

I don't think you are trying this too soon. when our older son was little, he would only sleep about 45 minutes at a time! You could almost set a clock by him. when I started working part time, the sitter only had the kids take an afternoon nap. she kept the kids busy all morning with stuff, then after lunch, she layed everyone down for a nap around 1 p.m. they all slept nearly 2 hours! it worked like a charm. he would even nap like this on weekends and did so until he went to kindergarten.

D.,

I have found that trying to keep a kid on a strict schedule for sleep (naps that is) is almost counterproductive. My son is sometimes ready for a nap by 9:15, sometimes not until 11 am. I follow his lead... sometimes he needs two naps still, at almost 18 months and sometimes he's fine with one. The only time I wake him from a nap is if he takes a 2nd nap in the afternoon and is looking like he will sleep past 4:30 pm. He goes to bed between 7:15 and 7:45 for the night, and I don't want to have him not tired for that.

Some days they just need a bit more sleep than other days. If I put my son down for a morning nap and he sleeps thru his 'usual' lunch time, then obviously sleep is outweighing his need to eat... I feed him when he gets up.

So, follow her lead, she may not be ready for just one nap. :)

I'm not sure what your past request was, but my son transitioned to 1 nap at 15mo. We realized that his 2nd nap was too late & too long, and was taking away from his nighttime sleep. We never woke him, so he was going to bed too late & sleeping fewer hours at night. We transitioned him pretty easily, not sure how long it took (he's 23mo. now). I originally thought they were "supposed" to take 2 naps until 18mo., but every child is different & some can transition sooner or later.

I don't think it's too soon. If you are waking her up from her naps it just doesn't sound like she is getting the sleep she needs. I think kids need to take the lead when it comes to sleeping. The way I see it, you and I probably wouldn't like to be woken up from a nap everyday (that is, if we still got to take naps :-) Maybe you're putting her down too late. Why don't you try putting her down for her nap at 11:30 or 12. That's what we do with my 15 month old and he usually sleeps until 2:30 or 3. Good Luck.