Constantly battling with naps and wondering how to transition from two naps to one? well, you’ve come to the right place for help. Naps have always been a struggle in my house and many other mothers I’ve spoken to. While attending my mother’s toddler group naps have been the hottest topic however, how to transition from two naps to one has been the most widely discussed.
Transitioning from Two Naps to One
There are many ways in which you can transition from two naps to one. In this article, we will be going through the most used method in a step-by-step guide. There are many things to take into consideration before starting the transition, all of these will be discussed in the article. However, this is a rough guide if you think your child is ready I would say go for it. Every child is different and some may be ready quicker than others.
Is your child ready?
This transition is a big step for many children! your child will be awake from 3-4hours a day to 5 1/2- 6hours a day. This may be ok for some children for example my daughter has never taken the 3rd nap and from 10 months refused her 2nd nap and stayed awake for 6 hours plus. As I realised this was too soon to transition I held off until 12 months. If you start the transition too soon you run the risk of your child becoming overtired as they can’t handle that amount of awake time. This can lead to more night wakings and even less nap time for the one nap they have.
There are many reasons why over tiredness makes your child’s sleep suffer significantly. As your child’s body is unable to cope with the excessive amount of awake time it goes into overdrive. This means your child is hit with a cortisol surge to help keep them awake making it harder for them to fall asleep. This makes it even more important to make sure your child is ready.
Signs of readyness
Below are the signs of readiness if your child is 13months or older and:
- Taking longer than 20 minutes to fall asleep at naptime.
- nap duration is less than 1.25 hours
- they’re skipping their second nap entirely
- they’re waking up before 6:00am
The above criteria show your child is showing signs they are ready to drop to one nap and are developmentally ready. The above signs should happen for a week and then you are ready to take the leap.
Signs of readiness if your child is Under 13months:
If your child is under 13 months you would use the same criteria as above however instead of wearing a week I would recommend waiting for 2-3weeks.
You may be asking yourself Why do I have to wait longer? This is because your little one may be going through a development leap such as crawling or walking.
Why waiting for development leaps count
For a child, Christmas and birthdays are the most exciting times of the year. Celebrating a new development leap is just as exciting for them. Unlike Christmas and birthdays, a development leap will last a week rather than a day. When your child is going through a development leap they feel the need to practice their new skill rather than sleep. This means that when a new big milestone approaches children to tend to ditch good sleeping habits.
The new development of walking can occur around 10-12 months. This exciting development leap can be confused with the readiness to drop a second nap or if it’s the excitement of practising a new skill.
Dropping the 2nd nap too early can lead to exhaustion when your child starts to walk meaning things a lot worse. The key is if your child is under 13 months wait 2-3 weeks to see how things plan put before proceeding any further.
Now that you’ve established your child is ready to make the change let’s see how to Transition from Two Naps to One.
Making the Transition from Two Naps to One
It’s very important to make the transition from two naps to one gradual. You don’t want to extend your little ones’ morning nap to a one nap schedule right away as this again will make your child extremely tired. This can lead to a number of night waking and early morning wakings. It can also sabotage naps altogether.
Step by Step guide to gradually transitioning to one nap
Here is a sample guide from kelly Murray sleep that will help you gradually move your baby from two naps to one.
Day 1 ➝ Move first nap later by 30 minutes (i.e. Nap 1: 10:00am ➝ 10:30am)
- Move second nap later by 30 minutes and offer it (i.e. Nap 2: 3:00pm ➝ 3:30pm)
- Offer second nap only for 15-20 minutes; if your child is protesting and you reach about the 20-minute mark, it’s okay to call off the second nap — but be sure to do step 4
- If the second nap didn’t happen, move bedtime earlier by about 60 minutes (i.e. Bedtime 8:00pm ➝ 7:00pm)
2 ➝ repeat Day 1
3 ➝ repeat Day 1
4 ➝ Move first nap later again by 30 minutes (i.e. Nap 1: 10:30 am ➝ 11:00 am)
- Keep second nap at the time it’s currently set for (i.e. Nap 2: 3:30pm stays at 3:30pm)
- Offer second nap only for 15-20 minutes; if your child is protesting and you reach about the 20 minute mark, call off the second nap — but be sure to do step 4
- If the second nap didn’t happen, move bedtime earlier by about 60 minutes (i.e. Bedtime 8:00pm ➝ 7:00pm)
5 ➝ repeat Day 4
6 ➝ repeat Day 4
7 ➝ Move first nap later again by 30 minutes (i.e. Nap 1: 11:00 am ➝ 11:30am)
- Instead of offering second nap in the crib, take your child for a 15-30 minute motion catnap; walk in the stroller, go on a car ride, or put them in the baby carrier, or baby wrap sling for a brief nap and this will help take the edge off before bedtime
- If the catnap didn’t happen, move bedtime earlier by about 60 minutes (i.e. Bedtime 8:00pm ➝ 7:00pm)
8 ➝ repeat Day 7
9 ➝ repeat Day 7
10 ➝ Move first nap later again by 30 minutes (i.e. Nap 1: 11:30am ➝ 12:00pm)
This should be the ideal time for a one nap schedule, about 5½ hours after your child first wakes up for the day. If not, move the nap later by 30 minutes one more time after three days.
At this point, you can drop the second nap for good! Amen to that!
It’s good to be patient
Now that you’ve managed to establish a good bedtime your child should have comfortably adjusted to the nap changes. You can expect this to happen around day 10. Even though your child has adjusted to the new nap change it doesn’t mean they will be sleeping for a good 2 hours this can take time. If you get 1hour to 1 1/2 hours you’ve been successful.
It can take a good 8 weeks for your child’s body to fully adjust to the change where they are taking once long 2-hour naps. While you wait for this time it’s important you put your child to bed at the appropriate time. It’s important your child gets 12 hours of sleep so you should put your child to sleep 12 hours after they wake up in the morning.
Give it a good 8 weeks for your child’s body to fully adjust and to start taking those nice, long 2-hour naps. In the meantime, make sure you’re putting your child to bed at a good time. Aim for your child to get 12 hours of sleep at night, which means bedtime should be about 12 hours after your child wakes up for the day.
Conclusion – How to Transition from Two Naps to One
When transitioning to one nap you need to remember that you have this and your child will do anything you teach them with the right skills to do so. As mothers there are always obstacles we come across for example I struggle to stop my child from drinking milk at night and I’ve tried water as well as nothing for a month however I do believe I will succeed at some point. It’s ok if you struggling but soon enough your child will get used to it.
Now that your child is taking one nap are you thinking of ways to keep them busy this summer?
check out: 17 Frugal Summer Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy
