How to transition from two naps to one

Our resident sleep expert, Annette Faamausili shares her advice on when and how to transition your baby from two naps to one.

We all know the importance of day naps and how beneficial they are for promoting more solid sleep overnight. However there comes a time when there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to fit in two naps and the need to move to one nap becomes inevitable.

If it’s becoming harder to fit in two naps or the second nap falls too late in the day, it might be time to make the transition to one nap.

WHEN TO TRANSITION TO ONE NAP

Typically, the transition occurs between 13-16 months, with most babies starting to show signs of readiness around 14 months. Up until 12 months of age, your baby is likely to be successfully napping twice a day. Typically having one nap in the morning and another nap in the afternoon. It helps to keep the morning nap short, so you have enough time to fit in a longer more restorative nap after lunch. It’s also beneficial to schedule the longer nap across the middle of the day as this nap tends to persist until your toddler reaches at least 2 ½ years of age.

However, at around 14 months (this can differ) a shift occurs as the required amount of day sleep for your toddler starts to decrease.

COMMON SIGNS YOUR BABY IS READY

Your baby may start to wake earlier in the morning, fight going to sleep at bedtime or simply resist a nap altogether. If your baby resists going down for their first nap or takes a long time to fall asleep, it may push the timing of the second nap out too late, thus impacting bedtime. You may also find that allowing your baby to nap in the morning might lead to a shorter nap in the afternoon – creating a significant gap before bedtime and an overtired baby.

It’s worth mentioning that babies can sometimes skip naps, particularly when they’re acquiring new skills. This doesn’t always indicate that they are ready to transition to one nap. However, if you’ve observed consistent changes for over two weeks, and you’ve adjusted nap timings without success, it’s likely that your toddler is getting ready to move to just one nap. 

HOW TO MAKE THE TRANSITION

Once you determine that it’s time to transition to one nap, forgo the morning nap entirely and aim to keep your toddler awake until around midday. Ideally a window between 11:30-12pm tends to be most effective and bring lunch solids earlier if necessary.

The first few days may be a little tricky and your toddler may not sleep particularly long, however with time and consistency things will start to improve. If your toddler wakes up after just a short nap, try and resettle them back to sleep so they achieve a nap close to 2 hours.

With time, the longer awake window in the morning should help prime your toddler to sleep more solidly and achieve a longer more restorative nap across the middle of the day. Over the course of about 3-4 weeks, you can progressively shift the timing of the nap so it falls after lunch.

HOW LONG DOES THE TRANSITION TAKE?

Unfortunately, the move to one nap doesn’t happen overnight. Give it time and consistency and allow 10-14 days for the new routine to slot into place and your toddler to adjust to the changes. After being consistently on one nap, your toddler’s night sleep should become deeper and more consolidated, and you may see improvements to early rising too.

During the first month of moving to one nap, your toddler may be susceptible to becoming overtired. Try and bring bedtime forward to 6pm to help bridge the gap and stop any overtiredness disrupting their night sleep. However, should they struggle to adapt to one nap, and you sense the transition was too soon, revert back
to providing two naps and make the shift again at a more appropriate time. Keep in mind that persistence and maintaining a consistent approach are crucial factors when navigating this transition. Good luck!

Annette Faamausili is a baby and child sleep expert and has been advising and supporting parents since 2001. She trained and qualified in the NHS, UK, and moved to New Zealand with her Samoan husband and family in 2011. Annette has three children (Matilda 17, Oscar 15, and Lola 9) and lives on the beautiful Whangaparaoa Peninsula in Auckland. Find her at serenesleep.co.nz.