Help!!! Two naps down to one---how and when???

[kayte]

I don't know whether our nap diasters lately are on account of all the comotion lately (travel, guests, first birthday party) or that DD really needs to wean to one nap... Any signs to look for? When did your DC change to only one? How did you do it?

Thanks!

[new_mommy25]

My DS switched to one shortly after his first birthday. It was getting increasingly harder to get him down for the morning nap so I just went with it. He used to take a morning nap around 9 am, and then an afternoon nap around 3. When he went down to one nap it was about 11:00 -12:00.

[table4three]

It was somewhere around 14 months. His 2 nap schedule was 10am and 2pm naps. He easily moved to a long nap at around 11 or 11:30, which over time has moved to approx 12:30pm. He didn't really need weaning - he started having trouble going down for the morning nap or skipping it altogether, so we took his lead.

[megs4413]

9 mos. she did it on her own (just started refusing the nap until later in the day and then sleeping twice as long at that point). we were really lucky to transition that easily!

follow your DC's cues...nap troubles can be caused by all sorts of things. try keeping track of when baby seems to be getting tired/upset over the next few days and then set nap time earlier than that so you avoid the overtired/unable to nap problem. i hope the transition goes smoothly for you!

[octmom]

At my kids' daycare, the third class starts at age 16 months or as soon after that age as there is a spot to move up. All the kids take one nap per day in that room (on cots rather than in cribs), right after lunch. The teachers in the room before that one try to get the kids used to one nap/ day before they move up to the third room, but I think how early they start depends on the individual child.

We always winged it at home on the weekends depending on whether or not DS seemed sleepy and what we were doing. I don't think we taught DS the best sleep habits, so don't follow my example. ;)

Jerilyn
DS, 10/03
DD, 3/06

[Alice523]

Same here! He just decided at 9 mos he didn't want to nap twice. ;) I noticed that if I kept him up until 11:30 or so, he'd sleep two hours straight (instead of just one 2x/day). It has been much more relaxing for me this way because I get a longer break. Now, at almost 14 months, he goes down at 12:30 or 1 for about 2 hours.

[kayte]

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like it is really up to her. I guess I will try and continue with our "schedule" for a week or so to see if it the craziness of the past few weeks or not. If there is still resistance, I will go for one! I hope she does take a longer nap when she changes --I agree with PP that it will be more relaxing (and hopefully productive).

Thanks!

[DrSally]

How old is your DD? We started around 10 months, when DS started sleeping through the night. He wasn't as tired for his first nap, so we pushed it back to 10am, and he would sleep 2-3 hours and then not want his afternoon nap. I tried making it later, but then I would miss the window. So, that was a transition time, now he hasn't been tired at 10am anymore (around 1 year old), so I'm trying 12:30, after lunch. I think it's working! That transition can be long or short though. I hope yours is short.

ETA: I tried waking him up after 1-1.5 hrs from the first nap to preserve the 2nd nap, but he still didn't want it, so I just let him sleep as long as he wanted for the one nap.

[maestramommy]

I started getting the idea, when Dora would no longer go down for her morning nap, or talk and complain for an hour, then maybe sleep for half an hour. That said, the transition to one nap has been a long process, and sometimes she will still take a mid morning nap about an hour. Then I will put her down again around 3-3:30, because she simply cannot last till bedtime. Or sometimes if we're running errands, she'll fall asleep in the car, and her afternoon nap will again start later. Some parents will go to one nap starting around 11, then have an earlier bedtime, that simply wouldn't work for us, partly because Dh puts her to bed, and he can't get home any earlier. And partly because it means I'd never get to go out for lunch, which I really like to do. Rather a selfish reason I suppose, but it still works out okay.