My daughter is 15 months old and has been showing signs for weeks of being ready to transition to one nap (playing for a long time at her morning nap before falling asleep briefly--or not at all, someitmes not sleeping at her afternoon nap, taking a long time to fall asleep, etc.). This weekend I decided to try one nap, and started it at 11 AM, and pushed it back a little bit each day until it was beginning after lunch, at noon. The problem is that now she takes one nap, but it is only 1.5 hours (tops--sometimes shorter), and she is absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. If she hadn't shown such clear signs of being ready, I would be afraid I was pushing it too soon, but she really did seem ready for it. How long did it take you to transition your child to one nap a day? Should I expect this phase to last a couple weeks or more? Is it true that kids can really be flexible enough to take two naps one day, and one nap on other days? I'd appreciate any insights you all might have to offer.
Thanks very much to all of your for your input. This week has been better, and she seems to be adjusting day by day. I did go to a super early bedtime as suggested by a couple of you, and that has also helped. I think she will still need two naps on some days, though. Thanks for your advice!
I would wait until she is 18 months to two years old before transitioning her to a nap a day. Remember,all kids are different. If you are a stay at home mom then I would not worry about it and have her take two naps a day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. She may be better off to take two short naps a day vs. one nap a day at this point. Good luck
My DS dropped his morning nap at 10mos, and he wasn't ready. But as you know, there's no way to make them sleep!
I just put him to bed earlier at night. Over the next month or so, the naps go longer, and bedtime regulated.
My DS, 10mos now, is also going through this process. She's not ready to drop that nap, but she's as stubborn as her brother was. All you can do it adjust bedtime, and make sure that you watch for the nap signals during the day.
depends on the child I think - so this will be no help. My son dropped it early , cause he has an older sister and went immediately to just one. My oldest teetered and tottered between 2 for months and the same thing happened with dropping the one nap.
She likes to nap, my youngest would rather go to bed early. Depends on the kid.
each day will vary.
So you need to go by your child's cues.
If tired, the child needs a nap.
Not everyday will be the same.
My son at that age was still taking 2 naps a day.
He needed it.
It was never forced nor a battle.
have a routine about it.
Regularity helps.
What time does she got to bed at night?
Hi, it can take months. You are definitely seeing the signs, but that doesn't mean that she is ready to give it up yet. Continue to put her down for both naps. When you notice that she is not taking two naps more often than she is then it's time to drop it. For example, if she takes two naps four days a week but three days she doesn't then continue to put her down for two naps. At the very least she is getting down time, and you are getting a break. When she is only napping two or three days a week then slowly start moving that morning nap later and later like you did. Once she is napping once a day it may not be a super long nap. As children get older they don't require as much sleep. Put her to bed earlier, even as early as 6:00. She will make up for it at night by sleeping longer if she needs to. Eventually she may start napping for longer periods again, time will tell as her body adjusts.
Best wishes,
K. Smith-Sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach
www.theindependentchild.com
Every kid is different and I second guesses my 15 month son when he dropped the morning nap at 13 months. He's not as good a "sleeper" as my daughter was and even now, his nap ranges from 90 minutes to 4 hours with no indication what it will be! I do think she needs a few weeks, maybe a month, to transition. I would avoid going back to the morning nap as it could push her bedtime later, and then u have tired mommy in the mix! Good luck!
Put her to bed earlier. It's amazing, she will not wake up any earlier!
Hi A., I would say from my experience that each and every child is different. I have to say that at the each of 2 both of my children stopped napping altogether unless one day was more exhausting etc.....I don't exactly recall when we went from 2 naps to 1 nap but I would say at about the age of 1 they were taking only 1 nap a day and it was about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour nap. Not sure how early your child's bedtime is but maybe weaning to 1 nap and possibly earlier bedtime might help through the transition. Not sure this helps at all but I thought I would just share my experiences......
