Daycare 1 Nap at 1 Year

Both my children were doing one nap by one year old. They slept 12 hour nights and took one long nap midday. The difference being when they were younger they took multiple shorter naps and they combined them into one longer nap by about a year old. Every child is different though and you should discuss your concerns with the daycare provider.

Hi R.,
I went back to work with my first baby when she was about 8 1/2 months old. She went to daycare two days a week and grandma's house one day a week. For the first three weeks of daycare, she didn't nap barely at all. It was a home daycare and there were only three kids, but she still needed time to adjust to things. She would sleep for 15 min and if she woke up and cried, the daycare provider got her and brought her down. After those three weeks, she adjusted and would go down for one nap around 11-1. When I picked her up at 4pm, she was very tired and always fell asleep in our 20 min car ride home. This daycare provider also felt one nap under her care...for all the kids...around the same time...was best. So, the car ride home naps continued probably until 15 months or so. On the days she wasn't at daycare, she napped about 1 hour in the morning and about 2 hours in the afternoon. At 18 months, she consistently switched to one nap a day in the 12-2 time frame.

I was a stay at home mom for this time frame with my second child. He did two naps a day from about 6 months to about 15 months, then switched to just one.

Give the daycare adjustment some time. It will likely get better.

Hi R.-
I think most kids transition to one nap between 12-15 months. My son (older) was 15 months (and did it because of the daycare routine). We pushed my daughter to transition at 12 months, so we could sync up the naps with her big brother. Either way, it could take a few weeks to transition. I remember lots of mornings trying to keep a kid up at 10am to make it until noon for that nap! But, you can adjust back slowly, and they will adjust in a few weeks. Also, kids tend to do things at school that they don't at home, so your daughter may do one nap at daycare, but be tired enough on weekends to do 2 for awhile.
I wouldn't worry about it. Keep her with kids her age in her class. Not all kids will be ready to go to one nap, and the teachers are usually good about the adjustment period-- (hopefully) they've done it before!
Good luck!

Hi R., remember how different you baby was four months ago from how she is now. Four months is such a long time, she may be in such a different place by then. My daughter started transitioning to one nap a day around 14 months when she started in Toddlers. I was a bit worried too because she did two naps but they seem to nap much better in Toddlers when they all nap together rather than in infants where it is louder and they are all over the place with naps. At school she naps after lunch from 12:30 to 2 or so and at home she still takes a nap before lunch, from around 11 and naps for 2 to 3 hours. She's only in daycare two days a week.

good luck, I'm sure it will go ok.

E.

I understand your concerns! My daughter (who is 1) is in daycare 3 days a week and she never naps well there. Usually just around 35 to 45 minutes in the morning and afternoon. However, she usually makes up for it the other days and sleeps longer. There is just too much going on at daycare for her to sleep well (she wants to be awake and involved). I think as long as she is not too cranky and upset then she is probably tolerating the shorter naps. My daycare is trying to get the four or so babies that just turned 1 or are turning one to get to one nap. I was worried it would not work, b/c my daughter seems to need two naps but she actually took a really great long 1 nap on Monday so maybe she is ready! Also, keep in mind that 4 months is a long time for babies. A lot happens in between 8 and 12 months. She is definitely not ready for just 1 nap at 8 months, but some babies are ready at 11 months. Do they switch automatically at 12 months or once she starts walking? Anywho...just wanted to say you are not the only one in this boat. If your daughter seems like she needs more sleep talk to the daycare people and try to brainstorm if thereyis anything else they can try. Good luck!

I find thats typical w/ large daycare centers if you would like her to have the same type of schedule you have at home you should look into some small family daycares less kids, more attention for your little one and they can be more flexible w/ schedules.

My one year old usually only takes one nap, but it's a long one. We don't have him in daycare though. How long is the nap they are giving them in the 1 year old room? My son usually naps from about 10 a.m. until about 12:30 or 1. Very occasionally he does take a second small nap while I'm preparing dinner at night. So perhaps if your daughter seems over tired you can put her down for a second nap at night. They don't need or want quite as much sleep at a year because they are getting into everything and exploring much more. So the one nap might work out okay. Especially if she's a good sleeper at night. If it's not working out though then perhaps there's another day care that works on a different schedule you could try.

Hi R. - I agree with others who have said that at 1 year, your baby will be quite different than she is now. The napping may not work out perfectly, but at 1, babies are much better able to be urged into a schedule, and their bodies actually adapt quicker than we adults think. Both my girls have summer birthdays and I'm a teacher, so when they entered the toddler room in their day care, they were around 14 months old. They were able to drop the morning nap pretty easily (I was surprised mostly by my youngest, who still liked her morning nap all summer long!) and just nap once a day, right after lunch. My 3.5 year old doesn't always sleep during the nap time, but my 20 month old does every day, and she goes to bed around 7 and sleeps until 6 the next morning. I say just give it a shot and hope for the best in four months. If it's not working well for you and your daughter, assess the situation then and see if you need to make changes. I still find a difference in my kids' sleeping and eating habits on the weekends than I see during the week when they are at day care - it's just so different being home than at a day care. But I also found the toddler area to be beneficial for my kids because it's actually VERY quiet during nap time, as opposed to the infants' room, where the babies are all on different schedules. You might find she naps longer and has a better quality sleep when she's in the larger room than she is having now. Good luck - I know how tough it is to deal with all these day care issues and worry all day that your kids are okay... but usually they are just fine. Hang in there!

