Blog Posts 1–5, based on the United States of America Department of the Army Field Manual: Holistic Healing and Fitness, describe what really matters for your child’s sleep. If sleep is an important enough topic for national defense than surely sleep should be considered a serious topic for parenting!
“It’s shockingly counterintuitive that he goes to bed so early and sleeps so late, but it works.”
Moving from two naps to one nap was one of the more difficult sleep regressions we went through with our son, starting around 13 months old. He also started walking around this time. We’ve always put our son to bed early (6 or 6:30 p.m.) upon the advice of Dr Weissbluth, and he’s generally woken up around 6:30 a.m. on most days (since about the age of 6 months).
Moving to one nap was particularly a challenge for us, as our son has always been a short napper. When he took 2, 3 or even 4 naps a day, 30 minutes sufficed for him, particularly with the early bedtime of 6/6:30). When he moved to one nap, however, 30 minutes was certainly not enough. I was thinking he was a genetically short napper, so came to seek Dr Weissbluth’s advice on his blog. After a short exchange, Dr Weissbluth recommended cutting down to 1 nap around midday, and pushing the bedtime up to 5:30 p.m. to lengthen the daytime nap. I was skeptical, and knew it would be tough to do (he’s in childcare until 5 p.m.). His advice was that when our son’s nap lengthened to more than 60 minutes reliably, we could push the bedtime back to 6/6:30, but never really later than 6:30 p.m. given the one nap = less sleep.
Admittedly, the first few weeks were hard. It’s tough to get your child back at 5 p.m. and have him in bed by 5:30, but my husband and I worked diligently to make it happen. My son mostly requires mom to go to bed (unless I’m not home), but often both mom and dad put him to bed together.
Over the first two weeks, we didn’t really see any improvement in his naps. It was hard to keep sticking to 5:30 p.m., but we kept at it, particularly after returning to Dr Weissbluth’s blog and him telling us to stay the course. Then, one weekend, my son slept for over an hour both days. My husband and I started to feel hopeful. We kept going with the 5:30 p.m. bedtime. During the week, he was still only napping for about 30 minutes, but the next weekend, he did 120 minutes! We were ecstatic. But weekdays continued to be a problem.
I’m very fortunate that I work from home and we have a nanny, so I started paying closer attention to what she was doing with his naps. I first discovered we had been feeding him ahead of his nap, and she had not. I instructed her to feed him ahead of his nap. I then learned by watching her put him down, that she was rocking him fully to sleep – not putting him in the crib awake and allowing himself to fall asleep. He would wake up hysterical after 30 minutes. One day, I was fortunate to not be in a meeting when this happened, and I went down to soothe him during one of these outbursts, and he screamed for the nanny and shoo’d me away – big AHA moment! He wanted her comfort/rocking to sleep – he’d been spoiled! After a few more days of early bedtime and having her put him down awake, and instructing her to let him cry a little bit, he started sleeping 60/90 and sometimes even 120 minutes with her.
It took about 2 months (until 15 months of age), but he’s finally reliably sleeping at least 60 minutes for every nap, sometimes up to 120 minutes. It was a very difficult journey to keep sticking with the 5:30 bedtime – it’s hard with two working parents to orchestrate a bedtime that early, but we managed to do it. We’ve now moved his bedtime back to 5:45 or 6, but generally never later than 6. He’s started sleeping very reliably until 7 a.m, sometimes 7:30. It’s shockingly counterintuitive that he goes to bed so early and sleeps so late, but it works. We’ve also had a few instances where we’ve had to push back his bedtime to 7 p.m. when we travel (due to a travel schedule, arriving somewhere late) and it results in an earlier wakeup time – sometimes as early as 5:45 a.m. After a day like this, we always revert back to a few nights of 5:30 bedtimes to get him back on track, and it always works to turn him around.
