Is he dropping a nap?

[PumpkinLumpkin]

Son is turning 14 months old next week. Been struggling to get him down for his afternoon nap recently so think it's time to drop it. No matter how tired is he refuses to nap. Best I can get out of him is a wee restful cuddle on the couch and he's obviously knackered and rubbing his eyes.

Routine before was:

Wake 7:30
Morning nap 10 or 11
Afternoon nap 3 or 4
Bed 8pm

Routine now is all over the shop. He won't nap in the afternoon no matter how tired he is and is also randomly waking at 6am. I'm not sure how much of this to attribute to a cough that's bothering him- always hard to gauge usual routine when they're unwell.

Anyway we're trying to nap at 12 because if he naps when he wants to (10am) he then won't nap again the rest of the day and that's a looooong time til bedtime which we've brought forward to 7pm.

Is this a suitable routine?

7am wake up (I hope we can get back to this but at the moment he keeps waking up at 6am)
Nap 12-2
7pm bedtime.

Is 2 hours day time sleep enough? I know some children his age or a little older who have one three hour nap in the middle of the day. But he wakes up himself after 2 hours.

thanks

At 14 months one two-hour nap a day is what's recommended. Usually 12:30 to 14:30, bed at 19:00

Thank you! That's reassuring that we're on the right track. Any tips for pushing the morning back to 7 or half 7 like we used to have? Or if he's determined to wake at 6 should he also go to bed at 6? He doesn't seem ready for bed til 7

My 10 month old is just starting to fight her morning nap so we are trialling one long afternoon nap.
She is sleeping up to 3 hours during the middle of the day and it is working well for us.
There will always be recommendations by age online but I think you have to take their lead.

My 17m old dropped to one nap by 10m. She had way too much FOMO to nap in the mornings so usually goes down between 11.30-12.30 for 1.5-3hrs.

Wake 7/7.30
Nap 11.30-2.30
Bed 8pm

My kids have all been similar.

My little one dropped her morning nap around the same age, maybe slightly earlier. She wakes around 7/7.30am and has her nap about 12pm-2/2.30pm. It will feel like a struggle to begin with trying to keep the awake until 12 but it will get easier. I would usually try do something in the morning to keep her occupied, even just doing the food shop worked. And then you will tend to find the with the new routine your little one might naturally start to sleep in until 7/half 7. They are probably waking early because they are getting more sleep than needed during the day.

Also, if he's waking early and knackered by 6pm, what I do is try drag out bedtime until 6.30pm, start bedtime routine and put her down at like 6.45am. She might then wake up around 6.45am, and if she's cranky in the morning I'll just put her down for a nap at 11.30am instead of 12pm. Everyday is a little different but I try stick to routine as much as possible

At 14mo both of mine woke between 7-7:30, napped 11:30-13:30 and went to bed at 19:30, usually asleep straight away. DD dropped the nap at 2yr3mo precisely. DS was up and down from about 1yr8mo to 2yr3mo (coinciding perfectly with lockdown, thanks DS...) until he finally refused to even consider it.

DD never ever napped in the buggy after she was a newborn, but it was only her so we didn't have to be anywhere and she could sleep in her cot. DS would do 45mins or so if we were out and about, and as long as he had some sleep during his usual naptime he was okay. DD on the other hand couldn't cope without the full 2hrs!

Good luck OP, naps are great... until you have to adjust them!

Sounds like everyone is pretty similar which is reassuring. Next challenge: reclaim our 7:30/8am wake ups!

My eldest used to do

6am wake, nap 12:00-14:00 bed at 6pm.

My youngest does 7am wake (not this morning though!!!) nap 12:30-14:30 bed at 6:30

So just do what works best but the 2 hours in the middle of the day is the goal! With at least 4 hours before bedtime.

Also, they all try to drop their morning naps from about 10 months, but we shouldn't really let them. My eldest went down to about 15 mins in the morning before finally dropping it when he was 1. They really do need something in the morning before the age of 1

Can I jump on here to ask if your little ones go down for one long nap at 11:30 or 12, when do they eat lunch?

My eldest and my youngest eat at 11:00/11:15 then milk at 12:15, nap at 12:30

I give him lunch at 11:30 and he sleeps at 12. He needs a snack and milk as soon as he wakes up from his nap at 2ish.