13 Month Old Moving from 2 to 1 Nap a Day? Need Advice on Naps Please!

Hi C., I am glad you wrote. 13 months is on the young side to be dropping her afternoon nap altogether. It sounds like she is going through the transition which could last for months. She will probably still nap some days and play on others but I think it's still important to put her down and try, even if she just plays at least she is getting some quiet down time. Don't give up on the nap yet, she doesn't sound ready.
Best wishes,
K. Smith
Sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach
www.theindependentchild.com

Totally normal! My son moved to 1 nap at 11 months, my daughter was around 15 months. Now they both take an afternoon nap at 2pm. With my son I had start a little earlier and he eventually moved to 2pm. With her she was fine with 2pm right at the transition!

Your schedule sounds almost identical to the schedule I had with mine when they were that age. Both of my babies dropped from 2 naps to 1 nap at around 15 months and your daughter's afternoon napping behavior sounds very much like what my 2nd baby was doing. He would take his typical morning nap but then wouldn't fall asleep during the afternoon nap, or it would take him a very long time to fall asleep. With both of my babies, I had to gradually ease them into 1 nap toward the middle of the day and the way I did it sounds very much like what you are doing. For mine, they were waking at about 7, 1st naptime had been about 9, so I was trying to keep them up until about 11. It was hard for them to stay awake that long in the beginning, but they gradually adjusted and then they weren't so fussy in the evening before bed. Eventually, I was able to move naptime to about 12/12:30 and now it is even a little later than that if we need it to be.

My 2nd baby had a really hard time not having that morning nap, so for the first few months I would need to do something that would allow him to have a little downtime in the morning. I would usually go for a walk. He would often fall asleep in the stroller. He was able to get a little catnap and then he could happily last until naptime. Sometimes he would fall asleep in the car, too.

He would get really tired before bedtime too, so we had to move bedtime up by 1/2 hour or an hour for a little bit. It took him a long time to adjust to only 1 nap a day, several months I think. And he has rarely slept more than 1.5/2 hours during the 1 nap, but I don't get him up right away and he happily lays in his bed reading books until I get him up. That extra "down time" seems to help him get through the day. My older son likes to have toys in his bed and enjoys some quiet time to play by himself before or after he sleeps (most days he doesn't even sleep anymore - he's 4).

I hope this helps. This can be a tough adjustment period, but she will settle in to a happy new routine before too long.

There is no "formula" for this, and each child is different. But, at 13 months old, they still need a nap. It even helps them developmentally. Even Preschool and Kindergarten aged children have a 'nap' or quiet time.

Just be cautious, about forgoing naps completely. This is sometimes done, but is jumping the gun. Kids will sometimes have nap quirks (due to growth changes/developmental changes etc. as Deanna Leigh mentioned), but it will go back to their regular nap times/routines.

The thing is, you need to cue into her, each day, and put her to nap accordingly.
If she needs to need a morning nap, then do so.
If she seems to need an afternoon nap, then do so. She MAY not actually nap, in the afternoon..but if she 'plays' in the crib... this is likened to her "quiet time" and as long as she is fine and content in her crib playing (not crying or screaming), then you can leave her be in the crib, with no interruption on your part. My son does that too, even for an hour sometimes, just playing/talking in his crib himself completely happy and content. He has his favorite toys in his crib, and he is independent and knows himself.

For me, my 2.5 year old son, STILL naps twice a day (about 90% of the time).... around 10-10:30 (for 2 hours) and in the afternoon after my daughter comes home from school around 3:00-3:30 (for 2 hours). BUT, if he does not seem to need a morning nap, which happens sometimes, then he too just "plays' in his crib, contentedly, and does not complain. When he does start to call for me, then I take him out. He knows that.

My son, since I know him so well, I know when he 'will' nap or not. And when he needs to nap, or will, or will not take his 2 naps a day. Then, I just put him down for 1 nap a day. BUT, everyday, he DOES nap. Always. He cannot last all day without one. Then he goes to bed at night around 8-8:30 and wakes around 7:00am. He is very regular.

I have tired 'consolidating" his naps, more toward noon time... but he gets too tired by then if I skip an earlier morning nap time. BUT....if he naps around noon time, then by the late afternoon, he gets tired again... but because he had a nap later in mid-afternoon, he often cannot nap or cannot nap well at this point. So, I have learned his rhythm, and what is a good time or not, for him to nap.

