It’s hard to know when babies go to one nap, but this will help you figure it out and make it easier when you’re dropping the morning nap.
When we have newborns it seems like we never leave the house.
By the time we’ve fed the baby and changed the diaper and burped then it’s basically time for another nap.
We get ready ourselves, get in the car, go somewhere, get out of the car, go inside the store and then BAM baby wakes up and needs to feed again.
So now you’ve gotta find a bench or a bathroom or go back to your car and feed again.
All day.
Fast, simple, and free strategies to implement if baby can’t get to sleep, won’t *stay* asleep, or is unsettled in general.
And every other hour if you’re cluster feeding.Â
Then…. and then… baby turns 1. And starts heading towards 1.5 years of age and it’s time to start dropping the morning nap.
BLESSED FREEDOM.Â
You can run errands and do fun things and get out of the house without having a tired cranky baby.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I?
Read: The No Tears Approach to Running Errands and Doing Appointments With Baby
Create sustainable sleep habits for your little lamb so the whole family can sleep peacefully without the stress, drama, and tears.
Learn More
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How To Know When To Go To One Nap
The general rule of thumb is that babies between the ages of 13 months and 18 months will start dropping their morning nap.
Around this time they’ll go to one nap all day.
I know… that’s a large window.Â
Note: If your baby is 13 months and younger, they are likely not ready to stop napping. You may need to shorten a nap or two, but don’t be mistaken.
Just because baby fights sleep doesn’t mean baby doesn’t need sleep.
Read: The Baby Sleep Myth That Backfires Every Time
Is one of baby’s naps disrupted?
If baby previously took a morning and afternoon nap and now one of the naps (usually the afternoon) seems off, this can be a sign baby is getting ready to wean a nap.
Ask yourself these question if you’re considering dropping the morning nap.
- Does it take the baby a while to get to sleep in the afternoon?
- Is one of the two daily naps restless?
- Does the morning nap seem long and good and then, in the afternoon, baby doesn’t nap as well and get fussy?
- Does baby skip the afternoon nap completely and then get extremely overtired by early evening?
- Is baby taking two short naps instead of two long ones? Or one long one?
If your baby is doing any of those things (and is above 13 months of age) then baby is probably ready to wean a nap.
Read: Napping Tips When Baby, Toddler, Or Preschoolers Share A Room
Fast, simple, and free strategies to implement if baby can’t get to sleep, won’t *stay* asleep, or is unsettled in general.
Which Nap Do You Wean?
You are working towards dropping the morning nap and keeping the afternoon nap.
Why?
Because if baby takes a long morning nap then has to stay awake from 12 pm to 7 pm… baby will be super fussy, overstimulated, and Past The Point.
If baby currently naps from 9:00 to 11:00 ish and then from 2:00 to 4:00 pm ish, you’ll begin to wean the morning nap and keep the afternoon one.
A side benefit of this is that baby may begin to sleep later in the mornings as well.
Read: The Ultimate Guide To Baby Sleep Times (Naps, Nights, & Sleep Tips)
These lovely cards and checklists will help you create and keep healthy wind down and sleep routines for your little ones.
Learn More
How To Drop The Morning Nap
How you decide to drop the nap will depend on baby’s age to a certain extent.
If you have a 14 month old who is showing signs he’s ready to drop, you’ll probably want to Wean.Â
If you have an 18 month old, you can probably go Cold Turkey, and institute a modified nap time for a bit until he can get to the afternoon.Â
Weaning Baby’s Morning Nap
As with anything parenting related, there are multiple ways to do something successfully.
Take these ideas, chew them, and decide what tastes best for your family.
Option #1: Shortening The Morning Nap
Let’s take an example. Here’s a look at Baby Ella’s current routine.
7:00 am wake up, feed and eat, play
9:00 am morning nap
10:45 am wake up from nap, feed, play
12:00 pm lunch, play, errands
1:30 pm nap
3:00 pm wake up from nap, feed, snack, play
5:30 pm dinner, bath
6:30 pm bedtime routine and bed
So, option #1 says to shorten the morning nap, not stop it cold turkey.
Fast, simple, and free strategies to implement if baby can’t get to sleep, won’t *stay* asleep, or is unsettled in general.
