Transitioning from 2 naps to 1

The 2 to 1 nap transition can be one of the more-tricky ones because there is a huge age range when it can happen. Your baby can be as young as 12 months old and as old as 18 months old when they’re ready to make this switch.

What are some signs we’re looking for?

The first sign is that generally they are happy to go to sleep for their first nap of the day (typically around 10am) and then they struggle with their second nap. Maybe they’re lying awake for the entirety of the nap, or maybe they fall asleep right as you’re about to wake them up. It is really normal for your child to take anywhere from 2-20 minutes to fall asleep, but any longer is generally a sign that the wake windows are off.

If your child DOES end up sleeping for the last 15 minutes of their second nap, then sometimes it can really prolong bedtime – sometimes even up to over an hour of them hanging around in their crib. The first thing we want to check, is to make sure that their awake windows are appropriate. We don’t want to make this big nap transition if we misread the signs, since that will be so confusing for your baby.

Once we make this transition, it is really confusing and hard for your child to revert back to a 2-nap schedule. Sometimes daycare forces your child to be on a 1 nap schedule and that’s actually fine. Even in they are transitioning your baby to this schedule sooner than you’d expect, that’s okay.

One last sign to watch for, is very early morning wake ups (4-5am). 6am is when morning “really starts”, and that is when we are okay with getting out of bed. If your child starts waking super, super early, and they are still on the 2-nap schedule, it could be a sign to drop down to 1 nap.

So – how do we do it?

My favourite way is to jump all in. Every sleep consultant will have their own preferred method of doing nap transitions, but I find adopting the new nap time right off the hop to be the most effective. On the first day that you are committing, I would like you to keep your child up until around 11:30am. Put them down for their nap, and then wake them up if they are sleeping longer than 2.5-3 hours. If you feel like jumping right in will be way too shocking for your child, then you can slowly transition your child with increments. I don’t love this method because I find it prolongs the transition, but it does still work. You would move their regular nap time back by 30 minutes for a couple of days, and then another 30 minutes, until you reach the desired nap time. You might need to offer a cat nap in the later afternoon to hold them over until bedtime.

With either method, one important part is to make sure you’re offering your child a full lunch before they go down for their nap. If your child is napping at 11:30am, make sure to finish lunch just after 11:00am. Our bodies heat up when digesting food, and in order for a good sleep to happen, our bodies need to cool down. It also gives time for your child to have a bowel movement if necessary.

Some good lunch time foods can include:

-       Oatmeal

-       Protein

-       Cheese

-       Apples

-       Rice

-       Multigrain toast with nut butter

How LONG does this transition take?

Sometimes it can take up to 6 weeks.

If your child is struggling with having a longer nap, then you might find it beneficial to offer an earlier bedtime. You can move up their bedtime by 30-60 minutes. If this becomes a regular habit, then their morning time can be affected. The most ideal 1 nap schedule is:

7:00am – Wakeup

12:00pm-2:00pm – Nap

6:30pm – Bedtime Routine

7:00pm – Into the crib awake

I hope you found this information helpful! If you have any questions about the 1 nap transition, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email.