This routine I have for my son, works for him. My daughter, who is 6 years old, will still sometimes nap, in the afternoon when my son is napping. They are BOTH napping now in fact.

It's finding your child's rhythm, and cue into them.
BUT, the main thing is to have a consistent constant routine....for nap and bedtime. Its easier that way, than to forgo napping altogether, and then having to back-track and then try to get the child to nap again... once you've gotten them out of the 'habit.'

For me, I DO make sure I am home, at my son's nap times, and after-school when my daughter is done with school. I like to keep him/them regular, and I know my son gets tired and naps. He will even tell me when he is tired or needs a nap sometimes. And he will go about getting into his routine. There is no protesting on his part. He just does it. So for me and my kids, this works.

All the best, just my own experience with both my kids,
Susan

C.,

Here's the thing, if you little on is tired at 10 am then she will need to nap then or the rest of her day will be shot. There is not science to when the nap changes, but my son did it by not wanting to nap at all in the morning around 16 months, and then wouldn't go down until around 11:30pm, so it took us around three weeks to adjust and then it was one nap from noonish for about 2.5 hours.

In my opinion, if she's still resting in the afternoon and is still so young I wouldn't worry about trying to make her adjust to one nap. Even if she's in her crib 'playing' she's still resting. My son went through a phase around 11 months old where his naps in the afternoon were just laying around on the bed for a hour or so and then he'd drift off to sleep for an hour, for about two weeks and then, he went back to napping again regularly. So, I wouldn't count the afternoon nap out completely. It could just be a sleep pattern change or adjustment due to growth spurt or new age/stage phase. Trust me her sleep patterns will change again and again, so while it's consistent and everyone is happy, I'd just leave it be.

Really, I think the old saying applies to babies in everyway 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. You have a good routine going, so don't mess with a good thing! The last thing you want is an overly cranky tired baby, who can't enjoy the time she is awake with her family. There is no fixed time as to when you switch to one nap. In fact my Godson napped twice a day until he was almost two years old and then, his Mom swithced because daycare was doing one nap a day. But, again transition is tough for kids and if what you're doing is working stick with it. You want a happy and rested child, not a tuckered out and overly tired one.

Always take the advice of friends and fellow Mommy's (even on here) with a grain of salt, it can come from good experience and thoughtfulness...but, every kiddo is not the same.

Good Luck!

She may be ready for the shift, or she may just be ready for one nap this week, and next week she could bounce back to 2 naps.

Why don;t you just keep doing what's you've been doing? Napptime is a time for them to regulate themselves. As long as she's getting some quiet time -- even if i's to play quiently by herself -- she is getting what she needs.

If you are trying to replace that "naptime"/ "quiet time" with something busier, like running around doing errands, it won't work for her, and she will be cranky.

Everyone has their own natural rhythm, and hers may be that she needs quiet time for an hour or so in the afternoon, to re-regulate.

If you continue to honor her natural rhythms as you have been doing, what will develop later is that she will independently seek out quiet time on her own, to get away from the hub-bub and crowds, so she can collect herself and gather some peace again. You will see her start to develop this in crowded situations, when she may play a while and then need to go outside or away from the crowd and away from the noise. It is an advanced technique that develops in children who are allowed to honor their own rhythms, and are able to have quiet time to regulate themseves.

Lots of Love,
Linda

www.RivieraPlaySchool.com

Hi,C. : )

It has been forever since I dealt with the nap situation, but it sounds to me like your little one is not ready for one nap! I'd continue with the two nap routine for a while longer, and let her play in the afternoon. It sounds like that would be the nap to eliminate, if you have to, right now, as that is the one she isn't using. I'd take advantage of all the nap time you can get with her while you can! You won't get it later! Enjoy!

My 13 month old is like that too.. But he went from 1 long nap 2-3 hours. To not taking a nap at all, but he does go sleep in longer... I try to put him down, i even hold his bath til about 1 in the afternoon, cause a bath use to put make him sleepy. But not anymore. I've just adjusted to him not to him not taking a nap. Most of the time he just falls asleep in his car seat and he takes his little 15 - 20 min cat naps and that seems to work for him. Hope all goes well

my son dropped to one nap at 11 months..which turned out to be nice b/c i didn't always have to rush about as much..but if u want to try to get her back on 2..take her to a park and then at her normal naptime put her in the stroller and walk..and she might just doze off which could get her back on schedule if u do this 2x's in a row..she might only nap for 30 minutes but it will get her body used to falling asleep again at that time..or u might just need to push naptimes back a bit.