In the example above, you would put the baby down at 9:00 a.m., then wake her up around 9:45 or so and not let her sleep more than that.
Then, you’d shoot for a 1 p.m. afternoon nap.
- Baby will likely go to sleep easily at this morning nap, so let them go to sleep at the normal time, but wake them up about halfway through their normal nap time.
- If they normally sleep 1.5 hours, wake then up after 30 to 45 minutes and continue this for a few days.
- Leave the afternoon nap at the same time until you’ve dropped the first name.
- Every few days, go somewhere during the morning nap so that it’s skipped entirely.
- Shoot for a morning nap of about 30 minutes or so. If baby starts having disrupted afternoon naps then you’ll know it’s probably time to drop the morning nap entirely.
This option is my preferred method and I did it with all of my 5 kids at the beginning of the nap weaning process.
Read: How to protect naptime by keeping baby awake in the car
Create sustainable sleep habits for your little lamb so the whole family can sleep peacefully without the stress, drama, and tears.
Learn More
Option #2: Skipping A Day Here Or There
Let’s take an example. Here’s a look at Baby Jonah’s current routine.
6:30 am wake up, feed and eat, play
8:30 am morning nap
10:45 am wake up from nap, feed, play
12:00 pm lunch, play, errands
2:00 pm nap
4:00 pm wake up from nap, feed, snack, play
6:00 pm dinner, bath
7:00 pm bedtime routine and bed
Option #2 is more of a gradual cold turkey approach.
In the example above, you’d go out of the house sometime between 8 and 10 or 11, and then put baby down for the afternoon nap between 12 and 1 p.m.
12 p.m. if baby has all the tired cues.
- When trying to wean from the morning nap, take baby out of the house during nap time and do something that’s mildly stimulating. Errands, grocery shopping, play dates, the park, etc.
- Don’t spend a lot of time in the car or stroller if you’re planning on weaning the nap because that’ll lull baby into sleep at a time when you’re trying to put it off.
- Bring up the afternoon nap slightly if baby has skipped the morning nap (more on that in option #3) to prevent over tiredness and over stimulation.
- While you’re trying to drop the morning nap, try doing this every few days. You might notice baby ready to drop the morning nap within a few weeks.
This can happen naturally along with option 1. You go grocery shopping or do something fun and you may find this happens without effort.
Note: make sure that you aren’t just doing something where baby lulls to sleep in the car.
These lovely cards and checklists will help you create and keep healthy wind down and sleep routines for your little ones.
Learn More
Option #3: Cold Turkey & Bringing Up The Afternoon Nap
Let’s take an example. Here’s a look at Baby Ingrid’s current routine.
7:30 am wake up, feed and eat, play
9:30 am morning nap
11:00 am wake up from nap, feed, play
12:00 pm lunch, play
2:30 pm nap
4:00 pm wake up from nap, feed, snack, play
6:30 pm dinner, bath
7:30 pm bedtime routine and bed
In the example above, you would drop the morning nap cold turkey, then move the afternoon up to around 12 p.m. for a while. Maybe even up to 11:30 or a tad earlier if baby is struggling to make it to 1.
Once baby is having a good afternoon nap, you can gradually move the afternoon back to about 1 p.m.
That’s an ideal time for an afternoon nap in most cases.Â
- If you want to try and go cold turkey, then drop the morning nap and occupy that time while keeping baby stimulated. See option #2 above.
- Move the morning nap up a few hours so that baby won’t become overtired and then unable to fall asleep at nap time.
- Watch and see how baby responds. Some babies will be able to drop the nap and be okay. Some will drop the morning nap, then only sleep for 45 minutes in the afternoon and be perpetually over tired. That’s how you know that option #1 or #2 are more suited to you.
Fast, simple, and free strategies to implement if baby can’t get to sleep, won’t *stay* asleep, or is unsettled in general.
Lengthening Babies’ Afternoon Nap
Something that can tend to happen is that the morning nap gets dropped, and the afternoon nap stays only around 1.5 hours or so.
Or perhaps less.
It’s natural and you should expect a time of adjustment where the nap is shorter than normal. Eventually, the nap should lengthen into two hours, maybe even 3.
