The 2-1 Nap Transition

 Is your little one taking one nap a day 3-4 times a week? Has that been the case for the past 2 weeks? If so, it might be time to switch from 2 daytime naps to one.

Some other signs to notice are:

- Morning nap is fine, but afternoon nap takes your baby a long time to fall asleep for (20+ minutes). 
- If they DO take the afternoon nap, then bedtime becomes seriously delayed
- Your baby is 12+ months (transition commonly happens around 14 months)
- Instead of napping, your baby may completely protest their second nap

What transitioning to 1 nap means....

This is going to be a wonderful stretch for you and your little one, because they’re about to start taking a 2-2.5 hour nap right in the middle of the afternoon. Yay! They’ll be thoroughly rested from the time they get up until they go to bed, and you’ll have a big chunk of time for yourself! Get some work done, call a friend, or take a nap of your own.

It’s not going to happen overnight, but here are some tips to help you recognize when your child is ready to make the switch, and how to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible.

**Full adjustment may take between 4-6 weeks.

• Delay morning nap by 30 minutes every 3 days, up to about 12:00pm. We are ideally aiming for 5 hours of awake time before AND after the nap.
  Example schedule WHILE transitioning:
  7am wakeup
  11:30-2pm nap
  7pm bedtime
  Example schedule ONCE transitioned (after 4-6 weeks):
  7am wakeup
  12-2pm nap
  7pm bedtime

• Baby is going to seem tired at their usual nap-time, but once you’ve made the decision, stick to it.

• Offer a snack with some natural sugar in the mornings when nap time typically occurs, and avoid car and stroller rides, or anything else that typically puts baby to sleep.

• Take baby out of the house – hit up a local playground, pool, or indoor activity centre around the time the first nap would normally occur. This will help keep your child stimulated enough until nap time.

• If your child is getting tired in the afternoon, a quick catnap in the car or stroller is okay.

• You may need to move bedtime up slightly during the transition – as early as 1 hour before their typical bedtime.

• Have patience! This is a huge transition for them. Some babies are quick to transition and some take more time. The more patient you are in the process, the better the results will be.