The 2 to 1 Nap Transition: When and How to Switch to One Nap

The Quick Answer

Most toddlers switch from 2 naps to 1 between 14 and 18 months, with 15 months being average. The signs are a fight over the morning nap or the second nap, and a bedtime creeping past 8:00 p.m. To make the switch, drop the morning nap and put your toddler down for one long nap about 5 to 5.5 hours after waking, and no earlier than 11:30 a.m., with lunch beforehand. Expect it to take 1 to 2 weeks to settle.

It can be hard to know when your toddler is really ready to switch from two naps to one. A rough week of nap refusal doesn't always mean it's time. I'm Sarah Mitchell, founder of Helping Babies Sleep and author of The Helping Babies Sleep Method. Below are the signs I look for with families, and how to make the switch as smooth as possible, using the timing pillar of The Helping Babies Sleep Method.

Why Do Toddlers Transition to One Nap?

As your toddler can stay awake longer, two naps stop fitting comfortably in the day. The morning nap pushes the afternoon nap later, and the afternoon nap pushes bedtime later. Moving to one nap consolidates daytime sleep into one big nap, which keeps bedtime reasonable and protects night sleep.

What Age Do Toddlers Go From 2 Naps to 1?

Most toddlers make the shift around 14 to 15 months. I've seen toddlers as early as 13 months and as late as 18 months. By 18 months, most toddlers are on one nap. Once your toddler is consistently on one nap, that nap usually lasts until close to age 3, when kids stop napping altogether.

Signs Your Toddler Is Ready for One Nap

These signs count when your toddler is already getting 11 to 12 hours of sleep overnight:

1. Fighting the morning nap. You put them down and they fight it, never fall asleep, or just play in the crib.
2. Shorter and shorter morning naps, such as 30 minutes.
3. Fighting the second nap. They go down fine for the first nap, but 3 out of 5 days the second nap just doesn't happen.
4. Naps are drifting late. The first nap starts after 10:30 a.m., or the second nap starts after 3:30 p.m. If the first nap starts after 10:30 a.m., the second nap lands around 3:00 p.m., a hard time of day for most kids to nap.
5. Bedtime is pushing past 8:00 p.m. Your naps are stealing sleep from the night.

One more check: your toddler should be able to stay awake about 5 hours before the nap. They might be a little tired, but they shouldn't be falling asleep at the table. They also need to manage about 4 hours from the end of the nap until bedtime.

If your toddler is younger than 14 months and refusing naps, it's often a phase or a sign the wake windows need a small stretch, not a sign to drop a nap. Here's how wake windows change by age.

How to Transition From 2 Naps to 1

There are two ways to handle this stage:

1. Stay on 2 naps a little longer by capping the morning nap at 45 minutes. That keeps the afternoon nap starting before the awkward 3:30 p.m. window. This works well if your toddler is only showing one or two signs.
2. Drop the morning nap and go to one nap. Stretch your toddler to about 5 to 5.5 hours awake, give lunch beforehand, and aim for a long nap of around 3 hours. Don't start the nap earlier than 11:30 a.m.

For example, if your toddler wakes at 6:30 a.m., nap time is about 5 hours later, around 11:30 a.m., with lunch beforehand. When you nail the timing and your toddler has great sleep habits, you'll often get a 3-hour nap.

Very often, a good sleeper will sleep about 3 hours when the transition first happens, so an 11:30 a.m. nap can mean waking at 2:30 p.m. That won't last forever. Over the following days and weeks, slowly move the nap from 11:30 toward 12:00, then 12:30, then 1:00 p.m. as your toddler gets used to the longer morning. By around age 2, the morning wake window is usually about 6 to 6.5 hours.

Sample One-Nap Schedule During the Transition

Here's what a day can look like when your toddler first moves to one nap. It's from my book. Use it to see how the intervals fit together, not as a timetable to match to the minute.

How the wake windows change: on one nap, the first wake window of the day is the longest, at about 5 hours. The wake window after the nap is usually shorter, about 4 to 4.5 hours. As your toddler gets older, the morning stretch grows, and the evening stretch tends to peak at about 5 hours. See how this compares across ages in Wake Windows by Age.

What About Early Wake-Ups?

If your toddler wakes before 6:00 a.m., a 5-hour wake window puts the nap at 11:00 a.m. or earlier. That's an awkward time for a nap. Even if they sleep 3 hours, they're up at 2:00 p.m., which leaves 5 hours or more before a 7:00 p.m. bedtime, and that can be too long.

So on days your toddler wakes before 6:00 a.m., whether it's teething or being overtired, go back to 2 naps to help them make up lost night sleep. Then try one nap again the next day. Read more about early morning wake-ups.

Is One Nap Working?

Signs one nap is working:

• Your toddler keeps sleeping through the night.
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• They wake up happy sometime after 6:00 a.m.
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• They wake up happy after a long nap of 2 hours or more.

Signs one nap isn't working yet:

• They start waking at 5:00 a.m., and it's not teething.
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• They start waking in the night.
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• They're getting less than 1.5 hours of nap and waking up crying.

If one nap isn't working, it's fine to go back to 2 naps for a while, or to mix one-nap and two-nap days depending on what time your toddler woke up.

Nap Transitions Aren't Black and White

We often think of nap transitions as all or nothing: one day your toddler is on 2 naps, the next day they're on 1. That's not usually how it goes. Your toddler may do one nap for a few days and then get hit with a 5:00 a.m. wake-up and need 2 naps again. Overall, expect it to take 1 to 2 weeks to be consistently on one nap. The morning nap goes, and the afternoon nap moves earlier to fill the gap.