Most of our friends think we are crazy for putting our child down to bed so early, but it truly works. As a parent, I know it’s hard and we certainly don’t get as much time as we want in the evenings with him, but we try to take advantage of the mornings and cherish our time on the weekend. We prefer the mornings with him anyway, he’s a much calmer and sweeter baby than in the evenings. My advice to all parents is to not let a 5:30 or 6 p.m. bedtime scare you into thinking your child will wake up earlier in the morning – it just won’t! You’ll have a better rested child who sleeps much more soundly during the night with better quality naps during the day.
Hi,
I’m not sure my other comment went through or not. So I hope I’m not posting the same thing twice.
My daughter just turned 1. She seems to maybe be trying to drop her second nap, and I really would like to keep her on 2 naps a day (if still possible and if she’s not actually ready for 1 nap).
Up until recently, she would be napping around 845/9 am. She would nap for about an hour-hour and a half (sometimes more). Her second nap would be around 1 (maybe a bit after if she took a really long morning nap). She would usually be up somewhere in the earlier 2s. Basically around an hour afternoon nap, maybe a little more.
Her bed time was between 6-630.
Now, she naps in the morning, and even though I put her in around 1 pm, she doesn’t fall asleep. I leave her for a while and I can see in the video monitor she’s not sleeping. She usually is fine for a while until she gets upset. I still try to leave her. Then I sometimes take her out and try again for a bit of a later nap – at 230/3, with the intention to wake her after a half hour or so since it’s late. But I want her to make it until bedtime. When she doesn’t nap, I try to have her in by 545 but it’s hard with scheduling and other kids.
She wakes up in the morning some time between 545-615 or so I would say. She’s not so consistent with wakeup time. I always try to leave her until 6 though.
This has maybe been going on for a week or so. Can it just be a phase? Is she actually ready at just 1 year old to drop to 1 nap? Should I try moving her morning nap to 830 consistently and then she’ll wake up earlier maybe and still go for an afternoon nap?
Thank you Dr. Weissbluth!
Describe in detail her mood and behavior when alone with toys (no screens or parental interaction) between 5-6:30pm.
You mean when she WAS taking 2 naps? She has brothers, so there are always people around. She’s never really alone alone…but she is generally happy crawling around, playing with toys etc. She can entertain herself
Currently, place her alone (no screens, no parental of sibling interaction) with toys for 15-30 minutes between 5-6:30 and observe her mood and behavior for 3-4 nights.
Ok I can do that. But so I make sure I understand correctly – you mean that I should keep putting her for her morning nap around 9 am, put her in again around 1 pm (even though she doesn’t fall asleep) and then keep her awake until 630 pm even though she’s exhausted from not napping in the afternoon?
I will advise you in detail after you gather the data requested.
Hi Dr. Weissbluth,
I’ve tried observing Shalva on her own without her interacting with others, but it’s hard because we live in an apartment and people are always around the areas she’s playing in. It happens to be one of the days I observed, she ended up falling asleep and napping that afternoon for around 45 min-1 hour. That day she was pretty happy and entertaining herself.
Another time I observed when she didn’t nap, she seemed okay some of the time but was more irritable around 530/545.
I tried doing what you wrote in your book about putting her to nap later in the afternoon and also taking her out to stimulate her in between naps.
Some days, she has been falling asleep for a second nap. Other days, not. You mentioned in your book that some days can be 2 nap days and some not. Is that ok for her to be inconsistent like that and sometimes nap once in the morning and then if she doesn’t fall asleep for the afternoon, put her in at 530? (or 545?)
And then if she does nap, I would put her in later on….
I just always thought it’s best to have consistent sleep times, so I’m struggling figuring out what’s best for her.
Thank you!
Please read Blog Posts 171, 172, and 204 to understand the reason behind my suggestion.
For 3 nights, strictly enforce a 5:30pm expected falling asleep time (she is bathed, dressed for sleep, fed, soothed, and you are leaving the room at 5:30pm)
Try for a midmorning and mid-day nap. Do not wake her in the morning and do not cap naps. No new nap starts after 3pm. If she is asleep at 3pm, do not wake her.
