18 month old routine

[Jefferson]

Hoping for some much needed advice. I have no idea how best to structure the day for my 18 months old.

Until now his routine looked like this
7am wake up/milk
9 breakfast
10.30 nap 1-1.5 hrs
12.30 lunch
3.30 nap 1.5 hrs
6 dinner
7.30 milk
8 bed

However it's been getting later and later. So he doesn't sleep in the morning till 11.00and then not again till 4. Bedtime ends up being close to 9. Clearly I think this means he's ready to drop a nap and just do the one around 12.30 and then bed at 7.

But it's not working! He's shattered by 11.30 and is so whingy until after lunch. Then he only sleeps for 1.5 hrs and is so tired again by 4.30. It is awful trying to keep him awake until 7. He was normally quite a cheerful baby but has been miserable recently during the day. Today I gave in and put him down at 4.30. I had to wake him at 6.30! So he won't be in bed again till 9.

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. Should I go back to 2 naps? Just persevere through the misery? He's a great night sleeper and very rarely wakes. He seems really hungry too. I've also dropped the afternoon milk feed at the same time (yes he was still having it!) but the snacks to replace it don't seem to be doing the trick.

I'm totally lost!

When my 18 month old transitioned to one nap a day it was a gradual progress. I suggest continuing with two for now but limiting morning nap to 20-30 minutes so just a power nap to see him through, then a longer nap after lunch. Then gradually drop morning nap.

My DD now has :
6.30 up and cup of milk
7am breakfast
12pm lunch
Between 1pm and 2pm nap 2 hours
5pm tea
6.30 bath
7.15 bed and cup of milk

Snack in between if needed

Or....bring lunch forward to 11.15/11.30 and straight into nap

Once he is used to that you can push lunch back again!

My boy went to one nap at 9 months, he is 16 months now and the day goes like this:
7 -7.30 up and breakfast
Play/activities till
11.30 lunch
12 bed for around 2 hours but he sometimes sleeps a little more
Snack when he gets up
4.30 - 5 dinner
6 bath
6.30 bottle
7 - 7.30 bed

I would be putting him to bed much earlier than 7 on a one nap day. Or giving him a power nap in the morning on the go - I used to engineer a walk with ds so he'd have 15-20 mins in the morning then would have one at 12/12.30. For a while he went down for a nap a 12 with an early lunch until he got used to it.

DS 18 months:

Up at 6 ish, milk
8am breakfast
11.45 lunch
12.15 sleep for 1.5 hours
4.15 dinner
5.45 bath
6.15 bed, normally asleep by 6.30

Dd2 is 18 m.

Up between 6-7.
Milk.
Breakfast around 7.30
Lunch around 11-12
Milk.
Nap after for 1-2 hours.
Milk.
Dinner around 5.30
Bed at 7.

DD 19 months (this has been her routine for the past few months)

7:00-7:30: wake & breakfast
School run, play time etc
10:00 snack
11:30/12: lunch
12:30: nap for about 2 hours
snack on waking or after school run at 3
5:30/6: dinner
7:00/7:15 breastfeed & bed (sometime with bath beforehand)

Thanks everyone. I know in theory his routine should be like all the above but in practice it's just not happening. He won't sleep for 2 hrs and is knackered and miserable by 5. What else can I do to help the transition?

One thing I might try is the suggestion of an early lunch. Any other tips?

My DS is 18mo and has been having 1 nap since about 12mo. His day is as follows.

7:00-8:00 he gets up.
8:30 brekkie

12:00-12:30 lunch.
12:30-1:30 sleep for 1-2 hours.
3:30 snack.
5:30 tea.
6:30 bath.
7:30 bed.

He sometimes has a snack between brekkie and lunch but is rare.

Maybe you could gradually move his nap back by letting him sleep at 11 like he has been and move it a little later every few days but if he sleeps later on just let him half half an hour?

My dd is 1 year and fluctuates between 1 and 2 naps. On the days when she has 1 I find she still needs a quiet time around the time she would have had her first nap. Just a sit in the darkish with a book and a cuddle usually does it. This just keeps her going through till a lunch time nap. You could try doing this when he is getting tired and stressed at 11 as a sort of middle ground to help the transition.

My DD is 17 months, here is the day:
6am- milk and back to sleep
9am - wake-up
9:30am- breakfast
12:00 - lunch
12:30- 3:00- nap
6:00 - tea
9:00- milk and to bed
She has snaks between meals

What if you were to get up and give him breakfast straightaway at 7am, rather than milk and back to sleep? After breakfast let him play around, outside if poss, then he wd prob be tired by 10ish? Then sleep then early lunch at 12. Then lots of activity till 2 then a short sleep till say 2.45. Then he'd be ready to eat supper and go to bed earlier (and so be ready to start the day at 7am)