When did you drop to one nap?

[Summerdays2014]

Hi all,

Can I please ask what age your child dropped to one nap? I know it totally depends on the child but I'm just wondering...

thank you

Shortly after her 1st birthday

14 months

Around 11 months

About 10 months.

It was a transition from about 11 to 14 months. Now at 15 months she only ever has one nap and if she seems sleepy in the morning I give her extra food as if the nap finishes before 2pm we have a dreadful night.

Thanks all. If your child wakes up early (5am) did it take longer to transition to one nap?

Around the same time she worked out how to climb out of her cot!
About 14m. She'd still happily nap daily but that would mean she wouldn't fall asleep till gone 10pm

My DD woke early for a while and we went to one nap cold turkey. However, I dealt with the early waking as a separate issue. I had good results with the wake to sleep method.

Youngest was 18-20 months, it was a gradual changer. My older children were about 12 months old.

If your child wakes up early (5am) did it take longer to transition to one nap?

What time baby wakes up is irrelevant really. You shouldn't be forcing the issue, just following baby's lead. If baby is still tired in the morning, baby still needs a morning nap. It's that simple.

No need to "power through" (as it were). When baby is ready to not have a morning nap, he/she won't be tried in the morning. Some days during the transition he will be tired so will have 2 naps. Other days he won't and can manage 1 nap. If baby is tired, get hin to sleep regardless of which phase they might be in.

fate and I disagree on this one! I think that a lot of babies wake up early because they have an early nap, it lets them get away with it if they don't need to last until lunchtime. If you want them to wake up after 7am, they shouldn't be napping before 10.30, ideally 11.30. If they need two naps, the second nap would be a cat nap between 4-5.

Certainly for my DS, if he started to wake up early, I'd push his morning nap and eventually his only nap by half an hour every other day until he was back in sync.

Oh I see! Yes, agree with you there OohNoDooEy

A early morning nap certainly encourages an early wake up in the morning. I don't necessarily link that to changing to one nap though.

An 7 month old, for example, waking at 5am then napping 7am-10am and 12-2pm. Then will be knackered by 6pm so want a very early bedtime - that's a baby who needs a later morning nap. That needs some "powering through" to move the whole routine forward by a couple of hours.

Early waking is not directly a sign, on its own, baby is ready to force the issue and not allow a morning nap. That's what I meant. Early waking defo needs a later morning nap. Sometimes it means no morning nap is needed, not always though. Well, not in my experience anyway.

If you want them to wake up after 7am...

My DD was waking 7am (ish, give or take half an hour either way). From 5 months old right through to 18 months she had a 9am-11am nap and a 1-3pm nap. Bedtime 7-8pm.

They are never all the same...

That was a lovely routine fate! Bet you miss it... I sorely miss naps.

Well, it's swings and roundabouts. Having to grab dd out of bed and rush her into the car for an hour dash around the supermarket at lunchtime isn't fun. With a household of 6, I have a fair load of extends to run so being tied to the baby's cot naps while the older 3 are at school isn't ideal.

I'm not grumbling though. Putting my feet up was lovely.

She now sleeps 12-3, so at least our mornings are freed up.

Errands*

Anyway, we digress from the OP.

Thanks everyone and interesting points. His early waking is one of the reasons I'm considering moving to one nap. Also, he's just started nursery and tends to only have one nap there. At first he was very grumpy on it, but now seems fine, however I am still giving him two naps at home and he goes down for them. You are probably right about taking it on a day by day basis fate.