why is my son reducing his nap already?!

[waitingforsomething]

DS is exactly 17 months old. He is a good night sleeper and will sleep usually 11 and a half to 12 hours at night. He is put down at 6.45 and wakes between 6.15 and 6.45, ocassionally 6. No problem with any of this.

He dropped to one nap at 14 months, and started having a solid 1.5 hour nap after lunch, sometimes but rarely 2 hours. This is from 12.30 or 1pm depending on when he wakes up.

In the last 3 weeks, he has been waking up from his nap between 1hr and 1.hr 20 minutes, and in the last 2 days 40 minutes only. Today I've popped in to check his nappy and given him a kiss and put him back down but I'm pretty sure he'll be shouting shortly and I'll have to get him out! He's not ratty when he wakes but is a nightmare by about 5 or 5.30pm. We are busy pretty much every morning, he walks a lot and today for example we've played at the beach and had a walk so he's not under exercised.
It's not teeth - he has had 16 teeth for a long while now and no signs of the 2 year molars yet.

He's not dropping this already is he?! DD dropped her nap by 2.3 but we are still a way from that - I was hoping to get to at least 2!

No clue but we are exactly the same! Up since 4:45 today. Mine is not sleeping at all during the day ( am trying to get him to but he is totally fighting it ). Settles fine at night...I am just reminding myself it is a phase, it will pass....

I'd hope it was just a glitch. He definitely should be napping still and clearly needs sleep if he's grumpy by 5pm. Persevere! Loads of times I've though my children were dropping their naps and we have had a few days or even a week of them skipping it or waking early. But the oldest napped till 4.5 and the youngest is 3 and still napping.

Don't give up!

Thanks Benefits I am strongly hoping it's a phase! I'm just quietly freaking because DD was actually quite little when she stopped napping completely so I just don't want him to be even earlier....toddlers need sleep right?!

Rubyslippers sorry to hear you're in the same boat, and with an early morning too, trying little people.

I particularly like the use of the word "glitch" by PP. I might start using that

is a nightmare by about 5 or 5.30pm

This is telling you he definately needs sleep.

How about changing the timings to sort of "reset" his sleep patterns. Not perminantly, just to see if you can generate a change in his sleep then move back to how it was.

If he seems more tired in the afternoons than mornings, try a really busy morning, later lunch and later afternoon nap - aim for 2pm and wake at 4pm if not already awake. This may shift bedtime later and wake time late (not sure if that matters to you?). The whole point is to shift his sleep in order to change it.

The opposite may also work. Have quiet, relaxing mornings and an earlier lunch, making his mornings calm and conducive to getting ready to sleep. Then have busy, busy, busy afternoons after he wakes.

Thanks FATE, I'm not particularly bothered about his morning wake time as long as it's after 6am so it wouldn't matter if it got a bit later. I'll try the later nap first and see how it goes.
Thanks so much