Keep a written record.
How does this sound?
I read the blog posts. I can try my best to have her in by 530 pm. Even if she, for example, naps from 9-1030 am and again from 1:45-2:45/3 (just giving examples of pretty good nap times), I should still have her in at 530 pm for those 3 nights – despite the fact that she took a good afternoon nap?
Yes
First day (before the first night of 530 pm bed time)
Woke up 6 am.
First nap around 8:50 until 11:00.
Nap Two: Put her in around 1:45 – she didn’t nap though.
Bed time: 530 pm
Day two: Woke up before 6 am – not sure exactly when. But she didn’t cry until around 6:15 am.
First nap: In around 8:50 am. Woke up around 1040 am.
Nap two: In around 1:20 pm
at 215 pm, I took her out. She ended up having a dirty diaper…I tried putting her back in at 240 pm. Left her until after 3 when she was really crying (which she doesn’t generally do when taking naps)…so she didn’t nap again in afternoon.
Bed time: 528 pm.
Day 3:
Woke up around 615 am
Nap: 845 in – didn’t fall asleep right away. Maybe fell asleep 915 am. Slept until around 1020 am.
Nap 2: Around 1:10/1:15 because seemed cranky.
Happy in crib for a while. She generally lays down, moves around, sits and stands up when not napping.
Took her out around 2:30 pm (didn’t nap)
Bed around 530 pm, maybe right before.
Day 4 (but after 3 nights of 530 pm bed time like you said, because Day 1 was leading up to 530 pm bed time)
Wake up: Heard her crying around 545 am – she may have been up before, I’m not sure.
Nap around 845 am, awake at 1020 am.
Second nap: 140/45 pm. Not sure when exactly she fell asleep, but she ended up falling asleep maybe some time in the early 2s and napped for over an hour
The morning nap ends around 10:30ish. The second nap attempt starts a little after 1pm.
One possibility is that she needs two naps and the second nap starts too late and because of pre-sleep arousal, the second nap is a problem. If you think this might be the case, then continue with the 5:30pm bedtime for 3-4 more days but move the the second nap attempt earlier to 12:15-12:30.
How does this sound?
Has there been any change associated with the 5:30pm bedtime (length of night sleep?, the morning nap?, mood or behavior in the late afternoon?, etc)?
It doesn’t seem like her morning wake up time is consistently earlier or later with the 530 bed time. It seems like it is sometimes earlier and sometimes later. The same as when I try her bed time at 615/630 – it seems like she sometimes wakes up earlier and sometimes later.
Regarding the suggestion, I’m wondering if she would be tired though already at 1215/1230 for a second nap after waking up just 2 hours or less before that?
Please try it for a few days.
If she takes a better 2nd nap, than the bedtime might be a little later.
If she still does not take a 2nd nap, than let’s consider moving her to a single mid-day nap as described in my book.
Ok, thank you!
Hi,
I know that once a kid might be ready for 1 nap a day, that you speak about in your book moving the morning nap slowly to later and later over the course of a few weeks. Is it ok to just put the baby down at 12 or later everyday without slowly moving them towards that nap – assuming the baby is able to handle the awake time and ends up still napping for a long time (as opposed to taking a bad nap because they are too overtired). Does my question make sense? Instead of moving in increments, just fully moving the nap later…
“Is it ok to just put the baby down at 12 or later everyday without slowly moving them towards that nap.” Yes.
For well-rested children, this may be doable.
Sometimes, a temporary earlier bedtime is helpful because of less daytime sleep.
Thank you for your response!
Hi Dr. Weissbluth.
Thank you so much for your blog. It has been so helpful to me!
