Figuring out when you should transition your child from two naps to one nap can be a difficult question to answer. In most children, you will see their sleep needs start to shift around 15-18 months. You may even start to see a sign as early as 12 months old, but that doesn’t mean they are ready to transition to a one nap sleep schedule. Here are some things to look for so you can make sure it is indeed the right time to shift your child’s nap schedule.
- Are they sleeping well at night?
If your child is having multiple wake ups and is not sleeping well at night, then your child’s nap schedule could be affected. So with that in mind, it’s always important to fix night sleep issues before you try to shift nap schedules. If your child is having sound night sleep with some of the other issues below, then it might be time to transition your kiddo’s nap schedule.
- How is their nap timing?
Your child should be napping at around 9:00 am and 1:00 pm ( There may be some variation in times by an hour or so), but this is when the body naturally gets drowsy. If you are putting your child down around these times and they are sleeping well at night, but you are still finding that one of these naps is not happening consistently then it might be time to transition to a one nap schedule.
- Are both naps happening?
When parents are starting to wonder if it’s time to transition it’s usually because either the morning nap or the evening nap is no longer happening consistently. You may start to notice that your child stays up and plays for an hour or whines before they fall asleep. If your child does this for about two weeks consistently and it’s throwing off the timing of naps, it may be time to transition.
- Log your child’s nap time
One of the only ways to ensure your child is ready to transition is by learning their nap schedule and to do that you should keep a nap log. Make sure you are consistently writing down their napping habits: when they fall asleep, how long it takes, and if there is any playing or whine involved in putting them down. Then when you start to see a pattern emerge you will know they are ready to shift schedules.
- Make the move and stick with it.
When you finally decided it is time to shift your child’s nap time you need to stick with it. Ideally, you want the one nap to occur around noon. If you dropped the morning nap, you should keep your kiddo up until noon, but if you dropped the afternoon nap you will need to push your morning nap to later in the day. You may need to transition them slowly into this new time in 30-minute increments. (It may take 1-2 weeks for this transition to happen.)
6. Early Bedtime Keeps It All Together
As you are going through this transitional period with your child, bedtime may need to be flexible. Use an earlier bedtime on short or no nap days. You do not need to wait until the exact same time every night to put your child to sleep. Earlier bedtimes help preserve nighttime sleep and prevent early morning wake-ups. They will not be the reason your child is up at 3 am! Early bedtimes can also help make the nap transition a smoother process.
It can be difficult to know for sure if your child is ready to transition. Going forward with your decision you should trust your parental instinct, but also make an informed decision based off the knowledge you gain from observing your child’s sleep schedule. If you would like more help to figure out if your child is ready to transition from two naps to one you can always book a consultation with me to help sort through the data.
Happy Sleeping!
If other sleep issues are occurring it may be hard to make these changes smoothly. That’s when it’s beneficial to have a sleep consultation to talk these out in a more personal manners, and that’s why I’m here and ready to help! Contact me for help, and we’ll get your little one sleeping soundly and happily.
Strong Little Sleepers
Lori is a Certified Child Sleep Consultant through and Certified Happiest Baby Educator. She is the founder and owner of Strong Little Sleepers, which was started on the idea that all families need and deserve to get a good night’s sleep. Lori was the first certified child sleep consultant in Austin, Texas and was honored as Best Sleep Expert in the 2013 Austin Birth Awards. She is also a member of the International Association of Child Sleep Consultants. Lori combines her experience as an educator and a parent to offer customized sleep plans and support to families with children ages 0-6 across the country.
For more information, please visit www.stronglittlesleepers.com.
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