How to Drop the Morning Nap (2-1 Nap Transition)
The transition from 2-1 naps can feel like such a bummer for parents because it seems like you're letting go of a built in break. Where you once were able to rely on two solid naps, the thought of losing one of those can feel hard. However, the great thing about going to one nap, is that you free up your morning to be able to enjoy outings or errands without ruining nap time.
What were previously two naps, consolidate into one long nap, which gives you a few hours of consistent time to yourself in the afternoon! Some parents use this to work from home, to rest themselves, or to catch up on housework etc.
When you have multiple kids, it also gives you more freedom and flexibility to do activities with your older kid(s) that you didn’t previously have.
Toddlers are usually ready to drop to one nap between 13-22 months. We know - that’s a HUGE range! Unless your little one is in daycare and they HAVE to transition to one nap at 12 or 13 months, we very rarely see a child who is ready to 100% drop their morning nap that young. We tend to see that toddlers need a transition period of several weeks.
Like mentioned above, many daycares will automatically transition children to one nap at 12 months. If your child isn’t in daycare, it’s more of a personal / family choice, and you have to find a balance between what your individual child needs and what works best for your entire family.
The transition usually happens gradually, as most toddlers aren’t ready to drop it all at once. There are usually a few weeks of a transition period. Every child is going to be different. Below are some signs your child might be ready to start making the transition.
Signs your child is ready to begin transitioning to one nap
Your child takes a great morning nap, but isn’t tired enough for their second nap. This may look like a longer morning nap and a short afternoon nap or maybe your child won’t fall asleep at all during their afternoon nap.
Your child begins having very short morning naps or won’t fall asleep at all for their morning nap, but takes a great second nap.
Your child begins having uncharacteristic night wakings
Your child begins experiencing uncharacteristically short naps
Your child begins having consistent early morning wakings (between 4am-5am)
Your child begins to consistently struggle to fall asleep at their normal bedtime.
If your child is in daycare, you may not have any control over when they drop to one nap. Don’t stress! You can always make changes to their bed time etc.
Are you sure it’s not just a phase?
For babies under 13 months it’s important to rule out other things before dropping to just one nap.
Things to rule out before making changes:
Are their bedtime and morning wake-time appropriate for their age and their sleep needs?
Are their nap-times and/or wake windows appropriate for their age?
Do they have a solid sleep routine?
Is their sleep environment appropriate?
Are they dependent on someone or something else to help them fall asleep?
Could they be going through a growth spurt?
Are they learning a new skill (like walking) or going through a developmental leap?
What time should the single afternoon nap be?
Between 12-1pm. After 1:30pm, toddlers tend to get a second wind.
Click HERE to get your child’s perfect daily schedule!
How to drop the morning nap:
Begin by shortening the morning nap by 15-30 minutes until it turns into more of a “cat nap”. This allows them to still get a short rest, but not for an excessive amount of time.
If your toddler was previously taking a 1.5 hour morning nap, you may find you need to cap it at 45-60 minutes (or less). The length of their morning nap will slowly decrease over the next few weeks until you drop it completely.
You will need to be the one in control of how long the nap is (i.e. you’ll have to wake your sleeping child to ensure they don’t sleep too long).
You may notice that some days your little one doesn’t act tired at all and may skip their morning nap altogether or they may only sleep for 20-30 minutes. That’s ok!
In the beginning, we suggest always offering the morning nap to them and giving them about 15-20 minutes to fall asleep. If they don’t sleep, get them up and go on with your day. You may need to move their afternoon nap 30 minutes earlier, depending on their mood.
You might find that one day they don’t nap and then the next several days they take their morning nap again. This can go on for several weeks and it’s perfectly normal and ok to be flexible.
Here’s an example of what the transition might look like over several weeks (keep in mind that some days, your child may omit nap #1 completely, and that’s ok!):
Current 2 nap schedule:
Nap #1: 9:30am - 10:30am
Nap #2: 1:30pm
Changes to:
Nap #1: 9:30am - 10:15am
Nap #2: 1:15pm
Changes to:
Nap #1: 9:30am - 10am
Nap #2: 1pm
Changes to:
Nap #1: Drops completely
Nap #2: 12:30pm (2-3 hours)
Is your child struggling with sleep?
If your child struggles with sleep, please know there is help. Our mission at the Goodnight House is to equip parents with the tools necessary to help their babies get the sleep they need and experience more rest, peace, and joy in parenting.
If you’re expecting or you have a newborn (0-12 weeks old), our online Newborn Class is the perfect way to introduce healthy sleep habits and help them get better sleep from day one.
If you have an older baby or toddler, we offer 1:1 Personalized Sleep Plans to help get your child (4+ months) sleeping independently for 11-12 hours per night.