I had a question regarding 2 naps to 1 nap. You mention in your book that some days can be declared 2 nap days and some 1 nap days depending on when child wakes up in the morning etc. And to try to go with your child’s needs. My daughter is in this transition from 2 to 1 naps. I’ve tried different ways to keep 2 naps, and if she naps in the morning, she doesn’t fall asleep in the afternoon. And other days she wouldn’t fall asleep morning, and would sleep afternoon. I’ve had days where she can stay up until close to 12 and then she’ll nap. Other days, she’s too tired before then.
Doesn’t it contradict the idea of having specific nap times and not just randomly putting her down to sleep whenever if I’m sometimes putting her in for a morning nap (which might result in no afternoon nap and then earlier bed time)? Then her nap times might be different everyday, and her bed time at night might very anywhere from 530-630.
Am I making sense? I am trying to balance giving her a consistent sleep schedule yet also managing this time on transition from 2 naps to 1 nap.
Thank you!
Biologic individual variation in the transition from 2 naps to 1 nap means that there is no single right approach. Maybe I might be able to help; exactly how old is she in months?
13 months. She’s a bit young to be dropping to 1 nap. But I tried over the course of weeks to move things and try to keep her on 2 naps a day, and it just wasn’t working. So I tried 1 nap a day – she managed but sometimes seemed too tired. And then today, she woke up early at 515 am and instead of waiting to put her in for only 1 nap, I put her in around 845 am like i used to, and she napped until 10 am. And then I put her in around 130 for a second nap, and she ended up napping for maybe around 45 min-hour. So it seems she sometimes still does need the 2 naps…but she won’t always take them
What is her usual bedtime now and what was her usual bedtime when she was taking 2 regular naps a day in the past?
Now I aim for 530 if she skips the second nap. If she only takes 1 nap from 12-130, for example, I still would try to have her in before 6. When she was taking 2 good naps, I think I usually aimed for some time between 6-630
For 3-4 nights, try a strict 5:30pm expected falling asleep time (she is bathed, dressed for sleep, fed, soothed, and you are leaving the room at 5:30pm).
Do extinction, if needed.
What if she takes 2 naps, like she did today again? First nap I woke her after about an hour or so, maybe a few minutes after – to help with the second nap. Second nap she napped for around an hour and a bit and was awake maybe around 245 or so?
During this trial: do not cap naps; No new nap after 3pm; If she is asleep at 3pm, do not wake her; keep the 5:30pm expected falling asleep time.
Hello Dr. Weissbluth,
My son is 14.5 months old and is transitioning from 2 naps to 1. He sleeps in a darkened room, with a sound machine, he uses a binky, and he has no problem falling asleep by himself. The problem for him is staying asleep. If we do 2 naps (one at 10 and one at 3), he sleeps 40 minutes each time. If he does 1 nap (at 12:30) he’ll sleep 40 minutes before waking up. I often leave him for 10-15 minutes to see if he’ll self-soothe back to sleep, but this hasn’t been successful for weeks. His mood is mixed. Some days he’ll happy, but easily annoyed and other days he throws big tantrums and is very grumpy.
I have an older toddler, so I often put them to bed together at 7:30. Is this the problem? Should my younger son be going to bed closer to 6?
“Is this the problem? Should my younger son be going to bed closer to 6?” Yes.
Read Blog Posts 83, 115X, 226C, 232AX, 232BX, and 232D.
Around 4:30-6:00pm, for 10-15 minutes, place him alone with toys (no screens nor sibling nor parental interaction) and watch for drowsy signs.
Base his bedtime on Drowsy Signs.
How does this sound?
Hi Dr. Weissbluth,
My daughter is 14 months old and has been transitioning from 2 naps to 1 nap for about 2 weeks. She was sleep trained with extinction as a baby and falls asleep independently in under 5 minutes at both nap and bedtime.
