How do I know LO is ready to drop a nap?

[carrotcruncher81]

Hi all,

LO is 15 months next week and although his sleep has never been great, it's been crazy this past week or so. He is also literally about to walk, so I'm not sure if that is a factor in this, but I'm so tired I desperately need some advice.

He naps at nursery twice a day, but has been waking up after 45 mins of going down and then he's been waking up every 2/3 hours and also won't go back in his cot. He's currently at my mums, been up since 5 but showing no sign of wanting to nap! He did this with her over a week ago too and I genuinely thought he was going to be so out of sorts by bedtime, but in actual fact he slept as normally as he usually does that night (6-8 hours, wakes and then back down for 2-3).

Is this a combination of separation anxiety with him not wanting to go down in cot, walking and perhaps needing to drop a nap?

It's just so odd as yesterday at nursery he was so tired by 8:30 they said they had to put him down to sleep earlier and then he slept his normal 2 hours in the afternoon!

I'm just worried that if he is dropping a nap, nursery will insist on keeping him in the 2 naps a day schedule because of the other children.

Any advice/guidance would be appreciated.

Most children transition to one nap some time after their first birthday.

I think as soon as he starts walking he will become a lot more tired and will probably want at least one nap a day then.

Just keep encouraging him1

He never not naps and it's now the 2nd time he's only had one nap at my mums. He fell asleep on his trike, so he's now soundo in bed. I just don't want him to be overtired, but his sleep is all over the place at night no matter what he does.

What are the signs for dropping that morning nap? Does it happen some days and not others during this phase?

Some people phase it out. Some people just drop it. Some Los refuse.

I have chopped and change between 1 and 2 naps for a while. But last week I still put my lo down at 915 to 920 and she's been refusing it. Just laying in cot, then gets upset so I go get her. Then I just pop her down about 1245pm.

At nursery she's been having 1 nap since a year old, but doesn't have as long so gets bit grumpy. I still continued with morning nap to ensure not to get overtired, specially if she's been at nursery a few days.

Is lo waking at 5am? That's early 💤 😴 and a long time till 230pm?

I think routine is key. On nursery days I sort of wing it. But home
915am in cot wake by 10am if she refuses she refuses.
1pm to 115pm in cot.
330pm awake. Sometimes wakes earlier
745pm to 8pm bed.

My lo is 15 months old in a week. We do later bedtime as this stopped the 530am wake ups

She wakes between 615am to 730am

Can your lo self soothe?

The nursery I have couldn't get her down for two naps so I asked for 1 nap and they said no problems. She just wouldn't sleep for both so now we just do one at nursery. Too excited and such. Nursery will listen to you, unless your lo is getting in a state and will have to put them to sleep. I know on couple occasions my lo had to have a sleep at 11am a couple times as she was falling asleep in the garden. Then when she comes home at 4pm whoever has her I say put her down for an hour. It doesn't seem to effect bedtime atm.

Have you just returned to work? It takes a while for your lo to get used to who's looking after them and their routine. I'm too organised and have a good routine for naps and bed, as she was always so difficult for sleep. So we had to implement one. Now I'm sure anyone could put my lo to sleep if she knows them.

So when my friend and my auntie looks after my lo they know exactly what to do even if she doesn't seem tired. I still ask them to put her down. I have quite strict instructions 😆 🤣 😂 I promise I'm nice. But I know my kid.

@ChittyBang1987

Well, I still bf to sleep and when he wakes in the night, BUT my mum can lay him down and he just goes to sleep, sometimes she might have to rock him a bit, but not often and sometimes he's even crawled on to his floor bed and gone to sleep by himself. He's pretty much the same at nursery. It's just me who he won't settle for without the boob. He's been at nursery and my Mums for about 5 weeks now, so you're right he probably is still settling. Maybe it will just be like you've said, the 1 and 2 until he just drops naturally?

I'm trying to wean, but I've been told not to whilst he's learning to walk. We're also going on holiday on Monday for two weeks, so my routine is going to be buggered, so introducing weaning now isn't ideal, but I'm desperate to. As much as I'll miss it, I need my body back now, ha.

Back to the self soothe, to be honest he's woken up through the night and has gone back to sleep on his own, but never at bed time. I have started to introduce milk during book time in his cot along with cuddly teddy's and comforters.

Personally i wouldn't do anything until you come back from holiday.

My lo is bottle fed, and she never let anyone else really feed her except me. Even now her evening bottle much prefers me to anyone else.

He will settle. My lo took about 2 months to settle completely when I went back to work. And was attending nursery 2 months before I went back to work too.

I can't answer about weaning when I didn't BF. Maybe someone else can advise? From what I readi believe sending in your OH to comfort in the night as he will smell your milk. And maybe introduce a bottle other times to get used to it??

I think start with a routine and set day time naps. Your mum probably needs to do the same too, aim for 930am and 1pm ish for naps and if he doesn't sleep he doesn't sleep for morning one. Though I would watch if lo up at 5am long time till 2pm without a sleep. May become overtired.

What are the signs for dropping that morning nap? Does it happen some days and not others during this phase?

For us, it was early starts (5/5:30am) and difficultly getting the second nap in despite cutting the morning nap off at 30 minutes. We just went for it at about 15 months, we didn’t have days alternating because DS and I love a routine and I think it really helps with bedtime. On the first day he slept in closer to 6, we went out in the morning to a busy toddler group so he was really distracted. Short distance home in the buggy with loads of snacks and me distracting him and straight in the cot for a nap at 12. He slept 1h50 mins which was the longest nap ever! It was a bit of a difficult week or so adjusting, but it really wasn’t long until he was sleeping in until 7am regularly. It was hard fitting lunch in at first - he tended to have a big snack at 11:30 and 14:30 as opposed to a proper meal, but within a month he could manage being awake long enough to have a proper lunch then nap.

Re: night weaning/stopping breastfeeding to sleep. I handed over nights to DH, loosely following the Jay Gordon method. It was surprisingly easily. DS got a bit upset the first few times DH did nap time (we started with naps, before progressing to nights) but he took to night weaning really well. Never left to cry - DH camped out on his room for 2 or so weeks!

@AliceW89 thank you.

So based on yesterday at my Mums, he went down at 8:00 last night, I heard him stir a bit at 1am (I would usually jump up an settle) but something told me to leave him as he didn't sound upset, within a minute or so he was back to sleep and woke up at 4:30. In my eyes that's massive progress, ha.

I am tempted to do one nap today and see how the night goes, but the fact he's been up sooo early concerns me. My other concern is his routine is going to be out of the window for 2 weeks from Monday because of holiday.

Oh I will look at the Jay Gordon method. I do have a night weaning guide I bought from a brilliant sleep coach I used. I'm definitely not up for the crying it out or any of those harsh methods. I find them awful, so I'm definitely keen on anything that is the opposite of that.

I also think that although he does enjoy nursery, maybe the fact he's at my mums makes him a little more settled when it comes to bed time? He's very close to her.