Guidance on 2-1 transition- when and how?

[Kristin.S]

Hi!
I'm wondering if you all can provide some guidance on how and when it makes sense to make the 2-1 transition. We are looking forward to getting our son down to 1 nap to ease the logistics of the day, but I don't want to push him into it if he's not ready. What are the signs of readiness? How can I stretch out his A time without messing up his bedtime and night sleep?
Hi!
My 13mo is currently on the following schedule:
Wake at 7:45a (I wake him by 7:50 if he doesn't wake on his own)
First nap at 11:15-11:30 for 1hr-2hrs (duration seems random and varies by day, avg is 1hr10min)
Wake him by 1p regardless of nap duration in order for him to take 2nd nap...
2nd nap at 4:30- wake him at 5 so he can still go to bed by 8:30-8:45

So his 2nap is super short but he averages 2hrs of daytime sleep. As I stretch his morning A time, he runs out of time to take a 2nd nap, yet there is no way he can stay awake for 5 hrs to fully cut the 2nd nap. The longest he can stay awake right now is 4hrs. Lately I've been trying to do 3r45min regularly and he gets pretty grumpy. He almost always sleeps 11hrs at night, so I'm worried that an EBT of 6:30 means he'll wake at 5:30a! I like the later wake time but I'm not sure how to balance this with transitioning to 1 nap. Your guidance is appreciated!

Thanks
Kristin

[Truly Blessed]

Hi Kristin,

Here is a great link for you which explains pretty much all of your questions. Maybe have a good read through and then come back with any more questions you may have. We'll be here to take you through it if you decide the time has come.

From 2 to 1 nap transition (10-12m and older)

(HUGS)

Vicki.x.

[Kristin.S]

Thank you Vicki! These posts are really helpful. Right now I am doing a late afternoon catnap (4:30ish) for 30-40min and waking him up. Yesterday he was on a Very late schedule so I did a 15min catnap at 5. So far he has still been able to fall asleep at his usual bedtime, which is around 8:30. So as long as he is still falling asleep for both naps, it sounds like I should keep them both. If he starts having a hard time sleeping for the afternoon CN then maybe it's time to move to 1 nap and EBT. It seems like you just have to make the jump at some point...the problem is that you can't start pushing out the start time of the morning nap until you are ready to go all the way and cut the CN, otherwise you won't have enough A time in between naps yet still too far to go until bedtime. Right? It's good to hear that EBT won't necessarily mean EW...fingers crossed that this is true for my LO!

One last Q for now...if I am waking him in the morning and also for his 2nd nap, could he possibly need more sleep than I'm giving him? I may try and earlier bedtime than 8:30 to see if he still sleeps until 7:45.

Thanks!
Kristin

[Truly Blessed]

If he starts having a hard time sleeping for the afternoon CN then maybe it's time to move to 1 nap and EBT

At 30 to 40 mins currently for his cat nap, you have plenty of scope to cut that back before you have to cut it completely, so I would bear that in mind depending on how he when being woken? I would recommend having your best distraction ready if he struggles, like his favourite treat for eg

if I am waking him in the morning and also for his 2nd nap, could he possibly need more sleep than I'm giving him? I may try and earlier bedtime than 8:30 to see if he still sleeps until 7:45.

In theory yes, but it really is a balancing act during these transitions Hun, and depends how he likes his sleep distributed YK? How much sleep is he getting in 24 hours at the moment? Is he high/low or average sleep needs generally?

((HUGS))

x.

[Kristin.S]

Thank you for your message. I would say he's average to high sleep need. He's always been a good sleeper. He is currently getting 13hrs of sleep per day, consistently 11hrs at night and usually 2hrs during the day (ranges from 1hr40 to 2hr20). Sometimes his morning nap is close to 2hrs, in which case I usually do a shorter 20min CN in the afternoon. Other times it's only an hour to hour and 10, in which case I give him a longer (up to 1hr) afternoon nap. He struggles to stay awake for 4hrs at a time, and I usually put him down for naps at 3hr30 or 3hr40 A time and he falls asleep within 5-10min. We were hoping to start the 2-1 transition sooner but based on this, and the advice thread about waiting as long as possible, it sounds like we should keep the status quo for now and not rush the transition.  Does that sound right based on what you've read? Thanks!

[Truly Blessed]

Good morning Hun,

To be perfectly honest I would stick with the status quo, it doesn't sound like he is ready to me. 13 hours in 24 is perfect at this age, it is what DS was doing and he is average sleep needs. You are really clear about the A time he can manage at the moment, and if you start trying to transition him too soon you could end up in a holy mess by pushing the first nap out which is really the best way to go. I suspect you may end up with a shorter OT nap, then you will end up giving him a longer pm nap which could result in BT resistance, NW and EWU calls, ugh not what you need.

So my advise would be to leave it, but get back to us when things change, so you'll be looking out for naps shortening and nap/BT resistance as a sign that things are moving toward the 2-1. And it's not always smooth sailing even when a LO is ready.

Not what you hoped to hear, but my humble opinion lol.

((HUGS))

Vicki.x.

[Kristin.S]

Sounds good, thanks for your advice!

Kristin

[Truly Blessed]

My Pleasure Kristin.x.