16 month old day naps

[Toystory123]

Anyone with any help/tips/experience? My 16 month old is proving really tricky to get to sleep for an afternoon nap. He only naps in the pram/car. This past week or so, naps have gone a bit downhill. He wakes between 5:30-6:30, 7 absolute latest and not very often. I do his first nap 3 hours after waking but by the time he’s actually falling asleep it’s normally 3.5-4hrs later. He’s been fighting his afternoon nap (aim for 3/3.5 hrs after his last wake) and I stop trying once it hits 3pm so it doesn’t affect bedtime. He goes to sleep around 8pm which has gradually got later as he’s not tired enough beforehand. He’s been waking overnight more frequently - a good night used to be 2-3 wakes now it’s more 5 wakes. Is it a tricky period or something obvious I should be trying?

It sounds like he's ready for just one long nap- try keeping him up till
10.30/11?

2 naps is way too much at this age and is likely causing all your issues (early morning waking, lots of night waking, skipping naps). Drop to one nap after an early lunch, get through a crap few weeks and I reckon everything will get better

I agree with only needing one nap.

Amazing - thanks everyone, makes me feel better that that seems to be the answer. Will try for the one nap tomorrow and hopefully it all goes a bit smoother!

yes one nap around 12. If he’s struggling to push through in the morning you can try and give him a 10 min nap but be strict with keeping to 10 mins.

Sounds like he's just not tired for a morning nap, I would go for one nap straight after lunch. My eldest was terrible for only napping in the car/pram, when she got to about 18 months I would just time going out for straight after lunch so she could nap on the way there, I did quite a lot of sitting in my car in car parks! she did sleep through at night pretty well though!

If anyone is still around 🤞🤞? We’ve done midday naps the last couple of days - they’ve seemed to have worked well. First day he slept until 8am (unheard of!) and midday nap was just after 12/12:30 and yesterdays was earlier around 11/11:30 after waking at 5:30. DC had woken today at 4.. does this sound all normal to you and a case of persevering? He does seem more tired in the evening and I have put him in his crib half an hour earlier but he’s still not falling asleep until 8pm

I know it’s counterintuitive but I would be putting him to bed earlier at 7pm and persevering for a week. I agree that it’s time for one nap a day.

Yes you just have to keep going. We are in the same boat right now with our second. Once a week she steals a morning nap as we drive to music class at about 10am for about 20 mins, and then she has a later afternoon nap. But otherwise she naps at about 11am until 1.30pm. Bathed by 6pm, and she's asleep by 7pm. From memory, this nap will get later as she gets more solidly in the routine so I'd be expecting her to nap after lunch at about 12.30pm.

Definitely keep going with the one nap- will take him a week or so to settle into it. We had a couple of pre-4am wakes (and that was her awake for the day!), but now my baby is used to it she usually wakes between 5:30am and 6am (pre-one nap, she was regularly waking before 5am).