When did your baby/babies go down to one nap per day?

Hi there. We are constantly struggling to get our boys down for their afternoon nap. They nap well in the morning (about an hour and 20 minutes) and go down quite easily. In the afternoon they fight sleep like you wouldn't believe and the duration of their naps is SHORT. I'm worried they're dropping a nap (they're 9.5 months) too early and they're dropping the WRONG nap (isn't the p.m. nap supposed to stick around until 3 or something?). Help! They wake between 6 and 7, nap around 9:15 (wake around 10:30/10:34), nap again around 1:45, and go to bed between 6:30 and 7:15, depending on when their p.m. nap ends.

 

Mine started taking 1 nap per day at 17 months. They would usually go down at noon and sleep for 2.5-3 hours.

 

I am just getting my twinkies down to one nap a day and they will be 18 months. And it seems like my kids tend to sleep better and for longer if they go down at 10 (so sleep 10-1 or 11-2). It has been a struggle and when 5:30 rolls around, they are T-I-R-E-D. I hate to say it... hate the one nap thing... it just cuts right in middle of day and makes scheduling events (ex. in-laws for xmas eve not quite understanding that by wanting us there early they won't nap!) hard. Also doesn't help that I still can't get them to take a nap IN THEIR CRIB and not their swing!

 

My twinkies have been on one nap for two months. They also get up b/w 6 and 7am and go to sleep b/w 6 and 6:30 at night. They nap from 11-2 every day (a lot of my scheduling has to do with driving DS-7yo back and forth to school).

It was HARD in the beginning to make the switch. I did a few different things. The first being, I only tried one nap 2 days a week at first...then three...four...until we were up to all seven. I started to give them a snack and water and juice sippy around 8:30-9ish to give them a jolt just as they were getting sleepy...I left the house everyday around 8:30 or 9 even if it was to just walk around Target.

Good luck :hug99: It's a hard transistion period, but OH SO WORTH IT once they are on one nap. We are ALL happier people

 

My girls had a hard time with napping at that age and Dax is currently going through the same thing. I think it has to do with all the milestones they are dealing with: crawling, standing, babbling, etc. They also start dealing with separation anxiety and seem to become more aware of the world around them so they don't want to miss anything and are easily distracted. The only advice I have is to just keep at it. They grow out of it eventually. On the days that they miss the afternoon nap, you can move bedtime up by an hour.

 

I agree with Ali - 9.5 months is way too young to go to one nap. Mine went through stages of napping badly for one nap and I agree it's all the milestones they are hitting. Like their brains are too revved up! Stick with your schedule - but if after one hour they are not napping, take them out and move bedtime earlier.

Good luck!

 

I would say too early for 1 nap. They need something like 16 hours of sleep each day at that age.

Try reading Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth. This has been my go-to reading for all things sleep since the babies were born.

 

We started napping only once a day around 13 - 14 months... it was taking HOURS for them to get to sleep for the afternoon nap. At bedtime, it was awful because they had too much sleep..

 

Mine went down to 1 nap around 19 months

 

Mine started 1 nap around 8 months. I fought it HARD with the daycare, to the point I switched daycares becuase I thought the first one wasn't letting them nap enough.

Second daycare they napped twice a day for about a week. Now we're back to 1 at 11.5 months. At home they nap 2 times a day almost religously, unfortunately they are in daycare 5 times per week. They wake around 6-6:30 and go to sleep around 6:30-7 p.m. and for the most part are sleeping all night long. Their one nap is usually only about an hour, sometimes more.

I got tired of fighting it and just figured they are busy bodies that don't want to miss the world around them. They don't seem overtired or overplayed, they function just fine they just don't like to sleep.

HCHSH isn't a one size fits all approach. While it may work for most, there are those babies out there that have their own agenda and you just can't tell them otherwise.

 

I'm wondering if it's time to switch ours to one nap, too. They sleep for 2 hours in the morning (10-12) and then sleep again in the afternoon. (2-3 usually). That seems like A LOT, doesn't it? Anyhow, I might try what you are doing, Stacy. 11-2 sounds like a good time. I will try it out after the holidays.

 

Mine started one nap at the beginning of this month, so they were 18 months. I think 9 months is early, but every kid is different. Mine go down at 12:15...dd is up by 2 and ds is up by 3:30. Good luck!!