Your toddler is probably fighting that second nap with everything they've got, running instead of walking, and climbing on absolutely everything. Welcome to the one-nap transition—one of the trickiest...
The Quick Brief
Your toddler is probably fighting that second nap with everything they've got, running instead of walking, and climbing on absolutely everything. Welcome to the one-nap transition—one of the trickiest schedule shifts in early parenting. Get this right, and you'll have predictable afternoon windows. Get it wrong, and you'll have an overtired disaster on your hands for weeks.
What's Happening with Toddler
Physically, your toddler is now a confident walker experimenting with running, climbing, and generally testing the limits of their motor skills. Stairs are fascinating. Furniture is climbable. Playground equipment that seemed too advanced suddenly isn't. This is the age where supervision intensity must actually increase despite your child's growing competence.
Developmentally, most toddlers between 14-18 months transition from two naps to one. The typical age is around 15-16 months, though some hold onto two naps until 18 months. Signs your child is ready: consistently fighting the second nap for 1-2 weeks, taking longer to fall asleep at naptime or bedtime, or having bedtime pushed too late because of afternoon napping.
The goal is a single nap around midday (roughly noon to 2pm) lasting 1.5-3 hours, with bedtime around 7-7:30pm. But getting there takes patience—this transition typically spans 2-4 weeks, not a single day.
Language continues expanding. Your toddler likely understands simple commands and can follow one-step directions like "bring me the ball." They're also getting better at expressing wants, though the gap between what they understand and what they can say remains frustrating for everyone.
Socially, parallel play is developing—they'll play alongside other children, often copying their actions, even if not directly interacting. Separation anxiety may peak around this time, making drop-offs more dramatic.
What's Happening with Mom
The nap transition affects everyone's schedule. If mom has been using dual nap windows for work, rest, or household tasks, losing one of those windows feels significant. There's a mourning period for that second daily break.
Physical exhaustion intensifies because your toddler is faster, more adventurous, and requires more active supervision. The mental load of constant safety vigilance is real and draining.
Emotionally, many parents find months 16-17 particularly challenging. Your toddler has enough capability to create problems but not enough judgment to avoid them. The combination of increased mobility, strong opinions, tantrum-prone developmental stage, and disrupted sleep during the nap transition can push patience to its limits.
If mom is managing work alongside parenting, the nap transition may require daycare/nanny communication about schedule adjustments. Many daycares transition kids to one nap around 12-13 months regardless of home readiness, which can create weekend scheduling confusion.
What Dad Should Do Now
First: manage the nap transition strategically. Don't go cold turkey from two naps to one—gradual transition prevents overtiredness disasters. Push the morning nap later by 15 minutes every 2-3 days. During transition, you may have some one-nap days and some two-nap days. On days where they skip the second nap, move bedtime earlier (as early as 6pm) to prevent overtiredness.
The goal schedule once transitioned: wake around 7am, nap around 12-12:30pm (sleeping until 2-2:30pm), bedtime around 7-7:30pm. Expect increased crankiness during the transition weeks—this is normal, not a sign you're doing something wrong.
Second: increase safety vigilance. Climbing is your new primary concern. If you anchored bookcases and dressers back when your toddler started walking, now double-check changing tables and anything that can serve as a stair to higher places—a determined climber can tip furniture that a cruiser never could. Check playground equipment before letting them attempt it—the gap between what they'll try and what they can safely do is dangerous.
Third: maintain consistency even when exhausted. The nap transition disrupts everyone's routines, which makes it tempting to get looser on boundaries. Don't. Toddlers need consistent limits even more when their internal regulation is compromised by tiredness. If anything, tighten up routines during transition weeks.
Fourth: optimize the pre-nap period. Thirty minutes before naptime, shift to quiet activities. Dim lights if possible, reduce stimulation, and consider adding white noise as a sleep cue. A predictable wind-down routine (similar to bedtime routine) signals their body that sleep is coming.
Fifth: handle the crankiness window. Late afternoon—between nap wake-up and dinner—often becomes the hardest time of day. Your toddler is on the back end of their energy reserves, and meltdowns cluster here. Build in outdoor time, snacks, and low-frustration activities for this window. This is a great time for dad to take the lead while mom gets a recovery break.
The Relationship Check-In
Sleep transitions test parenting partnerships. When your toddler is overtired and melting down, and you and your partner are also exhausted, conflict becomes more likely. Agree in advance on your transition approach and commit to seeing it through together.
Divide and conquer during the transition weeks. If possible, trade off early bedtime duties so neither parent is handling every cranky evening. The parent not on bedtime duty should handle post-dinner cleanup or other logistics—this isn't a break, it's a task swap.
Also check in about your own rest. Are both of you getting any recovery time? The nap transition often reveals how dependent one or both parents have become on those daytime sleep windows for personal restoration.
What's Coming Up
The 18-month pediatrician visit is approaching—this is a big one with developmental screening including autism screening (M-CHAT-R/F). Your toddler's vocabulary is likely approaching 50 words. The nap transition should stabilize, giving you more predictable daily structure. And while tantrums don't disappear, your child's growing language skills will start providing alternatives to meltdowns.
Strategic nap schedule adjustment and increased safety vigilance
Source
CDC Learn the Signs. Act Early, pediatric sleep research
Sources: CDC Developmental Milestones (cdc.gov/act-early/milestones), American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) toddler sleep guidance, Taking Cara Babies and Huckleberry practitioner nap-transition guidance
American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — toddler sleep guidance
Taking Cara Babies — nap transition guidance
Huckleberry — nap transition guidance
Medical Disclaimer: Content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider.