12-18 months · 4 min read
Dropping from 2 naps to 1
The 12-18 month transition that breaks bedtime if you rush it - and how to do it slowly.
Do not rush this one
The 2-to-1 transition is the messiest of them all. Most babies are not ready before 13-15 months, and rushing it usually produces a 5am wake-up or a 45-minute bedtime battle.
The classic sign: the morning nap is fine, but the afternoon nap is refused, and bedtime keeps getting later.
The alternating schedule
For two to three weeks, alternate: one day with two naps, the next with a single early lunchtime nap. On one-nap days, move lunch and the nap to 11:30-12:00 so your baby is not awake for 6 hours before bed.
Cap the single nap at 2 hours. Anything longer and bedtime slides past 20:30.
What a settled day looks like
Wake around 7:00, nap 12:00-14:00, bedtime 19:00-19:45. That is a 5-hour first window and a 5-5.5 hour second window - long, but normal for a toddler.
Alternate days for 2-3 weeks. Cap the nap at 2 hours to protect bedtime.
Guidance only, not medical advice. Every baby is different — adjust to your baby's cues and talk to your pediatrician about any sleep concern.