Naps

So we're having some sleep issues. They used to be really good about napping and going to bed by 7:30 the latest. This past week has been a struggle getting them to go to bed by 8! Especially DD, and most days she's refusing her second nap.

When did you go from 2 naps to 1 and at what time was it? For some reason I thought it was around 18 mos, mine are only 14mos adjusted... I still adjust.

Help! :unsure:

 

at 14 mo some days it was 2 naps some was 1 and i started forcing 1 nap. did earlier lunch. at 11 not 12. then nap was at 1230 till 3. bed was 730 not 8. wake was 630-7
now everything is changing again almost a year later.

 

my boys are 19 months and still take 2 naps. I have tried to cut out the morning nap and it leaves them cranky and Ethan had problems staying awake for lunch. Plus they wouldn't take a very long nap after lunch which makes for a very long evening. I will let them take 2 naps as long as they need them and take them. They run to the fence by the stairs everytime I ask them if they want to go to bed or to take a nap.

 

Every child is different, so some will drop from 2 to 1 sooner or later than others. My boys were around 2-years old when they started taking 1 nap per day. Before making this change they would nap in the morning around 9:30 and again around 2:00. After the change they would nap around 12:30 and sleep for up to 3 hours. Bedtime was at 7pm.

 

I didn't force my children into 1 nap, I figured when their bodies were ready to go longer without sleep they would let me know.

And they did.

When I would put them down for the AM nap, they would just play and not sleep. They were around 20 months at that time. So I just went by their cues and they now go down for one nap at around 12-12:30 and typically sleep for 2-3 hours.

I kept their bedtimes (7:00) and their wake up time (7:00) the same during the transition.

 

Ditto the every child is different comment. Among our friends, we had 5 boys all born around the same time, and it's been widely different what their nap patterns were as they were growing up. Ours gave up their 2nd nap around 18mos I think... mainly it was just me giving up fighting them to sleep in the morning, then they'd fall asleep around lunchtime. They almost never napped as long as 2-3 hours... not unless I was sick and sleeping in the same room! :lol:

If they're fighting sleep then they might be ready. The transition was kinda rough for us - there's a period where 2 naps is a fight, but 1 nap wasn't enough. Just play it by ear, see what works out. Ditch the first nap, and be ready to bring the 2nd nap earlier if they start to get reeeal crabby after skipping the first nap.

Good luck!

--> Andy

 

Mine went to 1 nap at daycare at 12 months! I thought that was way too early though. But I wasn't the one who had to deal with it.... at least they kept sleeping OK at night, thank goodness.

On weekends, we just gave up the morning nap recently, around 16 months. Sometimes they still fall asleep in the stroller, but we no longer put them down in their cribs for a morning nap. If they snooze in the stroller, they usually sleep a little less in the afternoon, but they almost never refuse the afternoon nap completely.

In our case, we sort of pushed them to give it up. They were happy to keep napping in the morning, but we'd rather have them sleep longer in the afternoon (and be able to do things in the morning), instead of 1 hr in the morning and 1.5 in the afternoon.

 

My guys have been down to 1 nap for about 1.5 months now. It was a couple weeks before their birthday. They did it themselves. My oldest was the same way.

Cari

 

18 mos. here. When the regularly started NOT taking the afternoon nap (talking for 2 hrs). I switched to one. I started the a.m. nap a little later and then pushed it to 1:00 which is now the standard!

 

Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to have grandma start pushing their morning nap out and see if only one nap works better than the crying that's been going on every night!