On days the nap is short, put your toddler to bed a little earlier. An earlier bedtime cuts into your evening time together, but it makes for a better-rested, happier toddler. Sleep begets sleep: the more well rested your child, the easier it is for them to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The 2 to 1 Nap Transition at Daycare

This transition can be a challenge at daycare, where there's often a strict 1:00 p.m. nap time to fit a range of ages.

• Ask for an earlier start. During the first week on one nap, ask your provider if your child could go down at 12:30 instead of 1:00 p.m.
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• Ask for a later wake-up. Daycares often wake all the kids around 3:00 p.m. for snack and playtime before pick-up. Maybe your child could sleep until 3:30 p.m. That squeezes a 3-hour nap into a 2-hour nap time.
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• Use an earlier bedtime if you can't get extra nap time at daycare.

Getting ready for daycare? Read Getting Ready for Daycare at 12 Months.

When It Coincides With a Regression

The 2 to 1 nap transition can line up with big developmental leaps. Anytime you hear "regression," think growth and distraction: your toddler is learning new skills and may be cutting molars. Read about the 15 month sleep regression and the 18 month sleep regression. If nights have been rocky since long before this, the root is usually how your toddler falls asleep. That pattern often starts back at the 4 month sleep regression.

A good schedule makes everything easier, but timing is only one of five pillars in The Helping Babies Sleep Method. If your toddler needs a lot of help from you to fall asleep, Self-Soothing Skills and Why Your Child Needs Them explains why that matters, and The Two Phases of Sleep Training explains how we sequence it.

Sample Schedules Before and After

• 12 Month Old Sleep Schedule (2 naps)
• 14 Month Old Sleep Schedule (2 naps moving to 1)
• 18 Month Old Sleep Schedule (1 nap)

Sleep Help in Palo Alto and the Bay Area

The 2 to 1 nap transition is one of the most common reasons families with toddlers reach out to us. We help parents across Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and San Jose, and coach families virtually anywhere.

• Want the wake window chart? Download the free Sleep Chart →
• Not sure where to start? Take the free Sleep Quiz →
• Toddler under 2? Explore baby and toddler sleep coaching →
• Prefer to learn on your own time? Try the Baby Online Class →
• Ready to talk? Book your intro call →

Frequently Asked Questions About the 2 to 1 Nap Transition

When do babies go from 2 naps to 1?

Most toddlers switch to one nap around 14 to 15 months. Fifteen months is average. I've seen toddlers make the switch as early as 13 months and as late as 18 months, and by 18 months most are on one nap.

What are the signs my toddler is ready for one nap?

Your toddler fights the morning nap or just plays in the crib, morning naps keep getting shorter (around 30 minutes), or the second nap doesn't happen 3 out of 5 days. Other signs are a first nap that starts after 10:30 a.m., a second nap that starts after 3:30 p.m., or a bedtime that keeps creeping past 8:00 p.m. These signs count when your toddler is already getting 11 to 12 hours overnight.

How do I transition my toddler from 2 naps to 1?

Drop the morning nap and stretch your toddler to about 5 to 5.5 hours awake, with lunch before the nap, and no earlier than 11:30 a.m. Aim for a long nap, ideally around 3 hours. Over the next few weeks, slowly move the nap later toward 12:00, 12:30 and then 1:00 p.m. as your toddler gets used to the longer morning.

How long does the 2 to 1 nap transition take?

Usually 1 to 2 weeks to be consistently on one nap. It's rarely a clean switch. Your toddler may do one nap for a few days, then have an early wake-up and need 2 naps again for a day.

What time should a one-nap toddler go to bed?

Most toddlers on one nap are asleep about 4 to 4.5 hours after the nap ends, and up to 5 hours as they get older. If the nap ends at 2:30 p.m., that's a bedtime around 7:00 p.m. On short-nap days, move bedtime earlier.

How long should a one nap be?

Ideally 2 to 3 hours. Many toddlers sleep close to 3 hours when they first drop to one nap, and the nap slowly shortens over the following months. Less than 1.5 hours is usually not enough for the average toddler.

Should I go back to 2 naps if my toddler wakes early?

Yes, on those days. If your toddler wakes before 6:00 a.m., whether from teething or being overtired, go back to 2 naps that day to help them make up lost night sleep. Then try one nap again the next day.

Keep Reading

• Wake Windows by Age: A Simple Guide for Parents
• The Helping Babies Sleep Method: The Complete Overview
• 14 and 15 Month Old Sleep Schedule
• 18 Month Sleep Regression
• When Does Your Kid Stop Napping?
• The 3-2 Nap Transition: 7 to 10 Months

About the Author

Sarah Mitchell, BKin, DC (retired) is the founder of Helping Babies Sleep, a Bay Area sleep consulting agency based in Palo Alto, and the author of the Amazon bestseller The Helping Babies Sleep Method: The Art and Science of Teaching Your Baby to Sleep. A retired chiropractor, Certified Lactation Counselor, RIE Foundations graduate and member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, she has supported more than 1,000 families over 13 years.

Sources

• Sarah Mitchell, The Helping Babies Sleep Method, Chapter 4: Babies (4 to 24 Months), The Toddler 2-1 Nap Transition; 15-18 Months and 1 Nap Schedule.
• Paruthi S, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016. PubMed