Navigating the 2-1 Nap Transition

Naps are always a big topic of discussion with my clients and in my weekly Q&A’s, but there’s one nap transition in particular that really stresses parents out… the move from 2-1 naps! For most babies, this transition takes place around 13-18 months of age. It can be a rocky couple of weeks as baby adjusts to much longer wake windows and begins to consolidate their daytime sleep into one long mid day nap. Here’s what you need to know about navigating this big change with your little one:

When to make this transition:

Most babies are ready to drop the second nap sometime between months 13-18! Here are some signs your baby may be ready:

1.      Morning or afternoon nap refusal.

2.      Shorter naps.

3.      Sudden early morning wake ups or long night waking.

4.      Bedtime is pushing later than 8-8:30pm (night is sneaking shorter than 10.5h).

BUT!!!! You’ll want to make sure you are seeing these signs CONSISTENTLY for at least two weeks, and you’ll also want to try to “stretch out” your baby’s two nap schedule first! Its ideal to hang onto that second nap as long as possible to prevent an overtired baby and a extra rocky transition.

Here are some examples of a “stretched out” two nap schedule- try this before making the jump to one nap!

Wake no later than 7am

Nap 1: 10:00am (capped at 1.5h)

Nap 2: 3:00pm (capped at 1h)

Bedtime: 7:30-8:00pm (3.5-4h wake window)

Wake no later than 7am

Nap 1: 10:30am (capped at 1h)

Nap 2: 3:00pm (capped at 1h)

Bedtime: 8:00pm

How to make the 2-1 transition:

1)      Once you’ve determined your baby is ready, you will begin to push morning nap later by 15-30 minutes or so every few days. For most babies this means a nap at 10:30/11:00am to start.

2)      Allow baby to sleep as long as 2.5h

3)      If baby wakes before 12:30pm you will want to offer a catnap in the afternoon around 3pm (a car or stroller ride is fine!). If the catnap is a no go, use a super early bedtime 5.5-6h after nap (as early as 6pm)

4)      Continue to push nap start time slowly towards 12:00pm as tolerated. For example: a 11:30 nap time yields a nice 2h nap, but pushing to 12:00pm leads to a 30 min overtired nap…it’s okay to just stay at 11:30 for a little longer!

5)      You’ll likely need to re-work baby’s feeding schedule a little bit, offering lunch after nap at first and then transitioning to an earlier pre-nap lunch post transition.

6)      Don’t panic over short naps! It is SO normal for it to take time for a baby to get used to consolidating their daytime sleep into one long nap.

Help! The 2-1 transition led to early morning wake ups..

yes…unfortunately these to things often go together! Stretching out baby’s wake windows can lead to overtiredness before bedtime, which is a common cause of early mornings. The best way to avoid/fix this is to ensure that we are using an early bedtime when nap is short. As early as 6pm is fair game! Think of this early bedtime as making up for lost daytime sleep, essentially tacking it on to the first part of baby’s night.

If you find that your baby is sleeping 11+ hours overnight, but waking before 6am…the fix is a little different. I refer to this as an early rise, rather than an early morning. The key to shift this is to slowly shift the whole schedule later…think similar to a daylight savings fall back plan! Every few days shift nap, bedtime, and time out of the crib in the morning by 15-30 minutes.

What’s the end goal schedule?

In the beginning of this transition your baby will have a shorter morning and quite a long stretch of awake time before bedtime (5.5-6h), but this will even out as nap gets pushed later. Ideally you end up with a 5-5.5h wake window in the morning, and 4.5-5h between nap and bedtime, for a total of 10-10.5h total awake time. I always recommend moving to a set schedule as soon as your baby is able to manage a mid day nap (a 12/12:30 start time!). This means setting nap time by the clock, regardless of what time baby gets up in the morning. Bedtime should also be set, but be open to shifting it slightly earlier if nap is short!

This transition takes patience!

It can take 4-6 weeks for some babies to fully settle into a nice long mid day nap schedule! I remember when my second daughter transitioned to one nap it was three weeks before we saw a nap longer than an hour! She just needed time. Your baby may also struggle at first with longer wake windows…here are my favorite tricks to keep baby happy and busy until naptime:

• Change of scenery- go play in a different space.

• Get outside (or near a window)- exposure to sunlight helps so much!

• Offer a snack with natural sugar (fruit is a great option).

• Water play! A tray or bowl of water with some toys on a towel on the floor, a fun sink bath, even just sitting with baby at a sink and letting them feel the water on their toes.

What if daycare wants to transition my baby early?

This is SO common! First of all, don’t panic. Second, go read my blog on daycare sleep and transitions- find it here! Your baby will eventually adjust to one nap even if we have to transition early- I promise! REALLY focus on using an early bedtime- your baby will be tired! I vividly remember the tricky early bedtime stage with my first baby- I had just returned to work and struggled HARD to get her fed, bathed, and into bed by 6/6:30PM. I found the best solution was to feed her leftovers from our dinner the night before, then make that nights dinner after she went to bed (repeat all week long!). This helped us feel less stressed after work and allowed us to make super early bedtimes happen during this tricky transitional period.

What to expect as your baby ages:

The good news is that your little one’s schedule will stay mostly the same for quite some time! FINALLY some consistency! The majority of toddlers hang on to their nap until sometime around 2.5-3+ years old. This being said, its not uncommon for your toddler’s sleep needs to slowly change as they grow! If you see bedtime protest ramp up, new night wakes or early mornings it may be time to start capping nap shorter and/or pushing bedtime slightly later. Often around the 18-20 month mark I see sleep needs start to shift.

Are you struggling with your baby’s 2-1 transition? I now offer 30 Minute consultation calls, which are perfect for families needing some help with nap transitions!  If your sleep challenges go beyond dropping a nap, my team and I can always help with that too!