11 month old - one nap or two?

[HabitualLurker]

I don't know why, but I'm a bit obsessed with my 11 month old sleep. well, I do know why - it's terrible, and I'm knackered!

I know that all the books recommend 2 naps a day for this age, and that is generally what he gets. However, it usually involves a lot of persuasion. BF, and then possibly rocking and shushing and white noise. And the same at bedtime. It's exhausting and he often fights sleep.

Once a week he goes to his GPs for the day. Until recently I stayed there too, but I've started leaving him in preparation for my return to work. I can't expect them to do all the things we do at home to induce naps so I told them to try and get him to sleep, but not to worry if it didn't work.

Yesterday he managed all of 30 mins once in his buggy (normally he'd have at least 2 hours in all). Seemed very happy and cheery all day and not at all grumpy or upset. And bedtime was a dream - he went down really easily.

Sooo.. is it possible that one nap a day is enough? According to MIL DH and his brother only took one short nap a day from an early age. It just seems like such little sleep according to the amount usually recommended.

He might be fine now but it could backfire and sleep gets worse. To be sure, I would try different nap and bed times as sometimes resisting sleep can mean overtired or trying to late. Then if that fails, try one nap and very early bedtime.

What are his usual waking/sleeping times?

Have a look at this:

www.sleepsisters.com/bedtimes-by-age/

Here's his usual routine:

Awake often around 5:40, although we generally refuse to get him up that early and usually leave him burbling away until it's gone 6am.

Nap 1 9:30, for 1-1.5 hours

Nap 2 2:30, for 1-1.5 hours

Bed 6:30-7:30. Up in the night from 1-4 times. Usually goes back to sleep reasonably easily, but can sometimes stay awake for an hour or 2.

He almost always resists sleep, and it can take up to 40 mins to get him there. It feels like it shouldn't be so hard!

I took a look at that site, thanks pongping. It says that babies from 10 months could be transitioning to one nap... 10 months seems awfully young for that doesn't it!

We're in the same boat. Ds has always been an inconsistent sleeper. And now he is nearly 1 I've found it nearly impossible to get ds to take at least one of his naps. One day this week I gave up after spending 2 hours in a darkened room in he morning. He then had an early lunch and I just gave him a nap after lunch. At the moment I'm taking it day by day. With DP (whilst I was at work) he managed one long 2 hr nap 12-2. So a ate lunch late.
When I researched it I read something about an 11 month nap regression !!! Advice seemed to be aim for 2 but don't get too frustrated. Apparently at 12-13 months they will need and do 2 again. Until they eventually drop to one at around 16 months.
Ds is sleeping well at night still but needs 2 hrs sleep a day even if in one nap otherwise gets horribly frantic.
Ds is just starting to walk and I can imagine it could be developmental.

I don't know what books say but my dc only had one nap after lunch for 2.5 hours, bedtime at 7.30 and slept till 8am.

They are still in that routine at 3 and 2. Every child is different

A nap regression? God almighty, all these ruddy regressions!!

This one's not walking yet, but he's cruising everywhere and spends most of the day rampaging around and being generally active. So yes, perhaps it is developmental.

He's always been a sleep resister, has never slept through, and we've never been able to just put him down for nap and have him fall asleep on his own. So, I expect the one short nap will have to continue when he's with them. But I'll keep experimenting with different naps when he's with us.

God, I'm going to be so happy when we don't have to worry about naps any more!

Thesimplethings when did they have that routine from? As early as 10/11 months?

My 13m old dosnt always have an afternoon nap, particularly if he's had a long morning one. I do try an afternoon nap on these days but he often just wont go to sleep. This has been the case for at least the last few months. He sleeps right through the night, usually from about 6.30-7.

Naps look quite late especially with the early wake up. I'd try first nap at around 8.30am and second at 1ish. Bed at 6.30.

Oh and restrict the first nap to 45 mins

Hi, we have been through the exact same my daughter is now 21 months and if there is anything I've learnt it's to not force/induce sleeps and naps, it's just not worth the stress!!
From an early age she used to "cat nap" 30mins here and there throughout the day, which was quite annoying. She did grow out of that though
All I do now is just look for the signs that she's getting tired, rubbing her eyes, getting a bit emotional, lying on the floor, I lie her on the settee with her dummy and pillow and put on one of her favorite cartoons, sometimes she falls asleep and I carry her up to her bed or I take her up when she is nearly asleep.
It's not stressful at all now and neither of us gets angry, she naps at around 2 o clock each day for 1/2 hours
Sometimes 3 hours!! She is always in bed anytime between 7.30/8.30pm and sleeps until 6/7 am.
Also what the books and Internet tell you they're only guidelines and all children are different
Good luck

CreatureRetorts will give your suggestions a try. 8:30 does seem pretty early - that was about the time he had his first nap when he was on 3 naps a day. Maybe that's where we're going wrong though! Why do you suggest limiting to 45 mins? Just to ensure sleepiness by the next nap-time?

Kerry we'd be in heaven if he'd fall asleep spontaneously. The only times he's done that past about 5 months have been when he's really knackered and in a moving vehicle. I look enviously at other babies who will drop off with a little bit of rocking or a quick whizz in a buggy. He just gets enraged and starts screaming instead. I do think we might have a problem with our routine though - no real 'quiet time' before naps so we're often trying to go from bashing and crashing around to asleep without much transition. Maybe that's what I need to work on.

Oh I forgot to say, I put all her toys away and close the blinds so it's fairly dark and chilled with no distractions.

I do feel for you though and know what you're going through, I used to have to fight with my daughter to get her to sleep it was so exhausting, frustrating and upsetting that's why I just gave up trying and this new routine sort of happened by itself.

Yes I restrict so that they will nap in the afternoon. I don't restrict the afternoon one, well wake up by 3/3.30pm.

Yes when mine dropped to two naps, I kept the first two naps about the same but pulled bedtime earlier.

My dd dropped her morning nap when she was 11 months. Initially I tried to persevere and get her to sleep but it wasn't nice for either of us, so I gave in - she continued to have her afternoon nap though and would usually sleep for up to 2 hours then.

You don't want an overtired baby at bedtime though - he will need some sleep during the day.