When is it time to transition to one nap?

The phrase ‘sleep transition’ can make us parents shudder with fear and usually for good reason.  But, one of the best transitions has got to be moving to the one nap!  Consolidating your child’s two shorter daytime naps into one great big nap in the middle of the day can be pretty awesome!  Honestly, this was my favorite transition with all of my kiddos.   At the same time, this is often the most challenging nap transition you and your little one will have to tackle. However, the results can be amazing — about 2 to 2.5 hours, even 3 hours for some little ones, right in the middle of the day! 

Because your little one is going to have to adjust from what was their awake time midday to that now being nap time, it can be a challenging transition and you want to make sure your child is ready. So when and how does this happen? 

Signs that your little one is ready for one nap:

Age

Most toddlers are typically ready for this between 12-18 months

Nap resistance or refusal

Another sign your child is ready is when they continue to refuse their afternoon nap (morning usually stays the same).  They will typically talk or fuss instead of sleep!

Difficulty falling asleep at night

Maybe your little one is not fighting the naps, but it is taking longer for them to fall asleep at bedtime. This is usually a sign that they need more awake time before bedtime and that their total sleep needed for the day has shifted.

Once you make the transition to one nap, your toddler will need about 4 to 6 hours of awake time between sleep as opposed to the 3 to 4 ½ hours when they were taking 2 naps. Total sleep needs decrease from 12-15 hours per day to 11-14 for 18 months to 3 years old.

How long does it take? Usually this takes about 4-6 weeks to solidify.  Their little bodies have to learn how to consolidate their daytime sleep and this can take some time.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, please reach out!