Current schedule:
– Wake time: 5:09-5:27 AM (was 6:30-7:00 AM before the transition)
– Nap: 11:00-11:25 AM start
– Nap length: varies between 1h04 and 1h55
– Bedtime: 6:00-7:00 PM depending on nap length
– Night sleep: 10 or 11 hours
Background:
– Daylight saving time changed on March 7, right when the transition started
– We have a neighbor whose car starts at 5 AM (but this wasn’t an issue before)
– We just introduced a white noise machine (Yogasleep Dohm) this week
– Before the transition she woke at 6:30-7:00 AM and slept through the night
Current problems:
– Consistent 5:09-5:27 AM wake for the past week
– Nap length varies: on days she naps 1h45+ her afternoon mood is good; on days she naps ~1h04 she is fussy, crying, and extremely tired in the afternoon
– On short nap days she cannot link sleep cycles at the cycle junction (~1h mark)
My questions:
1. Is the 5 AM waking from the time change, nap transition, or bedtime timing?
2. Should bedtime be fixed at 5:30-6:00 PM regardless of nap length, or flexible based on nap length?
3. Is there anything specific I should change?
Thank you so much!
This is a well-observed and clearly presented picture, and the detail you have provided is genuinely helpful. Before I can give you specific recommendations, I need to understand one thing more carefully.
The most important question right now is whether your daughter’s current bedtimes are too late for her. A bedtime that is even modestly too late produces pre-sleep arousal — a neurological stress response that makes the transition to sleep harder and night sleep more fragmented. Pre-sleep arousal can contribute to early morning waking, inconsistent nap length, and difficulty linking sleep cycles.
To determine whether this is happening, I need you to observe her carefully during the hour before her current bedtimes — without screens, and without you or another parent actively engaging or playing with her. Simply place her alone with her toys in a calm, quiet environment for 10 to 15 minutes and watch without interacting. Do this for two to three successive evenings and describe what you see.
Specifically, I am looking for the distinction between drowsy signs and fatigue signs. Drowsy signs — becoming quieter, less animated, losing interest in toys, looking through you rather than at you — tell us the bedtime timing is right. Fatigue signs — fussiness, clinginess, irritability, difficulty entertaining herself, a slightly wired or hyper quality, rubbing her eyes — tell us the bedtime is already too late and pre-sleep arousal has set in.
Your answers to those observations, along with the precise nap start and end times on both short and long nap days and the corresponding bedtimes, will allow me to give you a much more targeted answer.
Hey Dr. Weissbluth,
We’d love your help with our son. The situation is:
* 13 months old. Generally a great sleeper and napper. His schedule for is:
Background:
* Asleep by by 7:30pm / awake around 7/7:30am. Very consistently. We’ve never had an issue putting him down. He’s also great in the AM -> wakes in his crib, hangs out, babbles to himself
* First nap around 10 – 10:30ish, generally for an hour
* Second nap around 3-4, generally for 1 – 2 hours
* While he’s always been a great night sleeper, napping was tougher. We had to do some sleep training (extinction) with naps. He also much preferred napping in his stroller (while moving) when younger.
Issue:
* His naps, lately, have been much more difficult. Particularly his first nap of the day
* It’s now gotten to where he’ll only take his nap either in contact with my wife or in the stroller
* For the first nap, he frequently wakes up after only 10 mins, almost always crying and yelling. He’ll go from snoring / apparently deep sleep to awake in seconds
* He’s very clearly tired going into this nap. All the classic signs — thousand yard stare, slowing down, etc.
We’re unsure what to do next. Potential explanations might be:
* Overtired, yet he’s routinely sleeping 12+ hours a night, and his second nap generally goes well
* Only needing 1 nap, yet he’s very clearly tired for this first nap
* We need to crib train again for this first nap
So appreciate all your work and help. Thank you!!
Ben
During the 60 minutes before the bedtime, place him alone with toys (no screens, no sibling nor parental interaction) for 10-15 minutes for 2-3 nights and observe his mod and behavior. Read carefully the Blog Posts on Drowsy and Fatigue signs and report back.