I just went through something similar with my 15 month old twin girls. Around 14 months they both stopped taking an afternoon nap and would just play in their cribs. My friend recommended a great book on the sleeping habits of babies which recommended cutting down to one nap between 13-15 months. The author suggested each day moving the a.m. nap up 30 minutes and making bedtime around 5pm until the baby is napping around 12-1p.m. for an average of 2 hours. Then moving the bedtime back between 6:30-7. We did it and it worked. No more nighttime waking, great afternoon naps and happier babies and mommy. They still get a little fussy around 9:30, but by 10a.m. they are in good spirits again.

from what i experienced, during 2-1 transition it took a while. i also think early bedtimes are needed to make up for the wonky days during transition. check out the baby whisperer's website for 2-1 transition tips - i think its babywhispererforums.com...good luck. once we got to 1 nap, life got a lot easier!

Hi C.,
This is what the sleep therapist that I worked with told me. That you should try to keep your baby at two naps for at least another month even if she is only resting in her crib during the second nap. Then gradually push her first nap later and later. She said they should be able to go 6 hrs without napping by 15 months. So eventually your daughter's first nap will be late enough that she won't need her second nap.
Hope this makes sense.
Good luck,
S.

1 nap isn't a bad thing. The Morning nap may be to early. But remember when ever she takes her nap, rather it is morning or aftenoon. The older she gets. Her nap times & the longer she sleeps may effect the time she goes to bed at night. I have a grndson who is almost 4. But since he was abt 1-1 1/2 we started with giving him a 1 hr nap & then a 1/2 hr. because he didn't want to go to bed until 9-10 pm. I just watch her & see.

When I moved my son to one nap, I would put him down around 11, and he did the same thing. I started putting him to bed about a half hour earlier than usual (Moved it from 7:30 to 7) until he got used to the one nap. He now naps from 1-4 and goes to bed at 8. Trying to keep her up a little longer, say lay her down at 12:30 might help too. She will get used to her new schedule in no time!

My daugheter went through the same thing. It actually took her about 6 months to go to one nap after she reached the point when she wasn't sleeping as long during her naps or just quietly played during her later nap. We moved her lunch up to 11:30 and she would go for a nap around 12:30 - 1:00 for 1.5 - 2 hrs. During the transition, I would take it day by day. If she was tired at 10:00, I'd put her down for a nap. If she didn't nap in the afternoon, I'd at least put her in her crib for quiet time. I noticed she would often fall asleep for the last 1/2 hour or so at the end. Over time, she became less and less tired at 10:00. The days she wasn't tired at 10ish, she would take a great nap (2hrs) at 12:30ish. It does take time and readjustment.... just take the clues from your lil one and trust your instincts on her sleep patterns.
Best of luck!

Hi- We just went to one nap, my daughter is 13 and a half months old. First thing I would do is push the first nap to a little later. If she sleeps 12 hours, then I say put her down 3 hours later in the am, unless you think she's really tired, try 2.5. Then I would push the second nap too.If you still want her to go to bed at 730 or 8, Just don't let her sleep as long in the afternoon.Depends on what time the second nap is. My daughters second nap got pushed all the way till 330 in the afternoon and then I would wake her up at like 430, 445 latest, so she'd be ready for bed at 7-730.

My mommy and me teacher taught us this push the nap thing before you give up the second nap. Again, don't push too far, you DON'T want her exhausted before naps, just push a little.

When I went to one nap it was very clear she was DONE with 2. No more tiredness in the am. She's up for 4.5 to 5 hours, lunch, then nap ( Anywhere fro 1.5 to 3 hrs), then up till bed time.She's been doing this for a few weeks now.

Your daughter still sounds tired in the am so I wouldn't give up the second nap quite yet. She's getting there!

L.

I just wrote a post on this topic on my sleep blog, www.lullabyluna.com. Check it out: http://www.lullabyluna.com/2009/03/sunday-sleep-dilemma_2...

C., Sleep Consultant, Blog writer, mother of 3.
www.lullabyluna.com

You are VERY lucky to have such an amazing sleeper. Why mess with such perfection? Let your baby rest when she needs it. Let her play quietly when she needs that too.

Try putting her to bed a little earlier until she is used to having just 1 nap. Maybe an half an hour or so. Good luck!