From Two Naps to One: A Gentle Guide to the 2–1 Nap Transition

The move from two naps to one is a big milestone in your baby’s sleep journey. It can feel a little daunting: one day the morning nap seems essential, and the next it feels like it’s causing chaos with the rest of the day.

The good news? This transition is completely normal, it doesn’t have to be stressful, and there’s no single “right” age. It’s about finding what works best for your baby.

When do babies drop from two naps to one?

Most babies transition from two naps to one somewhere between 12 and 18 months.

Some move a little earlier, others much later. Both can be absolutely fine. What matters most is not the age on the calendar, but how your baby is coping with their current nap routine and how their days and nights are going overall.

Signs your baby might be ready to drop the morning nap

You don’t need to guess. Babies often show clear signs that two naps might be too much:

• Longer to fall asleep for the morning nap
  Your baby lies happily in the cot, chats, plays, or protests for a long time before finally drifting off.

• Increased protest around the morning nap
  They may cry more, push the nap later and later, or seem genuinely wide awake when you try to put them down.

• Morning nap pushes the lunchtime nap too late
  When they do fall asleep in the morning, it’s so late that it eats into the time they’d usually be ready for their lunchtime nap. Everything starts to slide later in the day.

• Any length of morning sleep affects the lunchtime nap
  Even a short morning nap means:

  • They take much longer to fall asleep at lunchtime, or

  • They nap for a much shorter time than they really need.

  If you try to give them enough sleep in the lunchtime nap, bedtime then gets pushed too late or bedtime settles become a battle.

• Early morning waking
  Sometimes, waking for the day earlier and earlier can be a sign that your baby no longer needs that full morning nap. Their 24-hour sleep needs stay roughly the same, so if they’re getting too much sleep in the day, night sleep is often the first thing to be affected.

If you’re ticking off several of these signs, it might be time to gently experiment with reducing – and eventually removing – the morning nap.

You don’t have to drop the nap overnight

Even if you suspect your baby is ready, you don’t have to go from two naps to one in a single jump. In fact, most families find a gentle, step-by-step approach much easier.

You can start by:

1. Pushing the morning nap slightly later
   Move the morning nap back by 15–30 minutes so your baby is more genuinely ready to sleep.

2. Wake them at the usual time
   Even if they fall asleep later, wake them at the time you used to, so the nap gradually becomes shorter.

Over a few days, this morning nap may naturally turn into a cat nap — a short “bridge” of sleep that helps them get through to their lunchtime nap without becoming completely exhausted.

For many families, this bridge nap might only be 5–10 minutes, especially towards the end of the transition.

This little top-up can happen:

• At home in the cot, or

• Out and about – sometimes the only way they’ll take that tiny nap is in the pushchair or baby carrier. Even a 10-minute doze while you’re out in the morning can make a big difference to how they cope until lunchtime.

Moving to one lunchtime nap

Once you feel your baby is coping well with a short bridge nap, or starting to skip it altogether, you can experiment with removing the morning nap completely.

To make this as smooth as possible:

1. Bring lunchtime a bit earlier (at least at first)

Without a morning nap, your baby will find it harder to last until their usual lunchtime. In the early days of the transition, you might need to:

• Offer lunch earlier, or

• Give a snack mid-morning, then offer their main lunch after the nap (once they’ve properly woken up).

Remember: babies who are absolutely exhausted often don’t eat well. A slightly earlier lunch or well-planned snack can help avoid a hungry, overtired meltdown.

2. Bring the lunchtime nap earlier too

At the beginning, they probably won’t make it to their old lunchtime nap time. It’s very normal to:

• Offer the nap earlier for a couple of weeks while their body clock adapts.

• Then, gradually push it out again towards your preferred timing as they adjust.

3. Be flexible with bedtime

During this transition, you may notice:

• Your baby is more tired by late afternoon, or

• The lunchtime nap ends up shorter than you’d like while they’re still getting used to the new routine.

It’s completely fine, and often very helpful, to bring bedtime earlier for a while. This is temporary. As their one nap becomes more stable (often around 1.5–2.5 hours, but very individual), you can nudge bedtime back again.

What if things go a bit wobbly?

It’s very normal to have a few unsettled days or weeks while your baby’s body clock adapts to the new routine.

You might see:

• A few early morning wakes

• A lunchtime nap that’s shorter than usual

• A baby who’s a bit more clingy or tearful by late afternoon

This doesn’t mean you’ve “got it wrong”. It usually just means their sleep needs are shifting and their brain is adjusting.

You can:

• Keep days calm and predictable where possible

• Offer earlier bedtime when needed

• Use that tiny 5–10 minute bridge nap on especially tired days, even after you’ve technically “dropped” the morning nap

Also, if your baby is ill, teething intensely or going through a big developmental leap, it’s absolutely OK to be more flexible. You can temporarily offer an extra bit of daytime sleep and then gently return to your one-nap routine once they’re feeling better.

Can not adjusting naps cause night problems?

Yes, sometimes. When naps stay the same but your baby’s sleep needs have changed, you might see:

• Long awake periods in the middle of the night

• Early morning waking

• A baby who seems wide awake at bedtime and takes ages to settle

This is often because they’re getting more sleep in 24 hours than they need, or that sleep is falling at timings that don’t quite match their body clock anymore. Tweaking the daytime naps can make a real difference to night-time sleep.

A rough guide to awake times

Every baby is unique, but as a very rough guide:

• Before the transition, many babies on two naps manage around 3–3.5 hours awake between sleeps.

• After the transition, many babies on one nap move towards 4.5–5 hours awake time either side of the nap.

These are not rules, just ballpark figures to help you sense-check whether your baby’s day might be a little too full of sleep, or not quite enough.

Final thoughts, and a reminder you’re doing a great job

Nap transitions can feel big. It’s easy to question yourself or worry you’re “messing up” your baby’s sleep. The truth is:

• There is no perfect age to drop to one nap.

• Some days will go beautifully, others will feel messy.

• A bit of trial-and-error is completely normal.

If you listen to your baby, watch how they’re coping, and make small, gentle changes rather than sudden jumps, you are doing exactly what they need.

And if you’re struggling with the transition, or nights feel more out of control with long awakenings or very early mornings, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always very happy to help you find a rhythm that works for your baby, and for you.