12 Month Old Sleep

[Zakary89]

My LO has always been quite good at self setting and sleep but lately giving a really hard time at bed time.
This is our current routine.
Wake anywhere been 6-7am
Nap 1: 9.30-11.00
Nap 2: 2.30-4.00
Bedtime: 7.30
Naps don't always last 1.5hrs long.
Last few weeks always crying when put to bed in the evening and can take an hour to fall asleep. No issues when put down for naps.
Any advice?

Could it be separation anxiety? Have you gone back to work or any other change in routine recently?

Probably time to drop the second nap, we've just had to and our schedules pretty much the same, except bed time slightly earlier between 6.30 and 7

@FloraBotticelli I did think of the separation anxiety at first as he would go quiet when id come back into the room, but now that doesn't work either.
He still cries even if I stay in the room.

@yfshjj Gosh isn't it too early to drop a nap? I feel hes exhausted in the mornings, it's hard to make him even last the 3hrs.

At that age, mine had a similar schedule but only 2h total naps (30 mins morning, 90 mins or less afternoon). Then at 13 months, bedtimes became really hard and nursery couldn't get a morning nap in it all on their days. So we pushed through to one nap. It was sober than I expected. If we go out in the car in the morning, we still get two naps.

For us it's happened naturally, although some days are a struggle. The times are a bit awkward, so he'll wake between 6 and 7 and be absolutely shattered after 3 hours awake so has a long nap usually 2 hours, which takes it to 11/12 o'clock, and doesn't give us any time for a second nap. He does well staying up after his nap until bed time but is ready for bed come 6.30

Not impossible that they need to drop a nap but 12 months would be on the early side; most are more like 15 months. And even less likely if he’s knackered in the mornings.

I reckon the first nap is too late and too long, the knock on effect then being that the second nap is also too late and therefore there isn’t a long enough wake window until bedtime.
First nap should be 2 hours after waking and cap it at 1 hour. Second nap 3 hours after that and 1.5-2 hours. Bedtime at least 4 hours after that. So 7am wake, first nap 9-10am, second nap 1-3pm, bed at 7pm. It’s called the 2,3,4 schedule and a lot of people find it works really well for babies of this age- we did it with both of ours and it worked.

@Bitzee Yes I've heard of the 2 3 4 but I've read so much that this age they need minimum wake windows of 3hrs? Also that giving a very early nap makes them feel its part of the night sleep therefore reinforcing early wakes.
I've been trying to make sure I cap 2nd nap by 3 30 now allowing a 4hr wake window before bed and things seem better. Far less crying than usual!

Early naps can reinforce early waking but 6/7am wake ups sound fine, so not an issue that applies to you really, and a nap at ~9am is hardly early.

Obviously babies are individuals but I have never heard that a 12MO always needs at least a 3 hour wake window, and especially not first thing- the 2,3,4 wouldn’t be as well known/popular as it is if that were the case. From memory the recommended Gina Ford routine at that age also mimics the 2,3,4. But your bigger issue was likely the short wake window before bed so if you’ve tweaked that and things are much better than that’s great, you may not need to do anything about the morning but it’s worth keeping in the back of your mind in case things go haywire again. Hopefully not though!