- If the nap is shorter than normal, don’t give a big snack or drink upon waking. You don’t want to start a habit of snacking at a time when baby could be sleeping.
- Try to encourage a good feed and snack before the afternoon nap. This should help lengthen the nap’s duration and prevent waking from hunger.
- If the afternoon nap is short and baby is cranky, move baby’s bedtime up 30 minutes or so. If baby is too tired, he won’t go down easy.
Create sustainable sleep habits for your little lamb so the whole family can sleep peacefully without the stress, drama, and tears.
Learn MoreSources:
- Children with irregular sleep routines and durations are more tired throughout the day
- Longer sleep duration was generally associated with better body composition, emotional regulation, and growth in children aged 0 to 4 years. Shorter sleep duration is associated with longer screen time use and more injuries
- Adequate sleep in the first year is critical for optimal infant neurodevelopment
FAQs
As long as they continue to get sufficient total sleep over a 24-hour period, their development shouldn’t be impacted. Babies are adaptable, and their sleep needs gradually change as they grow. Transitioning from two naps to one is a natural part of this process.
Yes, it’s common for there to be some regression in sleep habits when a baby transitions from two naps to one. Maintaining a consistent nap time and bedtime routine, creating an appropriate sleep environment, and being responsive to your baby’s cues can all support them through any temporary sleep disruptions. If you’re concerned about persistent sleep issues or regression, consider consulting with a pediatrician or a sleep consultant for personalized advice and support.
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This drop-a-nap thing sounds like my 12.5 month girl. She never slept for more than 45 minutes twice a day while I was nursing her, but after we weaned last month, her morning nap is 1.5 or 1.75 hrs and she’s sleeping through the night for the first time. (Wake around 6:30 or 7, morning nap starting around 10:30 or 12) and her afternoon nap is very hit-and-miss now (lately nonexsitent). She’s very cranky by the start of her 6:30 bath & bedtime routine. Is she ready for no afternoon nap? She took to weaning very well, but SHE changed the schedule like you flipped a switch. Ideas?
Katie, I’d move up the morning nap to something like 9:30 and let her nap around an hour or so, then try an afternoon nap around 1 or 1:30 and see if that’ll take her to bedtime!
I’ve been transitioning my 16.5 month daughter to one nap for about 5 weeks now. She sleeps through the night, wakes between 6-6:15, but will only sleep for 30-40 minutes during her nap. I’ve tried starting the nap at 11:30, 12:00, 12:30… but it doesn’t make a difference. Then she’s pretty exhausted and cranky by 5:30, so we put her to bed between 6:30-7. Will her nap ever lengthen?
Yes, it absolutely will It can sometimes take about 2 weeks, but it will!
I have a 11.5 month old who has always been a short napper ..
Lately he sleeps 7/8pm-7am (with a feeding early morning)…morning nap is an hour starting at 10/10:30. Afternoon nap is usually miserable with lots of tears and eventually being rocked to sleep and then still only sleeping 30mins max. Ending with an early bed time at 7.
Even if he only sleeps 30/45 mins in the Am his afternoon nap is still a dumpster fire! Everyone keeps telling me he is too young for one nap but I’m not sure what else needs changed! I long for the days when he get 2-3 hours in naps instead of 1-1.5hr total! Please help! ?
Abbu, I’d shorten the morning nap to 30 minutes, move out that afternoon nap until a few hours after the morning nap ends and then it should consolidate a lot easier!
Thank so much for this! We kind of did a cold turkey approach for our 14 1/2 month old. She used to nap at 10:30-noon and then 3:30-5 (or even 4-5:30). Both naps were 1.5 hours. We hated that afternoon nap because she sleeps 8-8 and it was just too late in the evening. Lately we’ve been trying for one nap starting around noon. Problem is she is only napping 1.5 hours – her body has been programmed to nap for that length. She did nap 2 1/2 hours once in this last week but typically it has been 1.5 hours. I know she’s overtired and I know that is not enough because she’s fussy and has been wired at night. How long will it take for her nap to naturally lengthen?
typically within a couple of weeks the nap will lengthen!