Transitioning from 2 Naps to 1
Transitioning from 2 Naps to 1
Now that your baby is a little older and more mobile, you feel like you have a pretty good thing going with their two-nap schedule. It's easy to plan your day around 10:00am and 2:00pm, right? Then one day, they really start fighting that morning nap. The next thing you know, the whole day is thrown off and bedtime is a disaster! So what do you do when your baby is fighting the naps?
At what age do babies go from two naps to one nap?
Typically around the 12-14 month age range! In the first year of life, babies have high sleep needs – from 18-20 hours out of every 24 hours for a brand-new baby, to 14 out of 24 for a baby that is crawling, sitting, and eating solids. However, around their first birthday, they really go through a lot of brain and body development and are able to function on a bit less sleep, dropping to 13-13.5 hours out of every 24 hours.
How can you tell if your baby is ready to go to one nap?
The easiest way to tell is if they have previously been doing well laying down to sleep independently on their current schedule, but now they are resisting sleep, especially at the morning nap and the evening bedtime. They should also be in the 12-18 month age range (I do not recommend one nap any younger than 12 months for sure).
How to make the transition from 2 naps to 1
It might be a tough couple days but you can do this with minimal effort! It helps a lot to stretch out the morning wake time longer before laying your baby down for a nap. You will also have to put them to bed earlier that evening. Wake windows aren't quite as crucial at this age as they are for younger babies, but we'll still be looking in the 4 hour age range for 12 months and closer to 6 hours for 18 months, so just keep that in mind when you need to set a time for their one afternoon nap – you don't want it to be too close to the morning wake time and it can't be too close to the evening bedtime either.
The importance of a good daily routine for your baby
As a certified pediatric sleep consultant I can't stress enough how important it is to help your baby stick to a daily routine! Not only does your baby physically get used to eating and sleeping at certain times, but it also really helps you to understand exactly what they need at all times without any of the guesswork. Be sure to click the image below to go to my free sleep schedule generator. You will be able to select your child's age and get a free printable daily schedule! This will make it pretty much painless to get your baby on a one nap schedule.
