The Dreaded 2 to 1 Nap Issues

The 2-1 nap is a transition and things are going to be whacked for awhile. When my son switched over (at 13 months) it began as a mid-day nap and lasted that way for probably 6 months. During that time he did need to go to bed earlier. Finally, around 20 months he began the typical 1 PM nap time that is now closer to 1:30. Of course he sleeps much later, until 4:30 or 5 sometimes. He now goes to bed later as well, 8:30 PM. This will be our schedule for awhile but I AM SURE when he drops his nap he will begin to need to go to bed earlier since he will be napless. Just read her cues, see if there is a pattern (such as 12 everyday she gets crabby), pick a time and make that nap time. As she gets older you will progressively move it later and later until it resembles a "typical" toddler nap schedule.

D., I am going thru the exact same thing with my dd (14.5 months) right now. My dd is taking FOREVER to fall asleep for her naps and sometimes just won't do it. We call it 'rest/quiet time' and if she doesn't sleep after an hour or so, I'll just get her out of the crib. Good thing is she doesn't cry, just plays and talks.
She's an early riser, 6am most days. So, by 9ish, she's fussy and tired again, even though when I put her down she doesn't fall asleep right away or quickly. I don't get it!!! LOL! Most days, she will fall asleep by 9:30 and sleep till 11. I have thought of only letting her go an hour so that she will take her pm nap more easily. Some days it works, other days it doesn't. Some times I feel bad about waking her and that I should let her sleep, but I really don't know.
I have tried one nap a day for a few days, but it's totally random. The first day she slept 11:30-2:30. I was like 'awesome!'. But nope. The next day, I did the same thing and she only slept 1.5 hours and then wasn't tired till about 4 and I didn't want to let her nap then b/c normal bedtime is around 7-7:15.

I like pp's suggestion about taking her out at 9am (even though she's showing signs of being tired) and running errands or playdates or whatever. Just something totally different than what she's use to. It might work out! Then if I could get her lunch by 11 and then nap at 11:30 and bed by 6:45-7. This is something that I've been thinking about for a week or so and just haven't acted on it.
Oh, I also read recently that it can take them a little while to get use to napping 2-3 hours straight. So, hang in there! We'll get it worked out soon! Good luck.

We recently went through this. I knew it was time to switch from two to one when he napped nicely in the morning but was a bear for the second one. He wouldn't nap in the afternoon and was super cranky and unbearable until bedtime.

We followed the same schedule we always have (we have used Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and have had outstanding results). When we decided to go to only one nap, when it was 9:00 - time for his normal morning nap - we made sure we did something completely different to pull his focus away from his normal schedule. We would pack him up and go run errands, put him in a stroller and take a walk, go to the park and play. We'd do anything to distract him from the thought of sleeping because he had gotten so used going to a nap at 9:00. Much to our surprise, he just merrily went along with his day and didn't seem to miss his morning nap at all. We do put him down earlier for his afternoon nap (shortly after lunch, anywhere from 11:45 - 12:30) than we had in the past (which was 1:00). He wakes up from his nap anywhere between 2:45 - 3:30. When we first started the process, he showed signs of sleepiness a little earlier than his usual bedtime so we just put him to bed earlier than normal.

Thankfully it's been a very smooth transition. I like to chalk it up to consistency and routine, and paying attention to his sleep cues. Good luck to you!

Thanks for posting this! I am going through this now too and my son is waking up earlier... 5-5:30am!! I am wondering if he is overtired... so somedays I would do 1 nap, somedays 2 naps but it actually made his schedule all funky. So I have been trying to consistently trying to put him down at 12-12:30. The first time we went to one, he slept so long! But ever since, he's been sleeping shorter and shorter. But I also heard that the naps will get longer once they get used to it. I don't have much advice but I wanted to let you know I sympathize!! =)