Dropping to one nap if they need it EARLY

[mistressploppy]

DS is 14mo and usually has a short nap at 9-9.30am and a longer one at 1pm-ish.

Lately he's been messing about and difficult to get down for the second nap, so I thought perhaps it was time to move to one (DS1 dropped to one at about this age) - BUT he seems to really need an early morning nap. He wakes at 7am so not that early, but always goes to sleep really easily at 9am, sometimes earlier.

He won't make it though the day on just a morning nap though - what to do?

Start pushing the morning nap later by 10 or 15 minutes at a time til eventually it coincides with the lunchtime nap and then combine them for one long lunchtime nap.

I would keep both naps at this age ( we had 2 until around 17months)

Bring morning nap slightly early to say 9.15, and make sure she is awake by 9.45/ 10am latest.

Then pop down at 1/1.30 as usual.

Once we dropped an nap, we had a few weeks of main nap at 11.30 am, gradually moving by 15 mins each few days until it stayed at 1pm.

But that's what I'm already doing, forevergreek!

I cut the morning nap right down so he'll be tired for the pm one. Maybe he's OVERtired??

Argh. He's STILL not asleep! He's been up there for ages, happily fiddling with his teddies and chatting to the wall

DS ended up only needing one morning nap - was usually asleep before 11am. He did start off with the 9am nap and the 1pm one, but just pushed the morning one later and later and it was the afternoon one that got phased out.

It's useful to have it that way round if you can manage it - gives you a bit of time before lunch, and you've got the whole afternoon free to do stuff.

Thanks mybeloved - so when did your DS eat lunch? After the nap?

He usually had a decent snack and milk before his nap, then lunch afterwards.

Is he walking yet? A toddle around the roads/ park/ garden between morning nap and lunch usually works

That kind of happened here just before he started walking, then fine, and now sleeps 2 hrs pm ( 2 and 3 year olds). 3 yet old def needs an afternoon run between nap ending at 3, and 7.30pm sleep

Thank you mybeloved

He is walking, and today we'd been to toddler group in between nap and lunch! I think (hope) it's an anomaly...I'll see what happens tomorrow and if he's still a pain to get to sleep in the afternoon I'll have a re-think

My 3.5yo sleeps like a log, still naps for as long as he can get away with after lunch and goes to bed at 7pm no problems, even if he's just played indoors all afternoon!