How do you know your baby is ready to drop to one nap?

[OhTheNaps]

I have a 11 1/2 month old. Around 2 weeks ago or so she started being difficult at some of her nap times. Number of days (not in a row) she ended up skipping her second nap, so went some 7 hours without sleep. Sometimes it is also her morning nap that she fights.

When she fights the nap to the point it’s impossible to get her sleep at home we go for a walk in the pram to give her a chance to fall asleep there if she needs it. Few times she didn’t go to sleep in the pram either.

She seemed fine having skipped the naps, although as we had on and off a couple of weeks of that by now I feel she get’s a bit more fussy. But then I’m thinking am I just thinking that because she didn’t have her two naps and the internet says she should.

I’m working (from home) and my husband is on shared parental leave; i.e. I’m not with her all the time and therefore feel unsure if she has been more fussy or I’m just thinking that as I expect she should.

How do you know if they are ready for one nap? Or how do you go about finding out?

Based on this information, I would suggest she is telling you she doesn't need that second nap. 11 and a half months is a perfectly reasonable time to drop to one.

Try it for a week or so and see how she goes. There is usually a bit of a rough "nap transition" that takes a week for babies to adjust

7 hours is a long awake period, but if she can handle it and goes to sleep easily afterward I would think she is ready

Thanks. Yes, she didn’t have major issues falling asleep in the evenings. I think there was pretty much no difference to the other nights where she had two naps.

We’ll give it a go with the one nap for a week.

This happened to us pretty much as you describe above.
I forced my DD to stay up all morning, moved her lunch to 11.45 and had her down for her "first" and only nap at 12.30.
within a day or two she was sleeping 12.30-3 and then 7pm-6/7am

I assume she was about the same age. Definitely going to try that.