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Blog » Transitioning from Two Naps to One

Transitioning from Two Naps to One

Posted February 28, 2009

Between 15-18 months of age most children begin to be able to do OK with just one nap a day.  Often this doesn't happen smoothly, however.  Typically it is a bit rocky with there being 2-3 days in a row when he/she does fine with one mid-day nap but by the 4th day he/she falls apart in ways that tell you more sleep is needed for a few days!  There will be days you'll feel you might never figure this out!

A pretty sure sign of a transition in progress will come when your child plays through the morning nap.  Or if, over several weeks, he/she can't get to sleep for the afternoon nap as a result of having had a good, long morning nap.  Try to keep to the normal routine for 2-3 weeks in spite of these possible signs, however, just to be sure the wakefulness isn't a passing stage of new development.

When you are sure, you can initially attempt to put off the morning nap until around 11 AM. I suggest leaving your child for 3 hours at this point, since this is the only sleep or rest he/she will have today.  If that goes well, in a few days you can start the nap at 11:30 and eventually have it be from noon to 3 PM. 

Down the road, when you child is 20 months or so, you can aim for 12:30 or 1 PM for the nap.  And 2.5 to 3 hours in the crib does very well for children.

Long after I knew my daughters didn't need to sleep in the mornings any more, I continued make them have 45 minutes or an hour of  "reading time" in the crib every morning with playful music on.  This little break seemed to help all of us make it through the morning more gracefully, while I excitedly anticipated a 3-hour break every afternoon!

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Filed under: Daily Routines, Sleep

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