How to Transition From 2 Naps to 1 Nap

May 18

Regardless of how well your baby sleeps, making changes to their routine and schedule can sometimes feel daunting. This is especially true when you’re making a nap transition, like when your baby is ready to go from 2 naps to 1 nap.

I get it! Nap transitions can feel overwhelming. There are so many questions to consider, like:

How do I know when to make the 2 to 1 nap transition?

Are there signs my child is ready for 1 nap?

And how do I actually make the 2 to 1 nap transition?

All of these questions are completely valid, and I want to reassure you that moving from 2 to 1 naps doesn’t have to be scary! In fact, in this blog, I’ll guide you through exactly how to make this transition as seamlessly as possible.

When to Transition from 2 Naps to 1 Nap

While all children are unique and will make the 2 to 1 nap transition on their own timeline, this transition usually occurs around 15-18 months of age. However, this range definitely depends on your child, as some babies are ready at 13 months, and others aren’t ready until closer to 24 months. On average, most babies will transition to 1 nap around 18 months of age.

But remember, don’t rush into this transition! It can take months to make this transition successful. The biggest key is to tune in to your child and ensure they’re ready for 1 nap.

If your child is in daycare, you may not have a ton of control over this, as many daycares push a 1-nap schedule as early as 12 months. However, if you find yourself in that scenario, focus on what you can control – the time your child is with you! It also doesn’t hurt to ask the daycare provider if they can accommodate a 2-nap schedule for your child, if you don’t believe they are ready for just 1 nap yet.

Signs Your Child is Ready to Transition to 1 Nap

So, how do you know whether your child is truly ready for the 2 to 1 nap transition? There are a few signs that you can look at to help you make this determination.

Your child rejects their morning nap consistently. They may be taking a long time to fall asleep or skipping the nap all together.
Your child is consistently missing their afternoon nap, and it’s been a solid two weeks since they’ve taken their second nap. I still suggest that you offer them their nap, but if all they do is rest and they don’t fall asleep, then you’ll know it’s a good sign to start the nap transition.
Your child’s sleep used to be easy, but it’s been really off. They may be experiencing early morning wakings at 5 am, not showing signs of being tired for their morning nap, their naps may be getting shorter, or bedtime is becoming a struggle.

Note: I do want to emphasize that If your child has missed their morning or afternoon nap just once or twice in the past week, this does not mean they are ready for the transition to 1 nap. Instead, we’re looking for patterns of consistency.

It’s also important to remember that developmental milestones, such as talking or walking, can be a cause of nap struggles, so make sure you rule out any of these possibilities before rushing to do the transition. Something else to keep in mind is that this usually occurs around the time of the “18-month molars,” so you want to make sure that’s not the cause for sleep challenges. Most importantly, nap troubles can be a temporary phase, so always make sure the nap problems have been going on for at least 2 weeks before jumping into a 1-nap schedule.

How to Make the 2 to 1 Nap Transition

There are three common scenarios that you may encounter during your child’s transition to 1 nap. Let’s talk through all of them, so that you feel confident moving forward.

1: Your Child’s First Nap Of The Day Is “Off”

In the first scenario, you may find that your child’s first nap of the day just isn’t happening like it used to.You put your child down for their regular naptime in the morning and they play instead of sleep. They may not fall asleep at all, or they fall asleep much later during their designated naptime. This interferes with their ability to go down for their 2nd nap, or that 2nd nap is taken too late (past 2 pm). When you have a nap past 2 pm, it can mess up bedtime, and it’s also not as restorative, as it’s at the tail end of a sleep wave.

In the second scenario, you may find that your child isn’t tired in the morning when they normally nap, but they are tired a little bit later. So, you put them down and they take a nap. Unfortunately, this nap is too late in the morning, messing up the schedule for the rest of the day.

How do you handle these two scenarios when the first nap of the day is off?

