16 month old - reduce nap or drop nap?

[olittlegreene]

I’m a first time mum (with another one on the way). Our 16 month old used to sleep from about 7pm to 6/7am but since 14 months, he doesn’t sleep until 9/10pm each night. He still sleeps through until 6am/7am but we are just wondering if there’s anything we can do to get him back closer to a 7pm bedtime?

He is down to one nap a day and dropped each of his naps earlier than his friends of the same ages but none of our friends seem to have had this 9/10pm bedtime challenge. There have been three days recently in separate weeks where for different reasons he’s had no nap and on those days he’s gone to bed between 6-7.30 and slept through but as he’s 16 months, that seems too young to drop a nap?

His naps during the day range from 1.5hrs to 3hrs (1.5hrs to 2hrs most days). Any suggestions on which options may work out of the following:

1. Cut his naps to 1.5 hours (or shorter?) and wake him up by 2pm regardless of how long the nap was?
2. Drop his nap altogether?
3. Leave things as they are and accept he has a late bedtime.

Thank you!

I would cap the nap at 2 hours and aim for a bedtime of 8pm.

Thank you.

I’ve just gone through his nursery app for his nap and here are the last few:
1hr20 - ended at 1.50pm
1hr30 - ended at 2.10pm
1hr - ended at 1.40pm
1hr45 - ended at 2.10pm
2h10 - ended at 2.45pm
1hr30 - ended at 2.10pm
1hr40 - ended at 2.15pm
On any of these days he’s been asleep between 8.20-9.50pm so most of his naps are less than 2 hours and his bedtime is still late. (I should have included his timings in the original post).

We capped his nap at 30mins today and even though it was from 2.30pm - 3pm (therefore ended after 2pm), he was fast asleep before 7.30.

They're unpredictable little monsters!! See what he's like tomorrow night, that's more of a. Indication

Is he walking? can you take him for some exercise & fresh air after you collect him from nursery (a walk rather than playing st the park, think calming, not exciting )

Does he have milk & a carby snack before bed?

He just started walking two weeks ago. He had been taking steps for a while so initially I thought his going to sleep later was developmental but it’s been well over 2 months now.

We could try walking him home when he’s steadier on his feet (subject to how my pregnancy develops) or my husband could depending on which one of us can do pickup on the days he goes. He currently plays with us and his toys when he’s back from nursery around 4.30/5. Then his current routine when he was sleeping at 7 was dinner at home between 5.30-6 (carbs, protein and veg), bath time, milk (he drinks a lot of milk), brush teeth, read books, and then he’d be asleep in his cot within 20 seconds. Nothing in his routine has changed except he refuses to go in his cot when we’ve tried him at his usual bedtime and doesn’t fall asleep until the later times.

I’m grateful that he sleeps through at least but it is a very long day when he sleeps late and as I’m currently expecting I’d love to be asleep earlier. I’m also worried about this continuing when we have a newborn although I’m hopeful that we’ll have found a solution by then as baby number 2 is due early next year so we have time to figure things out.

It's such a lovely time, one 16 months & one in the way! If I could I'd go back in time!!

it takes a lot of energy & thinking about thidms developing & learning new skills. It can definitely impact their sleep. (And just when you need them to go to bed at a decent tune.

He spoilt you by going to bed so easily before!!

id definitely try going for a walk after nursery, even while he's not that steady, either holding his hand firmly or with reins on to stop him falling over, or if you have somewhere grassy where he can stumble around! They need to exercise to tire the bidy, his little brain on overtime newly walking & nursey. I know it's the last thing you feel like foung dometimes, but just think if the reward, sleeping l uk e he used to!!

he''ll go through many changes sleep wise! Nothing (good or bad) lasts forever 💕