Among the questions that Good Night Sleep Site consultants hear the most, “Is it time to transition to one nap yet?” is right up there with “Can I have a snack?” (These questions don’t usually come from the same people, FYI.) To the former, I give the same answer every time:
Hold on to two naps for as long as possible. Even if that means capping that first nap to get the second.
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I get it. Your 13 month-old skips one of her naps at least two days a week. You’re tired of putting her in the crib and seeing the babyfoolery. You’d rather be out and about doing things then glued to your video monitor gritting your teeth and saying, “SLEEEEEEEP.”
Keeping Two Naps Is Worth It
Here’s why we recommend to keep offering two naps for as long as possible, even if you have wonky days every now and then (or even more often than that). The transition to one nap is the toughest and tends to take the longest to pin down. It’s a big jump in “awake” time for the little ones and getting to a solid early afternoon nap time takes some time, sometimes several months. The older they are, the better—and quicker—they adjust to the change.
You can be stuck in the land of “two naps is too many/one nap is not enough” for a stretch. Sit tight. Soon enough the time to transition really will come and chances are, you’ll be missing those two breaks!
For tips on when to know if your child is really (yes, really) ready for the transition, jump over here.
Written by Good Night Sleep Site Consultant.
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