Is It Time For One Nap or Not Yet?
Your baby has just turned one and he/she started to refuse one of the naps and you are thinking: is it time for one nap?
This nap transition is one of the most challenging and it takes time for the baby to settle into the new timing, it usually happens on average between 15-18 months.
In many cases there would be a temporary nap strike that happens around 10-12 months, the baby might refuse one of the naps for a few days or won’t take the 2 naps easily and consistently as he/she used to. If this happens with you, hold on and don’t move to one nap yet. This strike may happen due to a lot of developmental milestones that happen around this time, during such phases babies are too excited to master and learn new things as they are learning new skills. So in such scenarios, I would recommend you keep offering both naps as they usually come back smoothly on their own.
So let’s have a look at the nap transition, what are the signs, and what strategies you should have.
How do I know it’s time to transition to one nap?
First of all your baby to be within the average range (15-18 months) - some babies will transition earlier or later - You may experience one or more of the following depending on sleep history and which nap is being dropped.
Baby will start fighting one of the naps consistently for 2-3 weeks
Baby will have a late bedtime because it’s becoming a struggle to fit both naps in the day
Baby might experience night/early wakings
Both naps might be happening but one of them is very short (30 minutes)
How to manage the transition?
This will depend on which nap is dropped throughout the process of this transition.
Scenario one: Baby is fighting the first nap, and the second one is still happening smoothly. This is the easy transition I would say, because ideally when the baby is settled on one nap, this nap will be around noon time. So you are good!
Scenario two: Baby is taking nap 1 easily but fighting nap 2, that it is either becoming very short or not happening at all, or happening but late in the day. Depending on the timing and length of nap1, you will either need to cap nap number 1 to protect nap number 2 to happen, or you will keep nap number 1 as it is and start offering it later every 3-5 days until it is happening around 12 pm.
This transition can take a few weeks up to a month. If you are transitioning with scenario number 2, then offer early bedtime to make it up for the overtiredness. The body is tired and still adapting to new timings so more deep sleep will help!
What’s next?
This nap should be around 12 pm on average
This nap should be around 2 hrs on average
The child will need this nap for some time - until 3-5 years old
Please be aware that if the baby was struggling with sleep before hitting one year, this nap transition might be more challenging if the body has been overtired for a while. If you are struggling with naps and night sleep and want your baby to sleep through the night and have no idea where to start, I would love to support you through the Sleep Coaching Program
