I often get asked when is the best time to drop my little one down to one day time sleep.
First things first; If it’s not broken don’t fix it. If your little one is sleeping well for 2 naps a day settling well at both of these naps and at night is also sleeping through the night they are absolutely fine to continue on a two naps routine. Babies tend to drop to one day time sleep between 12-18 months old. The average age to drop to one nap is around 15 months. Some babies will drop to one daytime nap a lot sooner, somewhere around 10 months and in my experience, these babies are either low sleep needs babies ( which is far less common than most people think ) or babies who have had broken sleep and big external sleep associations for a long time. The later is the most common reason for early day nap dropping. Some signs that your baby is ready to drop to one day time sleep include: *Early rising *Difficulty settling for one or both naps *Only falling asleep when they should be waking up from their second nap. * Taking too long 1/2 hour or more to go to sleep at nighttime * Waking earlier and earlier in the morning Generally, when your baby is ready to drop to one-day time sleep I aim for a nap at around 11am-1pm. This is the middle of their day, not the middle of the day. As they will be sleeping through ‘lunchtime’ i generally recommend that you offer a Lunch/ large morning tea before their nap and another after their nap so they are full satiated during their nap Once you do move to one nap your little one may need some chill out time at around 4 pm. this is usually a good time for some quiet play, some books or a walk in the pram. As your little one transitions to one day time sleep be aware that they may need a catch-up day 1-2 days a week where they have 2 naps. I hope this clears up a few concerns Happy Napping x Elaine
