Newly walking toddlers can become overly exhausted and start waking at night again. Also, we sometimes see a temporary month sleep regression at months old. After this regression is over, babies will still take two naps for a couple more months.
Depending on what book you read, you might read that 12 months is a good time for babies to drop to one nap. Many daycares do it around this age, too. For some babies, this will work out just fine. We have seen it many times over the years, unfortunately. On the other hand, if your toddler is 18 months old and still taking two naps, you might be having problems with insomnia or early waking. How can you transition your toddler to one nap when they are waking up at AM?
More on that with the tips below. Every situation is different so depending on what specific issues you are having, you may or may not want to drop to one nap but these are good signs it could be time. We do not expect to see ALL of these signs. It is more likely to be just one, maybe two, of them. Some babies will drop their morning nap and some will drop their second nap. In my experience, the most common way is to drop the second nap in the afternoon.
Once that afternoon nap gets very late in the day, they often skip it. The big question is how to successfully switch to one nap.
First, recognize that all nap transitions can be bumpy. And, nap transitions take weeks, on average. Others, not so much! Avoiding overtiredness before bedtime, though, is key, because overtiredness can lead to your baby waking up more at night and having very early mornings. You may have to invest in blackout blinds and curtains to darken the bedroom before sundown. Your baby can then make up for that lost daytime sleep and will likely sleep until their regular morning wakeup time.
Early bedtime is a constant mantra when it comes to nap transitions, especially for what is arguably one of the roughest ones: dropping from two naps to one, which can happen when your baby is anywhere from 10 to 18 months old. Going from a mid-morning and an early afternoon nap to just one in the early afternoon usually around 12 or p.
The extended wake time between the end of the single nap and a typical bedtime can be tough at first. Plus, during transitions, naps can be abbreviated, so you may only get an hour and a half nap when your child really needs a chunkier nap two to three hours to get through the rest of the day, says Pitts. An early bedtime will help you avoid sleep problems overnight. If that late afternoon crash does happen, or if your baby falls asleep in the high chair during dinner, for example, Johnson recommends watching the clock to decide what to do.
During this transition, both Johnson and Pitts have an unexpected suggestion: the car. If you pick your baby up from daycare around 5 or p. She recommends waiting until you see your baby skips a nap four or more days a week, for about two weeks, before you make that transition.
Babies can be so tricky! This near-constant changing is true for baby activities, baby skills, baby feeding — and, of course, baby naps. Is your little one suddenly fighting bedtime? Perhaps this sounds familiar: After following your bedtime routine , your baby used to put himself to sleep within minutes, but now he either protests like crazy or just lies in his crib awake. He may simply need to be awake longer before bedtime to fill his tired tank. Sure, shifting bedtime a bit later can help—for awhile.
Your little one should be showing these signs consistently for 2 weeks before you start the transition. To make this transition you will begin by pushing your regular nap times back by minutes to help remove the third typically troubled nap.
It is important to offer an early bedtime to make up for the lost nap! If your baby is an early riser, it is possible you will need to push the first nap back a bit further than usual. I recommend doing this in minute increments over the course of days.
Here are two example schedules from transitioning from 3 naps to 2 naps using a 7am and 6am wake time respectively:. The goal amount of sleep for each of the two new naps is 90 minutes each. Of course, this length is going to vary depending on the child and the day. It is very normal for your little one to experience some sleep regression during the nap transition itself. These bumps should work themselves out within weeks. If you find your child is having a difficult time extending naps, you can offer a rest period when the third nap would typically occur and then adjust bedtime accordingly.
This transition is known for being a bit more difficult for both parents and children. It is common for this transition to take place over weeks. While every child is different, the following signs may indicate that the baby is ready to drop down to 1 nap:.
The same as the 3-to-2 nap transition, these signs should be happening consistently for at leasy 2 weeks before beginning the transition to one nap. Making this transition too soon can cause more sleep problems to arise.
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