Step 1: Put your child down for their morning nap later by just a half hour. For example, if your child’s nap is normally 8:30 am, you’ll push the nap to 9:00 am. Do this for 3 days and let them sleep as long as they’d like.

Step 2: Continue putting your child down for their afternoon nap and make sure you leave them in the crib for a full hour. Even if they don’t sleep, which is possible during the transition, at least they can have some down time. Make sure your child doesn’t sleep past 4:00 pm to preserve bedtime. If they don't take that afternoon nap, you may want to implement an extra early bedtime that evening.

Step 3: After 3 days, you will move the morning nap another 30 minutes later for another 3 days. Follow step 2 for the afternoon nap.

Step 4: Move their morning nap another 30 minutes for 3 more days (equating to 1.5 hours later than the original nap time). You will still want to put your child down for their afternoon nap, but now it will be more of a "quiet time.” Because your child will be waking up later and later from their morning nap during this transition period, you can be flexible on the timing of the afternoon “rest time.”

Step 5: You will continue moving the morning nap 15 minutes later until you get to 12 pm. Now you’ve gotten to 1 nap!

2: Your Child’s Second Nap Of The Day Is “Off”

The third scenario we will often see is that the second nap of the day starts to fall off track. In this scenario, you may find that your child is taking their morning nap, but they’re refusing the second nap, leaving them in a very overtired state at bedtime. Or, you may find that they are able to take both naps, but the afternoon nap is much later, which works until it doesn’t, as bedtime continues to creep later.

Remember, we don’t want the 2nd nap too late, as it will force a too late bedtime.

Once nap-time starts interfering with their bedtime (and if they are struggling to sleep through the night), then you’ll want to start making that transition to 1 nap.

How do you handle this scenario when the second nap of the day is off?

Step 1: You will begin by capping the morning nap. You will do this by adjusting the nap length 15 minutes every 3 days, until you are able to find that balance where your child is able to take that afternoon nap during their biological sleep wave.

Step 2: You will continue cutting the morning nap until the nap length reaches 1 hour, and then you will stop. You will know if your child is ready to make the transition to 1 nap if the morning nap is consistently 1 hour in length and your child is still not taking an afternoon nap. Give this at least 5-7 days before deciding to make that transition.

Step 3 for Early Risers (wakes 5:30-6 am): Aim to begin your child’s nap at 11:30 am and push nap later in 15-minute intervals until it lands between 12-1 pm.

Step 3 for Normal Risers (wakes 6:30-7 am): Aim to begin your child’s nap closer to 12 pm. Once this nap becomes regular, consolidated, and restorative, you can push it closer to 12:30-1 pm by 15 minute intervals each week.

Final Thoughts and Tips When Transitioning from 2 to 1 Nap

As much as I wish this transition could be a literal snap of the fingers, it’s often difficult and can take about one to two months until your child is fully settled into their 1-nap schedule. Because of the time it can take to get to a regular 1-nap day, once you make the decision to switch to 1 nap, stick with it! Don’t go back and forth between 2 naps and 1 nap – that will only prolong your child’s ability to adapt to their new routine.

Also, for the first few months, you may find that naptime hovers around the 12/12:30 pm mark, so you’ll want to start your little one’s lunch around 11:30 am. Don’t be surprised if they start dozing off in their high chair for the first couple of weeks.

If you’re noticing that your child is struggling to stay awake until their nap time, the outdoors are your friend! In fact, I encourage families to go outside during the time your child would normally take that first nap of the day to help energize them and keep them awake.

And if you’re finding that your child is struggling to make it to bedtime during this transition, don’t be afraid to implement an earlier bedtime to prevent your child from becoming overtired. I actually recommend that your child doesn’t go to bed any later than 7 pm during this time period to help ensure they’re getting enough sleep.

Remember that patience is key, and this process takes time!

If you’re looking for additional help navigating your child’s sleep, I have packages for you! All of my 1:1 support comes with a personalized sleep plan and guidance as you make changes to your child’s sleep schedule and habits.

You can reach out to me today to get started!