What does a one nap schedule look like?
If you’re new around here, I’ve avoided giving specific schedule recommendations for a LONG time! That’s because of a few things:
I don’t want to cause more stress to you by trying to make your baby fit a mold they’re not made for,
I don’t know your child’s sleep needs
I don’t know your family dynamics
Specific schedule recommendations aren’t meant to work for every single family in every single circumstance. So before you start with this blog, I’m gong to recommend you look at some other resources first before reading on about what does a one nap schedule look like!
Logging Sleep Freebie (this is a free download that can help you figure out your child’s sleep needs by just interpreting the data)
Baby one nap age:
The average age to transition to one nap is around 14-15 months, but a range from 12-18 months is pretty common! I have seen a very small handful of babies that transition before 12 months. These are generally lower sleep needs kids. That can work, but I usually try to exhaust all options to keep 2 naps as close to 12 months as possible because it can be a true disaster for sleep. They may take the nap (and nap well!), but it may lead to really bad nights and in that case, I’d prioritize nights over nap schedules.
What does a baby’s one nap schedule look like:
There are two (or three) different ways you can go with this, obviously, by either using awake times, by the clock, or I guess a combination of wake times/by the clock. I have done it all the ways with all 4 of my kiddos because one size does not fit all, even in the same family 🤪
One nap schedule wake times:
If you’re using awake times for one nap, we usually like to make sure you’ve maxed out your two nap schedule first. This helps minimize the overtiredness that is nearly inevitable when you transition to one nap. It’s a very big jump in awake times. Some schedules are a 3/4/4 (11 hours of total awake time) example, but I find that 4/4/3 makes the transition more seamless because you’re not going from 3 hours of WT to 4.5-5+ hours. Going from 4 to 4.5-5 is a much easier shift!
I like to start with 4.5-5/5-5.5 or 5/5 depending on the age of the child when they’re transitioning (ie the younger the child, the lower the starting awake time).
One nap schedule by the clock:
If you’re using by the clock, you may start the 2-1 transition with nap starting between 11:00am to 12:00pm. This also depends on what time your child wakes up in the morning (as these times make sense for a child waking between 6:30-7am and not for a child who wakes at 6am or 8am).
OPTION 1: Early in the transition
Wake up time: ideally anytime between 6:30-7:00am
Nap: 11:30/12-1:30/2:00pm (1.5-3 hours is an appropriate nap length)
Bedtime: 6-7:00pm, or 4.5-5 hours after nap/out of crib time from nap.
*the closer your nap starts at 12, (mid day) the better it typically settles for their circadian rhythm.
*The ranges in the start times above allow you to tune into your baby’s sleep cues to determine where in that range they should go down for nap.
OPTION 2: Older child, later in the transition
Wake up time: ideally anytime between 6:30/7:00am
Nap: 12:30/1:00pm-2:30/3:00pm
Bedtime: have baby asleep for the night 5 or so hours after the end of the nap (aiming for 10-10.5 hours of total awake time)
For example, your schedule might look like wake up at 7:00am, nap: 12:30-2:30pm, bedtime 7:30pm
A combination of these might look like:
a consistent morning wake up/out of bed time
which leads to a consistent start time for your first nap
you’d use awake time to determine when bedtime is
If I didn’t mention this in the by the clock schedule blog, my disclaimer about by the clock is: it requires you to let go of control and TRUST the clock. Yes even if it’s a shorter nap than usual. If you don’t use the clock time, then you’re using awake times and it doesn’t make sense to go back and forth constantly. You have to quit thinking in terms of math calculations and just focus on the time on the clock!
If you do choose to do the by the clock version, you’d need to follow those clock times for a good 10-14 days to allow your child to adjust their body to sleeping around the same time each day which is what stabilizes the schedule. In other words, you gotta commit!
My first child, I strictly used wake times until we were on 1 nap.
My second and third child were on a pretty strict by the clock schedule from 2/3 naps and on.
My fourth child is on a hybrid wake time/by the clock schedule with a consistent out of crib time and start time to his first nap. His first nap is hit or miss in length, so we use awake time to the next nap and bedtime.
As always, these are just a starting point for you to start figuring out what your child needs on their 2 nap day! If you need. more help, check out our Raising Happy Sleepers Membership where you can ask certified sleep consultants your questions 6 days/week and have access to tons of resources to get you through every sleep trouble.
