Naps-transitioning from 2 to 1 - Oakland,CA

Hi! I also have an 18 month old and have worked with many toddlers over the years. They do go to bed earlier, 7- 7:30 is about right. I feel that you just have to hang in there when they are tired at and keep them busy. Start lunch a little earlier 11-11:30 and get them down soon after. after a week or so they do adjust to the new schedule you set for them. You can also try moving the new schedule later in 10 minute incriments every day. As far as getting up early... i let my little one stay in her bed for awhile after she wakes up even if she cries for a little bit sometimes. now she will sing and entertain herself until I go in and get her. My little one gets up at 6:30 naps at 1:00 and goes to bed at 7:30 and some days if she is more tired than others I have to be flexible. Good luck!

When my daughter went through this transition, I moved the second nap up much earlier to compensate for the lack of a first nap. She had been napping at 9:30 and 2:30, so I pushed the first nap back gradually to 10:30 one day, then 11, and it's still at 12 or 12:30 now after 8 mos of a single nap. I tried to follow her lead, and in the days of a very early single nap I put her to bed an hour or so early at bedtime. The transition only took us about a week. On days that she seemed to be tiring before the new (later) nap time, I came up with activities that didn't take a lot of energy for her, but that wouldn't make her fall asleep either, like a stroller ride (she's not a stroller napper) or a quiet bath. Or I tried feeding her when she started getting sleepy early, which helped her get through until nap time. That only lasted a couple of weeks before she was adjusted to the new schedule. I don't know how to get him sleeping later in the morning, though once he has a steady one-nap schedule he'll probably sleep longer at night. Good luck!

J.

I would say just roll with what his body seems to need that day. Why deal with a crabby, overtired kid if you don't have to? Most kids do NOT get enough sleep. As for sleeping in in the morning, he's already sleeping 10 1/2 or 11 hours straight--you're probably not going to get more than that in one stretch. You'll have to adjust bedtime.

The change from 2 to 1 is tough. You might try putting your little one to sleep in the evenings earlier until he adjusts and alternate between one and two nap days. Follow his lead with tiredness. If he seems especially tired, go ahead and give him his morning nap. I wouldn't worry about getting him used to a schedule, the most important thing here is that he be well rested. He will eventually settle into a routine.

About sleeping later in the morning, we find that putting our little guy to bed around 6:30 PM (or even up to an hour earlier when his nap is too short) results in later sleep in the AM. Not much later, but the difference between 6 AM and 6:45 can feel like a lot. When we consistently put him to sleep later, he wakes around 5:30-6 AM. We also leave 2-3 books out for him to "read" in bed which gives us a few extra minutes. White noise and dark shades don't seem to make a difference unless he hasn't been getting enough sleep. As far as I can tell, the only way to get them to sleep much past 7 AM is sleep deprivation or illness.

Hi K.,

When my son was transitioning 2 naps to 1 nap, I went along with him. I paid attention to his cue and when he showed tiredness (itching his eyes, yawning, getting cranky) I put him to nap.

Since my 16-month-old has consistently been taking 1 nap (about 2 weeks), I have started taking him to morning activity to stretch him. I still put him to nap when I see him tired even though it's little earlier than what I expect. His naps are sometimes long as 2.5 hr or short 45 minutes, but he has been sleeping over night really well 11.5 to 12 hr.

Good luck!

My daughters both transistioned to one nap by the time they were 1 and we had about a month or two or going back and forth between 1 and 2 naps. They both still take one nap (almost 18 months and 2.5 years) about at the same time.
As for mornings, my girls are on different schedules. My youngest is up by 6 every morning and still doesn't sleep through the night. Sometimes I can get her to sleep longer by letting her come to bed with me (although it doesn't always work).
Good luck!
J.

I tried to move my sons from two naps to one around the same age. Didn't work. Their bodies just didn't want to do it. Since I was a stay at home mom, I didn't care. It wasn't until after they were about 2-1/2 that they moved to one nap. At this point they were ready, and I sometimes had a hard time getting them down for that one. At that age I enrolled them in a small preschool situation twice a week and after they came home (before lunch), they'd have lunch, we'd play a bit, and then they'd be ready for an afternoon nap. I had them going to bed around 8:00 p.m. (which ended up getting to sleep later because we had to read a book and I'd sing a couple of songs) and they usually slept until around 7:00/7:30 a.m.

