What Age Do Infants/toddlers Give up Their 2Nd Nap?

Updated on August 08, 2008
M.B. asks from Libertyville, IL
15 answers

My son will be one next week and he's starting to only want to take one nap from 10/11 till 2 or so. Is this normal to give up the second nap at age 1?

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

The great thing about children is that they all do things at different times of their lives. Different stages at different times. Some learn things earlier because of older siblings or parents that have every minute of every day to spend teaching them etc. Just enjoy things one at a time as they come. Take the time to "smell the roses" slowly.

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J.M.

answers from Decatur on

My daughter gave up her morning nap before she was 1 so I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Every child is different. She was wanting to sleep the same time your son is but I didn't want that since it's right over lunch time. I gradually moved it so she sleeps from 1-3 or 4.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter transioned to one nap right around the same age as your son. She is 17 months old now and still takes just the one 2-hr nap in the middle of the day. I think your son is normal.

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C.G.

answers from Chicago on

yes M. it is right around one. i didn't mind my girls giving up that nap as it frees up some of your day. we tried to keep them up till they ate lunch then put them down for their one nap and slowly pushed it back until they eventually napped everyday at about 1-1:30. Good luck!

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E.P.

answers from Chicago on

That's about the age when my son gave up his nap. So, I transitioned the nap from earlier to 1-3 pm (and sometimes a little later) so that we would have the mornings to play). My daughter is three years older and, at the time, it was easier on her schedule, too.

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S.M.

answers from Chicago on

your child is perfectly normal!

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L.S.

answers from Chicago on

It's very normal. In daycare centers it's a requirement to be down to one nap in order to move up to the toddler class from the infant class.

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T.C.

answers from Chicago on

My son went to 1 nap at 15 months, and it suited him just fine. We realized his 2nd nap was taking away from his nighttime sleep & he was going to bed too late. The 1 nap suited him much better once we realized it was time to convert. When we did this, his nap became a regular 3 hours (and now...10 mo. later is still usually 2+ hours).

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D.G.

answers from Chicago on

He is right on schedule for more of a toddler schedule of just one nap! I use to teach daycare for infants and toddlers and once our infants went into the toddler room (between 12-15 months) they would switch to one nap!

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K.B.

answers from Chicago on

That's around the age both of my kids have given up their second nap. My 18 month old daughter has been on one nap since she turned one or shortly after. You'll love it! One long nap is heaven! :O) Enjoy your precious boy!

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J.P.

answers from Chicago on

Mine dropped his AM nap at 13 months.

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M.K.

answers from Chicago on

Here are the statistics I've been given:

12 months = 17% of children are taking one afternoon nap
82% take two naps
15 months = 56% are taking one afternoon nap
43% are taking two naps
18 months = 77% are taking one afternoon nap
22% are taking two naps
21 months = 88% are taking one afternoon nap
24 months = 95% are taking one afternoon nap

My son is currently transitioning to one nap and he is only 14 months old. After being in denial(!) for 3 weeks and watching his behavior, I determined that he did need to begin his transition to one nap.

The only question I would have about your son is the timing of the nap. If you are okay with a 10am-2pm nap, then great. But is your son able to make it to his normal bedtime without meltdowns and terrible, cranky behavior? Although this is personal preference, we try to keep single naps around the 12:30 or 1:00pm timeframe. That way, my kids can make it through the afternoon without being overly tired.

If your little one cannot make it through the rest of the day on his one 10am nap, then I would not encourage you to push one nap. Instead, I would try to put him down a little bit earlier in the morning (9 or 9:30am) and limit his nap to only 1 or 1 1/2 hours tops. Yep, this means waking him up. The, he should be tired again for his pm nap.

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M.B.

answers from Chicago on

Hi M.
I feel like I am reading a post of my current life! My little boy turned 1 in late June and right away he started doing one long nap at like 10am until 1 or sometimes even 2pm! Of course this messed up the pm nap and he got really tired towards dinner. However, your little guy is right on track adn that is totally normal to drop to one at this age.
What I am doing to make it more of a pm nap is slowly trying to hold him off to closer to 11am or even 11:30a. My 3 y/o daughter starts preschool next month and I will need him to nap AFTER she gets home so I don't have to wake him while driving to pick her up.
Good luck and enjoy your little one!!
M.

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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

Follow your son's lead. My daughter gave up her second nap earlier at about 8-9months. She was only sleeping 30-45 minutes for her morning nap and was sleeping even less with her afternoon nap. So we actively engage her throughout the morning and feed her lunch at 11:45/12:00 and she is ready for her nap right after lunch. Ever since the switch to only one nap she takes a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. Our bodies have natural cycles and maybe his is just fine with one nap. I'd make sure he was getting lunch before putting him down for a nap since balanced meals spaced thoughout the day are just as important as a balanced sleep cycle.

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K.L.

answers from Peoria on

Hi M.,

I think your son is normal. Mine son dropped down to 1 nap a day right around 1 yr old. I transitioned his nap right after lunch around 12-12:30 till about 2:30-3pm. That way we had our mornings and then the afternoon/evening for play.
He did just fine. He kept on that schedule until he started kindergarten.

Hope it works out for you.

K.

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