Transitioning from 2 naps to 1 nap

Question

My twins are 14 months old and in the process of transitioning from 2 naps per day to 1 nap per day.

They have been in their cribs for about an hour now talking, playing, chattering with one another. I'm thinking at this point the afternoon nap will be a wash.

Blah! They're going to be crabby tonight but we'll deal with it! They'll just go to bed at 7:00 instead of later like they've been wanting to do.

My question is, how long did it take your child to transition from 2 naps to 1 nap per day?

How long did you give them to go to sleep? They're not crying or anything so I don't really feel compelled to get them up... especially because they were acting really tired and grouchy when I put them down.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

My son was a little older than yours when he went from having 2 naps to 1. Basically he was just going for a little longer before he went to sleep for his first nap so we took that guide and kept him awake a little longer and the 2 naps just merged. It took a couple of weeks before his was doing it every day but it worked.  

Answer 2

My daughter transitioned herself, it came to th point where there was just no getting her to take a second nap, on the plus side she now takes one super long nap (3 hours). It took her less time to go to sleep because she was more tired (we transitioned out the morning nap instead of the afternoon one). I have a rule in my house that if my daughter is in her crib and not crying she can stay in there as long as needed to get to sleep, obviously if she's not crying she's not unhappy.

Answer 3

I remember with my twins I felt so lucky because they slept alot but when that stopped, life got harder, lol.

The best thing to do is to combine the morning naptime with the afternoon nap time.  Meaning, try not to let them sleep in the morning at their usual time.. Find something to keep them awake or even put up with the crankiness for like a week or so... Put them to sleep after lunch... and hope they sleep till like 2-3pm... that should be a good nap to help them through the day but still allow bedtime at night.  I know its hard.. I've been there... but you have to troop through the hard part and then it will be smooth sailing.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

at around 11mos, she just stopped napping in the morning. she wakes at 6.30, starts to get tired around 11am but will fight it till 12. she will sleep around an hour, then go to bed about 7.30-8pm

Answer 5

My baby took 2 naps a day when he was 3 and a half months, but he just switched himself to one nap, the only thing is, he sleeps about a half hour longer then he normally would.  He did it on his own and he now 4 mths and a week

Answer 6

Ok, well I only have one little boy. In total I think he took about a month to transition completely. He started on his own actually. He just started napping later and later in the day. And finally I had to not let him sleep for a second one as it was too late for a nap and he wouldn't have gone to bed at any decent time. So I just let him play now until he is tired and he naps, then the same for bed. If he naps early and wants another at 6 or 7pm, I Just play with him a lot to kind of keep him awake so he sleeps good at night. His normal nap time now is around 11 or 12pm and sleeps for 2 hours, then goes to bed between 8 and 9pm. Occasionally when he isn't feeling well he takes 2 in a day, but that's the only time. He did all this shortly after his birthday, along with switching himself to sippy cup.

Answer 7

I realize you'll get far better answers than this one (especially since my only child is just shy of 7 months), but on "John and Kate Plus 8," they have their toddlers take "naps" in which they don't actually sleep.  They're allowed to play quietly as long as they don't bother anyone else.  Even just having some down time is probably good for them, so that could be a good way to transition.  I hope you get some great answers!