The one nap transition

MamaMD · August 2014

Not sure if this has been discussed before, I find the search function a little daunting. Anyway...

If your LO is at one nap a day, how did you do the transition? Specifically, did you just drop the morning nap and put LO down in the early afternoon (I'm thinking 12-1 ish)? Or did you slowly push the morning nap back over time? My LO still goes down fairly easily in the morning around 9:30 but lately has been fighting her afternoon nap, either not sleeping at all or falling asleep for a short time after playing/fussing in the crib for over 40 minutes. Since she goes down easily in the morning, and usually sleeps for 1-2 hours, I feel like she will be miserable if I force her to stay up until 12 or 1.

Also, bonus question: What are you doing about lunch? Right now she eats lunch with us sometime after her morning nap at a "typical" lunch time around 12-ish.

delino · August 2014

She was taking one nap at DC and two at home, but started fighting her afternoon one. I tried to keep her occupied during that 9:30-11:30 timeframe when she would normally nap. We'd go outside or go shopping, etc. Then I'd give her an early lunch around 11:30. For the first couple of weekends she was falling asleep during lunch. Now she doesn't show the slightest interest in napping in the morning.

pnutg · August 2014

C usually naps around 10:30 or 11 and sleeps for 2 hours. So sometimes lunch isn't until 1:00, but he does eat a snack before lying down. He transitioned himself to the one nap and does go to bed closer to 7:30 now.

DiFazette · August 2014

beaubecca said:
Daycare transitioned him for us - he eats lunch about 11:15 then naps 12-2 then eats again around 2:30 or 3. He goes to bed about 7:30 and it works out well.
At first he was still napping earlier at home on the weekends then taking a second in the late afternoon but now he usually sticks to the same schedule as daycare. He got used to it after a few weeks.

Eta the key to transitioning was structured play or activity in the morning and a big breakfast.

This is our exact schedule too.

MamaMD · August 2014

Thanks guys! I was selfishly hoping to stay with 2 naps for a while longer since it had been working so well and it gave me some predictable times to shower, work, do laundry etc. She is still in the older infant room at daycare and still taking 2 naps there pretty consistently, sometimes even sleeping 2 hours in the afternoon (which is kind of annoying since she won't do it for me!). But she will be transitioning to the toddler room soon and it's only one nap once she does. I think I will find out what that naptime is and maybe aim for that.

kelseyhh · August 2014

Emmett had has a pretty hard time with the 1 nap transition. He still has to take 2 sometimes.

We just eliminated the 1st nap and tried to keep him as busy as possible in the morning. We go to the park, do a craft, etc. He eats lunch around 11:45 and then naps at around 12:30.

huzzahuzza · August 2014

J also still has a rough time with it but he's also an inconsistent sleeper...
We are in the process of pushing it back. I try and keep him busy until 11 now.
Lunch happens after he wakes up.

MAdams728 · August 2014

L pretty much dropped her morning nap on her own, so I'm probably not much help! We do lunch at 12, and around 1 we start getting ready for nap. She is usually asleep by 1:30, and sleeps for 2-3 hours.

I like this routine, I have my whole morning to run errands without having to worry about her morning nap.

MamaMD · August 2014

MAdams728 said:

L pretty much dropped her morning nap on her own, so I'm probably not much help! We do lunch at 12, and around 1 we start getting ready for nap. She is usually asleep by 1:30, and sleeps for 2-3 hours. I like this routine, I have my whole morning to run errands without having to worry about her morning nap.

Ha! This is what I was expecting...that she would shorten or drop the morning nap, not the afternoon one. Less work for me that way. These babies! Since I hadn't decided what to do yet we just went with our usual routine today. I literally put her down for her afternoon nap 10 minutes ago and she's asleep! She just wanted to throw Mama off a little I guess. But I think we will be transitioning to the one nap pretty soon...

HZ2012 · August 2014

LO always napped at around 9:30am and then again by 2:30 pm. Like your LO he stopped falling asleep at 2:30. instead of putting him down at 9:30am, I pushed it to about 11. He was fine as long as we kept busy.

I give him a snack before his nap, and then he gets lunch when he wakes up. Usually that's between 1-2.

Coincidentally, he started waking up later in the morning after we went to 1 nap, but going to bed at the same time at night. So he's making up for the lost hour or 2 from his morning nap which is nice

mslynn2012 · August 2014

We just stopped putting him down in the morning. He lets me know when he's ready for his nap pretty clearly around noon.

snowgirl427 · August 2014

J did it on his own. He typically naps from 11-1 pm and eats lunch then. (He has a snack at 10:15 or so). He will usually fall asleep for about 15 mins on the way home which makes dinner time a little more pleasant.

He has been going to bed much later though... Between 8:30 - 9. He used to be asleep by 7:30.

john5111 · August 2014

I thought mine was ready since he was doing the same thing not wanting the afternoon nap..so I tried to keep him awake he kept wanting to fall sleep...and put him down after lunch around noon thinking hed take a long nap and then he only slept like an hour and then was so overtired the rest of the day. UGH! Im hoping eventually well be able to get to one. The morning one hell sleep and sleep and I often have to wake him up.

c-elizabethf · August 2014

Madison just started doing it and i just followed her cues, she sometimes goes down earlier but since she went to bed late last night her nap will probably be at 12:30-2 or so. I will feed her lunch at 12

snowgirl427 · August 2014

beaubecca said:

Q

snowgirl427 said:

J did it on his own. He typically naps from 11-1 pm and eats lunch then. (He has a snack at 10:15 or so). He will usually fall asleep for about 15 mins on the way home which makes dinner time a little more pleasant.
He has been going to bed much later though... Between 8:30 - 9. He used to be asleep by 7:30.

On the way home from where? I thought your mom watches him at your house?? And PS - How are you? I miss youuuuuuu!

She watches him at her house, lol. It's about a 15 min drive. I work from their guest house... so yes, at 36 years old my mom typically makes me lunch and breakfast during the week

I miss you too!

rebaann · August 2014

I don't think Nug is ready for one nap yet. She had a horrible nap week last week and was a hot mess of short naps, no naps and bedtime tantrums. She usually takes two 1 - 1.5 hour naps at day care at 11:00 and 3:30. I just this week pushed her bedtime back to 7:15-7:30 from 7:00. She still slept 12 hours the last two nights.

bhjones1980 · August 2014

I am torn on doing the transition since he is still happy and solid with 2 naps, he wakes up between 7am and 7:30 every day, he naps from around 10:30 to noon in the morning then from 3 to 4:30/5pm in the afternoon, goes to bed at 8pm.

So if it ain't broke....

other than schedules and such is there any reason to transition them if they are still taking good two naps?

bhjones1980 · August 2014

SpankingShank said:

I am torn on doing the transition since he is still happy and solid with 2 naps, he wakes up between 7am and 7:30 every day, he naps from around 10:30 to noon in the morning then from 3 to 4:30/5pm in the afternoon, goes to bed at 8pm.

So if it ain't broke....

other than schedules and such is there any reason to transition them if they are still taking good two naps?
I wouldn't. How are you doing @bhjones1980‌ ?

I am good, trucking along!

MamaMD · August 2014

@bhjones1980 I can't think of any reason to force the transition unless they weren't sleeping well at night or something. I am dreading going to one nap. Since I started this thread my LO seems to be heading back to the 2 nap schedule. 2 naps every day for the past 4 days. Go figure! I am hoping she stays with 2 naps a little longer though.

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