Is Your Child Ready for Just One Nap?

Life is good!  You have finally gotten your baby into an eating and sleeping routine.  You have even found some time for yourself.  Yea!  But suddenly things are changing.  You find your child taking two very short naps or maybe playing through one of them. Well, it may be time to consider transitioning from two naps to one.  This can be a hard task for both mommy and toddler.  Why?  Because mommy may be reluctant to give up some of her free time, and baby may be extra fussy while transitioning to one nap. 

Between ages 1 and 2, your child will most likely be ready to move to a single nap. Unfortunately, things may get complicated if one nap is not enough but your child will no longer take two. First consider whether your child is truly ready for a single nap.  Some common signs that it is time for a change would include:  the child consistently sleeps only 20-30 minutes during a nap, the child does not sleep at all during the morning nap time, the child doesn’t seem tired at bedtime and stays awake until late in the evening because of too much sleep during the day.  Remember though, don’t rush into switching to one nap just because your child woke up early today from her nap -- make sure it is a pattern.  Getting the proper amount of sleep is crucial for a happy and healthy youngster.

Once you have decided she is ready for one nap, here are a few tips to make the transition go more smoothly. 

Gradually ease your child into a single nap routine.  You may want to alternate one-nap and two-nap days, depending on the events of the day and how tired she is.  Within a few weeks or so, transition to mostly one-nap days.

Consider substituting a period of quiet play for the morning nap.  You may want to do this quiet time in her crib or bed, giving her a few books or toys to play with.  You may want to start with 15-20 minutes of quiet play and gradually move her up to 45 minutes or even an hour of quiet play.

Be patient.  Change takes time. Expect a bit of crankiness while you are transitioning into new sleep patterns.  Think about how you feel when your sleep pattern is interrupted!

Move her naptime up.  Don’t wait until her normal afternoon naptime to put her down.  She may be ready to go down by 11:30 or so.  Eventually you should be able to move her nap back to 12:00 or 1:00 or whatever fits into your schedule. 

Make bedtime earlier.  As she is adjusting to only one nap, you might find her to be fussy in the early evening.  Consider putting her down for bed 30-45 minutes earlier than normal to ensure she is getting plenty of rest.