Trying to shorten morning nap and lengthen afternoon nap

[Ladywithababy1]

10 month old DS is currently in a pattern where he sleeps for 1.25-2hrs in the morning (around 9.15) and then about 30 mins roughly 3.25/3.5 hours after he wakes up.

This seems to suit him as he isn't grumpy or anything towards bedtime and he is sleeping ok at night, but he is due to start nursery in about 5 weeks and I know it would be easier if his long nap was in the afternoon, so that eventually the morning one is the one he drops.
Has anyone got any advice as how to I 'swap' them?? I am scared of waking him after only 30 mins in the morning in case he doesn't sleep again the rest of the day!!

You could try moving the morning nap later and later each day, rather then shortening it.

5 weeks isn't a realistic time scale to make this change to move the nap to lunchtime, I would say it would need several months. But for example you could try a week of not putting him down for his morning nap until 9.30am. Then a week of 9.45am, 10.00am, 10.15am, 10.30am and so on.

Eventually you reach the point where you have a super early lunch (say 11am) and then nap after lunch. Gradually you make lunch later and so nap later.

In my experience nursery staff manage to convince children to sleep at times and for durations they never would at home. My DD never slept more than 45mins in the day prior to starting nursery, and within a few weeks was having a 2 hour afternoon nap. She now puts herself to sleep by saying shh-shh-shh and patting herself on the bum!

I think you could just leave it OP and nursery will try the switch for you if that's what you want.

But I also think that if you just go for it - wake him after 40minutes in the morning for example - then he will naturally do a longer lunch nap. Maybe you would have to give it a couple days to sort itself out.

This isn't very scienitific evidence but my first baby was in the same pattern as yours (although to be honest I didnt have any problems just going cold turkey from a 9am nap to a 12pm nap when he started refusing the afternoon one). My second baby couldn't be as we would never have gone anywhere with my toddler then. So she was always woken, and she always did her long nap at lunch.

I kind of figured the same would be true for my first born but was always too scared to risk it!!

So, either leave it to nursery I reckon, or if you are feeling brave just go for it one day! What's the worse that could happen? Maybe defo make a plan to go out after you wake him so the morning goes nice and fast :)

Thanks everyone - I think what I will do is start waking him up after 40 mins in the morning and do as you suggest love and take him straight out, and then do as you suggest fate and have an early lunch (as he will be having lunch at 11.30 at nursery anyway) and then do a nap around 12.30. Will see how we get on for the next month and then leave it to nursery to magic up lovely lung naps!!

Long not lung