When should a child go from two naps a day to one? I have a fifteen month old daughter, and she is really starting to fight her second nap. I have heard and read that 18 mos is when they start napping less. Any thoughts?
Well, we are officially down to one nap. So far, so good. Thanks for the advice, everyone!
well i have an 18 month old and he stopped napping more than once a day when he was like 16 months and its actually better. He is in a better mood and a bedtime routine is much easier to establish.
My 16 month old just switched to one nap also. We were enjoying the two a day, but now we have more time to play in the morning. Some kids transfer to one nap easily. ours has been a little rough at times cuz she doesn't quite make it to bedtime if she takes her nap too early. But I always play by her signs. Nap time is when she starts to get cranky, or naughty (that is her signal to me that she is tired) and she goes right down without a fight. Sometimes it is 10am, sometimes noon. She rarely makes it to 1pm. It all depends on her. She is a very happy baby. The hard part is that sometimes their little bodies want to go to sleep again around dinner time and then they have a hard time at bedtime. If my daughter falls asleep this early (usually in the car) I let her sleep for about half an hour then wake her up so that she goes down at bedtime. It is not every day, but sometimes she wears herself out! Good luck!
I agree that children tell you what they need. If your daughter is fighting her 2nd nap, it's probably time for her to go down to one nap. Both my kids took really short naps (avg 1 hr). My daughter started napping longer after she turned 2 & now at 4, we had to start letting her "rest" (100% of the time she falls asleep) cuz she was fighting her naps. So, at least for me, naps are continually changing. They say kids need about 12-14 hrs of sleep in a 24 hr period. My kids sleep long at night rather than naps. Hope that helps.
I haven't heard of a child that age napping 2 times a day. Wow. I have 4 kids and they were younger than 15 months when they only needed one nap per day. One nap a day should be fine for your daughter. Also, when it comes to children, there is no set "book" that describes all children. Be open to the idea that your child could be different than those other children that nap two times a day.
M.
I would say she's ready then. It really depends on the child, my son stopped napping 2x day at about 15 or 16 mos but my dh stopped way sooner, take your cues from her!!
I had children who were great nappers...but not in a two segment time. I think that if you can get them to nap once, you got a million.
I also have heard from friends that they were unfortnate that there children didn't nap at all...but they went to bed sooner.
I hope I help with her question and not confuse you.
My 9 month old just went to 1 nap about 3 weeks ago. For my schedule it worked better for her to take one in the afternoon as opposed to the morning. If she seems like she is over it then I would take her lead and let one nap go. She will probably end up sleeping longer for that one than she does with both.
I have three kids all are out of the naping stage. I am a true beliver that kids tell you what they are needing and not needing if you just listen to their suttle hits, behavior,body language etc. Try the one nap a day it may pan out to be a heven sent when they switch they usually take longer naps and you can get more done or have some down time just for you! I always felt that If I did a small bedtime ritual ( Glass of milk,and a book) just before bed or nap time it seemed to let their courious brain wind down, one of my children always loved soft music...
It really depends on the child. My 13-month old is still taking two naps a day, and I know my niece took two naps a day until she was almost 19 months old. Some kids need the extra sleep during the day, while others can manage with just one nap. Follow your daughter's lead - she'll tell you what she needs.
My kids went to one long nap around that time. I would give them lunch and then put them down. They usually slept for 2-3 hours every afternoon until they were four. Boy was I lucky and thankful for kids who needed a long nap. Now they are 13 & 16. I wonder where those years went.
I do not think there is any set time when a kid should make a transition. I would just follow her lead. It sounds to me like you should just try doing one nap and see how it goes. Maybe push the first nap back a little bit as well. My first son took two naps until about a year and my second went to one nap at 5 months. Every baby is different!
