Again with the two naps, one nap!

Hi mamas, just posted on another thread but thought I'd ask my own questions, in case someone else is wondering the same thing:

1. At what age did you try the transition? Mine are 13 months corrected and showing signs of being ready to try the one nap challenge.

2. How long did you try it out for? Is there a point where you give up and go back to 2 naps? I assume if they are very cranky and fussy, or falling asleep at times other than the nap times?

3. Do/did any of you feel guilty during the transition? I feel like I am depriving them of proper rest and brain development, call me crazy. We're only going into day 3 of the new schedule though so I know I need to wait it out a bit.

Thanks for input

 

The first time I tried the one nap thing was when they were 14 months old and I gave it almost two weeks and threw in the towel. :faint: They were beyond cranky and obviously tired. It turned out for my two, it was just a phase of not wanting to do two naps and at this time they did go back to two. :good: At 18 months we transitioned to one nap and it was a much smoother ride. :good: I didn't feel guilty because they made the choice. They stopped taking either their morning or noon nap, so it was their decision that one was enough.

Hang in their momma. :hug: It is actually easier with one nap.

 

1. I made the transition at 15-16 months
2. They did not have to go back to two naps, however, they were more then ready to go to one nap. I was in denial and did not make the transition for a month.
3. I did not feel guilty, they were ready to make the transition. I felt bad for not listening to them sooner.

 

Still doing 2 naps, not ready to transition to one nap, will hold out as long as possible...they only get one nap when we run errands in the afternoon though, and then they will sleep some in their carseats, they are cranky babies when they do not get their naps...LOL...I am sure they will let me know when they are ready for only one nap a day...i enjoy the 2 naps so i can get my things done...speaking of which, time to put down for morning nap...good luck!

 

My guys are 17 months (almost 18), and while Nate was probably ready to go to 1 nap about a month ago, Jack still really needed 2 naps. I'd put them down for the morning nap and let Nate fussle and buzzle for 1/2 an hour or so then if he didn't sleep I'd :spy: into their room and grab Nate while Jack was sleeping. In the last week or so neither of the boys have been going down for their morning nap, so I decided it was time to try 1 nap. We're only a few days into the process, but they're doing okay. We have to give them lunch earlier, and the afternoon nap is a little wonky (sometimes they're too wound up and don't go down easily even though they're exhausted).

I'll give this at least 2 weeks to work itself out before I decide if it's right. But I really think they're ready.

I don't feel guilty because they're growing and changing every day, and I'm trying to be flexible enough to listen to their needs!

 

We are in the middle of the switch now!

1. At what age did you try the transition? They are almost 17 months and we started it at the first of the year so at about 16 months.

2. How long did you try it out for? We aren't going back - they will eventually get it! They were fighting one of their naps for a month or two and finally decided to move up the afternoon one and eliminate the morning one. So far it is going ok, but they do sometimes get overtired and fight the afternoon one and a couple of times they have been super sleepy in the morning and fighting to stay awake. For the most part, though, they have done pretty good and typically take a 2.5 - 3 hour nap now!

3. Do/did any of you feel guilty during the transition? Not at all - I didn't want to do it really, but my daycare said that they were ready, it was obvious to me that for the most part they were ready on weekends, and I know that if they take a 2 hour nap they get plenty of sleep when combined with their 11+ at night.

 

Hi! I have transitioned over to one nap, & I did it at around 12 and a half months - right around Christmas. It took a week for the girls to straighten themselves out and get used to one long nap. Halfway thru the week I second-guessed myself & tried putting them back to 2 naps - it was a disaster. I would say that if you feel that they are ready, then they probably are!

I stuck at it for a week, & the girls were really well adapted to their new schedule by the end of that week. They get up between 6:30/7am, & go down for a nap around 11:45/12 noon. Ususally they nap for 2, sometimes 3 hours. I did have to adjust their bedtime though - they had been going down at 7pm, & we moved to back to 6:30. They seem to have gradually stretched it out to 7pm again though, over the past 2 weeks.

I went to one nap because they were being inconsistent with their afternoon nap, & following Weissbluth's advice he recommends protecting the pm nap & pushing the morning nap back. My girls were taking a 1 1/2 hr am nap & refusing their pm nap - it was ugly. Even if I limited their morning nap to 1 hour, the afternoon was still gruesome.

I didn't really feel guilty about it at all. The girl were really tired around lunchtime for a few days, but they adapted really quickly and were definitely ready for 1 nap/day.

Good Luck!!

 

We have been dealing with this transition for almost 2 months now. We are at about 1-nap 4-days per week now. What happens is when they are really cranky they walk down the hall, point to their nursery, and say night night. We then read to them, turn on the sound machine, and see if they fall asleep. The 1st nap we usually get 2-3 hours out of them and they fall asleep within 10 minutes. Then some days around 3pm they start asking for a nap again. If I hear them playing around for 20-30 minutes I take them out of their cribs. I hope that one day they will fully transition to one nap, but if they are cranky & asking to go to sleep I am not going to deprive them of it. At least that is our feeling right now.