Do you have specific ages that you switch your dck from two naps to one or do you let them evolve their nap schedule on their own? I'm asking because I have a 12 month old dcg (who I've always let her own body tell me when to switch the naps) and will soon be starting a 14 month old dcb. I want to get them on the same schedule and think I will need to force the issue at some point since they are two different kids. If you do switch your dck at a certain age, what age?

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When my dckids turn a year old...I start transitioning to just one nap a day.

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Same here. This is my first time doing hdc, but when I worked at the cdc we transitioned them at one. They might still take a short nap in the morning until they adjusted, but we didn't dim the lights and we were pretty loud. And it was only if they really really needed one. It took about a month for some, less for others, but it made it so much easier to get everyone on the same schedule!

I plan on doing the same with my hdc. And I did the same with my own daughter too

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My dd was transitioned to 1 nap by 12months or a little after. But, I let it depend on the kid. My 19month dcb started out with 2 naps at 13months and then went to 1 nap for awhile. Now, he's 19months and has gone back to 2 naps. If he doesn't get the morning nap, he starts hitting and pulling hair really bad. He's going through a hitting and pulling phase, but it's way worse when he's tired. Of course, my dcb gets up at 6 and plays hard every day with his older brother before coming to daycare, so it might just be him.

I would suggest trying to get your daycare kids on the same schedule but being flexible if one or both isn't adjusting to your schedule.

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I transition them between 18 months and 2 years old starting the fall. Up until that point they still take a morning nap for me although for some it's only 30 minutes of actual sleep.

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Same here. I also transition from crib to nap mat at the same time.

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I do the transition to one nap around 12-18 mos; depending on the child. I don't transition to nap mat until about 2 (or earlier if they get too big for the crib OR start climbing out of it!).

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Wow Blackcat, one seems so young to sleep on a mat. I can't imagine I could ever get the kids to stay laying down.

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We rely alot on the "Monkey see, Monkey do" methods here.

We really praise kids for taking social cues and copying pro-social behaviors from older ones.

I will usually buddy-up an older kid with a younger kid whenever we are doing any type of group activity (nap time included).

The older kids are far better role models than I could be.

Also, one year olds are ALOT smarter and more capable than most people realize.

I have had a temp (summer only) kid since the first of June. He is 10 months. He got up from his mat twice in the first day and by the second day, he was asleep before the others were all even down.

I honestly don't have a clue how it works so well for me, but i have been doing the same nap routine since the day I opened so I am definitely not going to complain.

I have had only one horrid sleepr/napper in a loooog time and they were evntually termed but not becuase of napping issues.....that was only the tip of the iceberg.

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I started my now 19month on a mat at 13months. KS passed new regs that say mats after a year unless you have the weight info for pack n plays on hand. Dcb HATED the pack n play, so I never bothered. I never had a problem with him getting up off the mat since the other kids were sleeping in the same room.

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Mine transition to one nap gradually; I look for tired cues to know when to lay them down and if I don't see those cues I don't put them down (until the PM nap that is :P)

I have two babies right now; one (mine) is almost 14 months and he usually goes down around now (11 AM) and then again in the late afternoon, or he goes down during the PM nap and goes to bed on the early side. It's about 50/50.

My dcbaby (11 months) usually does one LONG nap a day; about 4 hours, usually from 10/10:30 until 2/2:30. Sometimes he does two shorter naps, though. Like now...DS just went down and I got precisely two minutes of peace and now dcbaby is up. It's like they plan these things...

I do a lot of "baby-led" stuff here, and it's not until they are well over one that I start "forcing" them to a schedule. I believe strongly in letting babies show/say when they need things. There are routines, but they are routine for the baby not routine for the clock, if that makes sense.

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Yes, that makes sense. For my own children I believe in baby led as well, but with the daycare, if I let everyone be on their own schedules, we would never get to go to the park or other outings cause someone is always asleep! And I go batty if i don't get out of the house.

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I do baby led with all the kids unless their schedule has become a problem with the daycare schedule as a whole. Its usually somewhere between 12 months and 18 months that they transition. I keep kids in a PNP as long as possible because most of the kids are in separate rooms and on two floors of the house so its safer here to have them in a PNP versus roaming multiple rooms. Down the road, we will start napping all in one room and I will cot train whoever needs it.

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I transition from pnp and one nap at a yr also.

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I transition to one nap between 18 months- 2 yrs. old. Some children cannot go without that am nap. There are some that wake up around 5:30 for daycare everyday. They cannot go til 12 or 12:30 without a nap. I lay everyone down at the same time in the afternoon, then eveeryone will sleep at the same time.

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That's what I was thinking. I find that if I don't allow morning nap that they are READY by 11:00.

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