I know all children are different, but if you have young ones on 2 naps about what age do you go down to 1 nap and how do you transition them? What times are your 2 nappers sleeping??

I have done this 100x before but I usually only have 1, possibly 2, little ones on 2 naps and now with my newer kids its the majority that are still on 2 naps and I'm not really sure any of them are ready to go down to 1 nap yet but the ONE kid who doesn't take 2 naps ends up alone most of the day and I'm just not crazy about how our schedule is going right now.

I know this will be a non-issue in a few months when I do get them on the 1 nap schedule but I'm just curious how others do it, wondering if maybe I should be doing it earlier than we are, etc.

Reply

as soon as I can.. since we take an early nap at 12 around 12 months I do lunch early and then lay them down at 11:30 or even 11:00 if I need to then slowly they can make it until 12 with the others

My 2x a day nappers go down at 9 for an hour then usually they are ready about 12:30 for the afternoon nap.

Reply

My 2x nappers go down at 9 for an hour to 1.5hrs and then everyone down again for the 2nd nap around 12:30p/1p.

I have 3 infants (7 - 10 months) and then 3 older dcks (2-3yrs).

I usually move to one nap between 12 months and 15 months.

Reply

As soon as my babies turn 12 months, they begin napping once per day with the rest of the kids.

I transistion them to a nap mat at this same time.

Reply

wow, 12 months!!! Mine are all 17-19 months and still on the 2 naps. I usually go to 1 nap about 18 months and the mat after 20 or so months!!

Reply

I am either extremely lucky here or have just had some great kids but I haven't had one older than 12 months still need more than one 2-3 hour nap per day. I don't really know why.

I often think it is because I don't allow parents to just be here ALL day. If I had a kid from 7:30 until 5:30, they would probably require 2 naps per day as that is a long day....heck I would probably need a nap too and I do NOT nap.

I think it might also have to do with the infants I accept. I only take them IF they have a sibling in care or if they have a short daily schedule. I have been burnt out on infants for many years now so I am pretty picky about which ones I do take. HTH

Reply

I am the same. They still need that 2nd am nap. Mine could never go without an am nap!!! I have one that is 2 , that we just went to one nap. He is struggling at 2!!! The two yr. old is up at 5:30 am every morning.

Reply

if mine would go back down at 12:30/1 I'd have no issue but I guess because they are a little older they aren't ready to go back down that early, its more like 2/2:30. So they are awake the whole time older kids are down. I don't mind it much when its one cuddly little baby but now that its the majority of my kids and they are in the 18 month range its not working having them awake when it should be nap time.

I've decided I am only going to allow an hour in the morning, 9-10am, then I'm waking them up. And then hoping to get them back down about 1pm.

Reply

My nephew is 1 and he gets here the earliest at 6:45. I lay him down as soon as he gets here and jump in the shower. Finish up and my next two show around 7:20. They are both 6 months old so they go down. Sleep until my two oldest come around 9:30. All the babies including my daughter (1yr) are usually up right around then. So glad my youngsters are starting to get on the same schedule as everyone else!!

Since the older two come that late I don't do a morning snack since they should have eaten already. Lunch is around 11:30-11:45ish and we are usually wrapping up lunch around 12:15-12:30. They all go down as soon as lunch is over...

Reply

By age two I stop napping twice a day... sometimes it's as late as 23 months, or as early as 12 months that I can trasition from 2 to 1 nap a day - just depends on the child. Those who do get two naps a day, the first is from 9-10am (never longer than an hour, or later than 10am!) and then they go down again at 1pm until 3pm with the rest of my gang.

Reply

Our kids usually transition at 18 months. I usually do it when one nap starts becoming dominant (normally the morning nap progresses to later and longer - causing them to not want to nap in the afternoon).

Honestly, that is one of my least favorite stages - just because they tend to be very fussy and whiney during the transition. I try and accommodate them a little and lay them down a little earlier than the other kids or let them take a 20 minute power nap around 10. Most of the time it is a grin and bear it stage, that will soon pass.

Reply

Typically around 12 months I start making the AM nap much shorter. But I also get the kids who need it down earlier. We have breakfast around 7:30 and by 8:00, all AM nappers are down. This way they can be up at 9:00 or 9:30 at the lastest, and back down for PM nap with everyone else. Once it starts taking me more time to get them down than they actually nap for, then AM naps are done. Like another poster I will move lunch for a couple of weeks if necessary.

Reply

That seems young to me. I usually have them on one nap by 18 mos. but I have a 22 m/o who just cant quitw make it with one nap. My 17 m/o boy is such a crank w/o two naps. Most kids I've seen start to tapper off the am nap on there own around 18 mos.
My two nappers go down at 9 for an hour- 1 1/2 hour then all go down at 1:30 or so for the pm nap. I say, why force them off of a morning nap if there not ready yet. Please dont shoot the messenger! JMO!
Debbie

Reply

Mine are done with two naps at 12 months to. I go from one nap to a mat also seems to work good here.

Reply

I agree that if a child needs two naps then they should have them. I just find that the children nap better if I can get them on the same napping schedule - so the child that needs two naps still gets them, but I try to make the timing so it coordinates with the afternoon nap. A child who is napping in the AM so late that they are not tired until the other kids are waking from their PM nap is probably not going to get the quality sleep that they would if they napped at the same time - and I have had kids refuse to take the PM nap if they knew the other kids were up playing without them! You know how those afternoons go! lol

Reply

ok, I know its only one day but I had them down by 9am this morning and woke them at 10am. By 1:15 they were both rubbing their eyes and getting cranky so down they went.

Reply