If he's acting like he still needs 2 naps, then let him nap 2 times. I remember being so happy when our boys (3.5 & 8) both went to one nap cuz it makes doing things during the day easier but if your son needs to nap, then let him. As far as sleeping later in the mornings....try putting some small,soft toys or books in the end of his bed for him to play w/when hew wakes up. If he isn't paticularly loud when he wakes up, leave him there for a few minutes to fuss & he may go back to sleep on his own. You could try telling him that he can't get outa bed until you come get him & that he can play quietly until then. But, just be glad he's napping...our first son went to one nap a day by the time he was 1 yrs old (due to his older brother's schedule) & then by 2, he was done napping all together! AAAHHGG! Good luck!

I think a lot of kids go through a phase where they can manage on 1 nap some days but need 2 on other days. I think you probably just have to roll with what he needs. Even when my sone was on 2 naps, I would wake him by certain times to make sure he took his next nap, so you could always try waking him after say an hour in the morning to make sure he takes his afternoon nap on days he has two naps. I know that my son would only take one nap on some days even when he was really tired by the time of his second as he transitioned. I think part of it was just biological and we just had to live with a tired baby for a week while he got the new routine sorted out.

I didn't read all your responses, so if it's a duplicate, I'm sorry! We just started putting my daughter to bed earlier when she was transitioning. She would start her routine around 6 and be in bed by 6:30.

Hi K.,

My little boy (now 2) loved his 2 naps as well and I wanted to change to one nap for the same reason, so that he would be on the same lunchtime nap schedule as his friends.

We did the transition at about 15 months or so. He took an hour 10am nap and then had a second hour at about 2 or 3. That just broke our day into too many pieces for me, so what I did was gradually moved his morning nap back by half an hour at a time so that it eventually became his lunchtime nap. I made sure mornings were quiet, so that he wasn't exhausting himself too early. I'd put him to bed as late as possible without him getting hysterical and then I would let him sleep for as long as he wanted. I'd give him lunch as usual and then I kept him really busy in the afternoon so that he would be having too much fun to have his sleep. If he was really tired I would take him out in his stroller and let him have half an hour or so just to top him up, but he rarely needed that. I found that the later his morning nap became, the longer it became and the less he needed the afternoon nap.

He now goes to sleep at about 1 (but can make it to 2) and has a 3 hour nap most days. He is a little odd because he doesn't go to bed until 9pm (so that he can have some time with his Daddy in the evening) so I think some of that long afternoon sleep is to make up for the late bedtime, but even as much as he needs his sleep, I was surprised that the transition from 1 to 2 naps was fairly painless. I would just do it gradually - make the nap 1/2 an hour later for a week or so, then move it back another 1/2 an hour for another week or so and so on until it is the time you want it to be.

I hope it goes smoothly. If all else fails, just be happy you have a child who naps. I have friends who have children who rarely if ever nap and I am so grateful for my little napper.

All the best, D.

My babies this age that stop their am nap then sleep 3 hours in the afternoon. So it is either 1 hour in the am and 2 in the afternoon or 3 hours in the afternoon. Each child is different. You might try keeping him up abit later to have him sleep in longer in the am. What I did with my four kids at this age to get them to give me some more Saturady morning sleep was this. I would get up, change their diaper, give them a bowl of cheerios, a bottle, and a few toys. Now back then bottles were given until age 2 years. I had cheerios to clean up but it was worth the hour extra of sleep I got and baby was happy in crib, dry, and something to eat and bottle too.
F.

My daughter is 19 months old and is currently changing from one nap to two. I'm not very strict when it comes to the nap, as far as how many a day. On average she gets up between 7:30-8:00 just about every morning...I give her the first nap at like Noon...from there I see how long she sleeps...if she gets a long nap...anywhere from 2 hours on then I know she probably wont take a second nap because shes good till she goes to bed..if she sleeps only an hour then I usually give her a second nap at like 4 and she usually sleeps another hour. Then her bedtime is always between 8-8:30. It works for us...I just got by how she acts for how many naps she needs. Right now I would say half the time its one nap and half the time its two naps. They will transition on their own I figure...I just follow her lead :) She does sleep through the night most of the time (unless she was teething or sick)...other then that she sleeps good from the 8-8:30 till about 7:30-8:00 the next day. Hope this helps...have a great day!

Btw--In her room I do have a sheet covering her window because her blinds bring a lot of light in the room--don't know if it makes a difference or not..I've just done it for so long now. Other then that her room is pretty dark-no nightlights or anything like that and she sleeps with her door closed. :)