The 2 to 1 nap transition:
when and how?
Is your 13-month-old suddenly refusing the morning nap, or taking 40 minutes to fall asleep? The move to a single nap may be near. It's one of the trickiest transitions, and one of the most often rushed. Here's how to get it right.
When does this transition happen?
A cohort of 172 children followed from 6 months to 7 years (Weissbluth, 1995, Sleep) shows two well-established naps around 9 to 12 months, then a single afternoon nap between 15 and 24 months. The range is wide: some babies are ready from 12 months, others keep two naps longer. Both are normal.
It's the last big nap transition for a long while: the single nap then usually lasts until 3 to 5 years.
Signs your baby is really ready
- The morning nap is hard to start: more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, several days in a row
- It gets much shorter: from 1 hour down to 20 to 30 minutes
- It ruins the afternoon: baby sleeps well in the morning, then refuses the second nap
- Nights go off track: very early wakings or a drawn-out bedtime, with no other explanation
One or two isolated signs aren't enough. It's the repetition over one to two weeks, outside illness and changes of setting (travel, daycare), that confirms it.
The gradual method
- Push the morning nap later by 15 to 30 minutes every 2 to 3 days: 9:30 → 10:00 → 10:30 → 11:00…
- Aim for a single nap in the early afternoon, around 12:30 to 1:00 pm, right after lunch
- Bring bedtime forward by 30 to 60 minutes during the transition: late-day tiredness is the real challenge of this period
- Accept hybrid days: some days 2 naps, others just 1. The full transition often takes 2 to 6 weeks
What does the day look like afterwards?
Once the single nap is settled, the wake window is usually 4.5 to 6 hours. A typical day:
| Moment | Approximate time |
|---|---|
| Wake-up | 6:30 – 7:30 am |
| Lunch | 11:30 am – 12:00 pm |
| Single nap | 12:30 – 2:30 or 3:00 pm |
| Bedtime | 7:00 – 8:00 pm |
The nap ideally lasts 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Total sleep over 24 hours stays within the 11 to 14 hours for this age (see the full sleep chart by age).
Pitfalls to avoid
- Following the calendar rather than the child: "they're 12 months, so it's one nap now" isn't a reason; watch for the signs
- Dropping the morning nap overnight: sleep debt builds up and nights suffer
- Keeping the usual bedtime during the transition: a recipe for very rough evenings
- Confusing the transition with a few restless weeks: around 12 months, learning to walk can unsettle sleep for a while without the morning nap being the problem
Also worth reading: the bedtime routine, your best ally during transitions.