When Do Babies Drop to One Nap? The 2 to 1 Nap Transition

When do babies drop to one nap?

Most babies drop from two naps to one in the second year: Plunket in New Zealand says a toddler will likely be ready to make the switch between 12 and 18 months, and Nemours KidsHealth says most toddlers condense their two naps into one afternoon nap at around 18 months, or sometimes sooner.

The HSE in Ireland says children usually reduce to one nap a day from 1 year or over, and that at 12 to 15 months they usually have one nap in the middle of the day. Tresillian in Australia says babies will often move to one sleep per day closer to 14 months.

That puts the HSE and Tresillian at odds at 12 months, the age by which Tresillian says a baby will be having two daytime naps.

Age	Naps a day	Source
4 months	Three, for most babies	Canadian Paediatric Society
6 to 9 months	Usually reduce to two	HSE
6 to 12 months	Probably go from three to two longer naps	Canadian Paediatric Society
8 to 12 months	Likely still two	Nemours KidsHealth
By 12 months	Two daytime naps	Tresillian
12 to 15 months	Usually one, in the middle of the day	HSE
12 to 18 months	Likely ready to move from two to one	Plunket
Closer to 14 months	Often one	Tresillian
Around 18 months, or sometimes sooner	Most toddlers down to one afternoon nap	Nemours KidsHealth
Approaching 3 years	Probably one, though many still have a second nap at some point in the day	Canadian Paediatric Society

What are the signs a baby is ready for one nap?

One sign is a toddler who goes down easily for one of their naps while the second nap of the day is generally a struggle, which Plunket calls a good indication they are ready to move to one nap per day. Nemours KidsHealth says a toddler who fights the morning nap is probably ready for just an afternoon nap.

Plunket advises watching your toddler's behavior around nap time. It also says a 1- to 2-year-old might be overtired if they miss their morning or afternoon sleep, and that an overtired child has trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

Is 11 months too early for one nap?

At 11 months, a baby is still likely to take two naps a day: Nemours KidsHealth says a baby aged 8 to 12 months will likely still take two naps a day, and Tresillian says that by 12 months a baby will be having two daytime naps.

The ages the HSE, Plunket and Tresillian give for the move to one nap all start at 12 months or later, so 11 months sits just before the earliest of them. These are typical ranges, and Tresillian advises being guided by your baby's cues.

Naps also matter for night sleep. The HSE says children who are well rested find it easier to get to sleep at night, and the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), in its advice for babies up to 4 months, says keeping a baby awake during the day will not help them sleep longer at night.

Tresillian gives an average awake window of around 3 to 4 hours, including playtime and feeding, for 11- to 12-month-olds, and the HSE says to think about how long your child has been awake and judge when they're due to sleep.

How do you transition from 2 naps to 1?

Plunket recommends changing the routine gradually, for example by moving nap time 30 minutes every few days, and says it may take a few weeks before a toddler really settles into the new routine.

• Aim for the middle of the day. Plunket calls around lunchtime the ideal time for a daytime nap, and the HSE says children aged 12 to 15 months usually have their one nap in the middle of the day.
• Expect a shorter nap at first. Plunket says the one nap may be shorter than usual during the transition, and that ideally it will last a couple of hours.
• Fill a short day with a rest. If the single nap is not long enough, or comes earlier than you want, Plunket suggests a rest or a catnap to get your toddler through to bedtime without getting overtired.
• Keep the nap away from bedtime. The CPS says naps that are too late in the day can affect nighttime sleeping in 1- to 2-year-olds, and the HSE says babies over 9 months of age should not sleep after 3:30 p.m.
• Look at bedtime. The CPS says fussiness, crankiness or trouble staying asleep at night might come from too little naptime or a bedtime that is not early enough.

What else can disturb a baby's sleep?

Teething, separation anxiety and illness can each disturb a baby's sleep. Nemours KidsHealth says sleep problems are common in the second half of a baby's first year.

• Teething. The NHS lists not sleeping very well and being more fretful than usual among teething symptoms, and says first molars come through at around 12 months. It also says teeth sometimes come through with no pain or discomfort, or only mild symptoms that last a few days.
• Separation anxiety. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that, beginning in the second half of the first year, separation anxiety can cause many nights with disrupted sleep, and a child may wake several times and cry anxiously for one or both parents. The AAP says it usually fades somewhere around the second birthday.
• Pain or illness. Nemours KidsHealth lists discomfort, such as teething pain or illness, among the reasons a 1- to 2-year-old may begin waking at night.

How many naps and how much sleep does a baby need by age?

The CPS says most babies need three naps a day by 4 months and will probably go to two longer naps between 6 and 12 months, and its chart gives 12 to 16 hours of sleep in 24 hours for 4 to 12 months and 11 to 14 hours for 1 to 2 years, naps included.

Nemours KidsHealth says most babies aged 8 to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours a day, including a stretch of 9 to 12 hours at night. Plunket says sleep at 1 to 2 years is normally made up of one or two naps during the day and a 10 to 12 hour sleep at night.

Nap length varies widely. Nemours KidsHealth says some babies aged 8 to 12 months nap for 30 minutes and others for up to 2 hours, and the CPS, writing about babies aged 4 to 12 months, says some nap for as little as 20 minutes at a time while others sleep for 3 or more hours. For totals across the first year, see how much sleep is normal.

When should you call your pediatrician about naps?

Talk to your pediatrician if your child regularly snores loudly or seems to stop breathing and then gasps, if sleep problems seem severe to you, or if you have any question about your baby's sleep.

• Regular loud snoring, or seeming to stop breathing for a short time and then gasping. The CPS says this can be a sign of a problem.
• Sleep problems that seem severe to you. Nemours KidsHealth says to talk with your doctor about these, giving recurring nightmares as an example.
• Any symptom that worries you. The NHS says to get medical advice if your baby has any symptoms causing you concern, and lists a slightly raised temperature, less than 100.4°F (38°C), among teething symptoms.
• Any question about your baby's sleep. Nemours KidsHealth says to talk with your doctor if you have questions about your baby's sleep.