HI R.- I see that you've already gotten a lot of feedback...I remember thinking the same thing when my daughter was 10 mo. old and we were considering starting her in daycare. We ended up going with a private home daycare for her because they are more flexible with things like nap schedules, a bit less noisy, etc. That said, regardless of my worrying about her napping she ended up transitioning on her own right around 12/13 months.

I also didn't think I was ready for her to lose her morning nap, but it actually has been great. I have loved having one longer break in the middle of the day and find that it is much easier to schedule outings, shopping, etc. You'll adjust just fine!

I don't have an answer for you, but I agree that 1 is awfully young for the daycare to cut out that morning nap. It seems like a lot of kids start moving in that direction around 1.5 (a little sooner/ a little older) You should address this with the daycare. It seems that they should be able to accommodate your child's needs. This age is about transition and your daughter will dictate her needs. The daycare should support that and not what works for them. Their job is to TAKE CARE of her and support your parenting and routines as best possible in your absence.
Good luck with it all.

I am a former teacher of a toddler room. I can say that I had some children enter the "toddler" room as early as 10 months because they were walking etc. The first few days/weeks are tough on the little ones in the am but they usually would adjust within a few weeks. At the time I didnt have any children of my own so I am not sure how well they did at home, and I certainly didn't see why it would be a problem...now that I have my own 9 month old I am right there with you. I wouldn't want to loose that am nap either! I just wouldnt try to keep her in the infant just because of the naps though. Usually by 12 months they are ready to do more exploring and learning than an infant room can offer.

I'm not sure how to help, but are you sure it is 12 months?? I have worked at a daycare, and our infant room kids didn't go into waddler/toddler room until they could walk, sit in a chair unassisted, drink from a sippy cup, sit and stay in a circle for story time..so on. I don't think we have ever had a 12 month old in the waddler room. Usually more around 16 months, and by then most babies don't need more than one nap a day.. Just a thought.

I hear ya. The same thing goes on at my daycare. My daughter sleeps maybe 1.5 hours in the afternoon there, starting when she was about 1 yr. For a long time she still took 2 naps at home (and still does occasionally).
When the transition happened, she dropped her morning nap at daycare bc they always had activities in the morning. The whole groups naps from 1-3pm.
At home, though, until VERY recently, she took a short (30-45min) nap in the morning, and slept at least 2 hours in the afternoon. It's like she's catching up on sleep on weekends. I'm not thrilled with the irregular schedule, but she seems to be doing okay. It IS possible to keep a morning nap in the routine at home.
I guess my advice is to wait and see how she adapts to the new routine. Also, in the 1 yr old room, do they have a darker area for the kids to sleep in? This seems necessary for getting the kids to take a long afternoon nap. Your daughter may actually do better with one long nap than lots of little ones.

In my experience: 3 of my little ones didn't drop down to 1 nap until 18 months and another didn't until 16/17 months. Going down to 1 nap at 12 months seems too soon. You know your child best. Are there other little ones in the daycare that would be about the same age as your daughter and also still need 2 naps? Maybe the schedule could be adjusted...???

Hi R.,
My twin boys were in the same situation. They started daycare at 7 months. At home they had two solid naps about 1 - 1.5 hours each. At daycare they did not have such long naps -- it would vary but usually two 30 - 45 minute naps. They also transitioned to the next room at 12 months where all the kids took one nap. We were so nervous but it actually worked out really well for us. Since all the kids were napping at the same time, they actually got much more sleep. The nap time was from 12 - 3. We were wavering about what to do at home and at first we tried the 2 naps on the weekends and it ended up being more of a headache because they would sleep in the morning and then not in the afternoon so we just stuck to one nap.
Good luck!

Hi R.,

1 nap a day is actually best so that your baby sleeps all night. Mine all used to take 2 small naps a day too, but all transitioned to 1 long nap instead after 12 months. After 12 months, they also tend to only have 1 nap because they start eating different foods and have different diets that energize them differently. Honestly, 3 naps a day is a bit much, and being put to bed at 7 is probably a bit early. What do you mean that you won't be ready to loose the morning nap in 4 months? Do you mean for yourself, or that you just feel that baby needs more rest? Consider compromising by putting her down mid morning, instead of once in the morning and once in the afternoon. This way she can combine her morning and afternoon nap into one, and your not abruptly, or exactly losing the morning nap, it's just moved back sligtly by an hour or 2. My 16mo old goes down between 1030 and 11, and takes a 2 - 3 hr nap. My almost 3 yr old has been on this schedule since 12 months too, and sleeps for the same amount a time without a fuss. On the weekends, even my 5 yr old naps for the same amt of time. You just have to be consistent.

Good Luck.

M.

Hi R.
in my experience my little girl turned one and went to one nap almost right away. My daughter never went to day care, but she let me know she only needed one nap. It was rough for me being used to two naps and now one nap! I think you just have to watch you daughter and look for the signs of only needing one nap. Of course every baby is different so it's possible she will still need two nap. I'm probably not much help, but I can tell you my daughter only wanted one nap from the day she turned one, and she wasn't tired or whinny after one nap. Good luck with it. I hope you feel better soon, winter is almost over.

My daughters both stopped two naps by 12 months. They took a 2-3 hour nap after lunch each day. This seemed to be the norm in my mom's group and among friends with kids that same age.
-S.