Naps: Weaning from the Morning Nap to One Nap a Day

Have you noticed a change in how long your little one naps during the day? Usually around ten months to sometime after one year, little ones start showing signs of not needing to nap as often as the earlier months.

Some signs to observe while deciding when your little one is ready to wean that morning nap are:

• If he is struggling with going down for the night or if he wakes up too early in the morning 
• If the afternoon naps are cut short when your little one wakes up after only 30 minutes to an hour 
• The reasons for waking is not due to teething or illness 
• If there is a pattern of the above signs after several days

If the pattern is consistent, then it’s more than likely a sign that your little one is ready to wean from two naps a day to one long afternoon nap a day. I find it helps to discourage sleepiness in the morning hours with something to eat like a nutritious fruit and cracker snack around the same time he used to have morning naps. Also you can include activities to keep him stimulated until after lunch time. This might take several days to help change his nap routine. I encourage parents to be consistent. With consistency in the daily routine, the new morning routine, afternoon naps, and night-time routine should work out more smoothly.

Another suggestion ~ if your little one is struggling with staying awake until after lunch, try a small catnap for 30 minutes in the morning. You might have to wake him after the 30 minutes so he will be ready to take a longer nap in the afternoon. If you are interested in trying this catnap idea, I find it works best to plan the catnap at least 3 to maybe 4 hours before the afternoon nap. This way he will more than likely be tired enough and should take a longer nap in the afternoon. Sometime after your little one turns one year old, he might show signs that he is ready to wean off of the catnaps in the morning to only one long nap in the afternoon.

Hope this helps with transitioning nap routines,

*Iva   

See other articles relating to this topic:

Bedtime Routine Struggles for Infant and/or Toddler 

Routines for Toddlers and Infants 

White Noise Machine? What's All the Hype? 

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