The Two to one nap transition

Let’s talk about the two to one nap transition. Are you stumped by your child’s naps, endlessly trying to figure out how to navigate through the nitty gritties of when to drop a nap, if your baby is ready to drop a nap, how to do it, etc…sometimes the nap transition can happen really slowly over time and sometimes it happens overnight, it depends on your baby and how sensitive they are in terms of sleep.

When do babies drop to one nap?

While the average age to drop to one nap is 14 months old, it can typically occur between 12-18 months and like anything baby-related, there is a wide range for this. Some babies fall on the longer end of the sleep needs chart than others, which means they will likely keep that second nap for a little longer, while other babies fall on the lower end of that chart and will drop the nap earlier. Today’s post will help you identify if your baby is ready to transition from 2 naps to one, so let’s get right into it.

Here’s what to look for.

1. Baby is taking frequent and or short cat naps throughout the day.

2. Baby is consistently resisting the second nap. They are either crying, rolling around or playing.

3. They’re consistently not falling asleep at bedtime.

4. Their nighttime sleep slowly begins decreasing below ten hours.

5. They may experience more frequent night wakings or early-morning-wakings if they are taking too many naps. 

Here’s how to help your baby seamlessly transition out of a nap.

1. Provide an earlier bedtime to prevent overtiredness.
   
   A bedtime as early as 6:00 p.m. is normal and totally acceptable during this time. Don’t worry, though, this bedtime isn’t permanent, but is often necessary for babies who either take very short naps or who are in the process of dropping a nap.

2. Push the morning nap closer to noon.
   
   Do this slowly over a period of a few weeks if you have a sensitive sleeper. Sometimes your baby will start showing signs that she is ready to drop down to one nap, but this doesn’t mean you should drop it cold turkey. Take it slow and push that morning nap in slow increments, say 15-30 minutes at a time for the fist week or so.

3. Provide quiet time in the afternoon to bridge the gap from the last nap until bedtime.
   
   Although they may not actually sleep during this time, this quiet time helps to provide a restful period and environment to help shut out all of that stimulation happening in your baby’s life. It’s a way to help baby recharge peacefully so he can make it more happily and easily to bedtime.

4. Your baby may need an occasional second nap while his body is adjusting to this new schedule with only one nap.
   
   It’s ok if this happens; it’s all part of the process and that second nap will happen less frequently over time. Some babies will continue taking an occasional second nap until their bodies are totally adjusted to a one nap schedule. Other babies will drop that nap a bit more dramatically without any sign or warning. If this is the case, just go with it and if they are happy, functioning properly throughout the day and able to make it to bedtime with ease, then you know they are to drop that nap.

5. Be patient!
   
   This can be a tough transition for many babies but they will get there! Follow these tips to help get your little one through the transition. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for babies to adjust to this schedule.

What age did your baby drop their second nap?

If you have questions about your child’s naps, feel free to send me a message or book a free discovery call so that I can answer all of your questions.