Is it normal for my 11 month old to only nap once during the day. He is normally a late sleeper. He goes to bed between 7 and 8 o'clock at night and sleeps to about 3 or 4 AM and wakes up to nurse and play alone in his bed (or mine in the dark) and goes back to sleep between 5 or 6 AM and sleeps until 8 or 9 AM (usually 8AM). He then naps for about 1.5-2 hrs at about 12 or 1 pm until about 2 or 3 pm. Is this normal for an 11 month old? or should he still be taking two naps? Is this sleeping pattern normal? How can I eliminate the 2 hour wake period at night? I try keeping him up later, but it's already to hard keeping him up until 7 or 8.
Thanks!
all four of my children only took one bap in the afternoon but then my children slept through the night went to bed around 9 p.m. got up about 6 a.m. I think you baby is doing fine ask his doctor about it good luck before long you won't be able to get him to nap at all
Dr. Ferber's book, "Solve your child's sleep problems" talks about this exact behavior. There is an entire chapter on naps. Even though he is known for his progressive waiting approach to teaching babies and children to go to sleep on their own, that is only one chapter. His book, updated in 2006, is very useful. There are different things you can do and there are many things that need to be taken into consideration before any advice is given. All are in the book.
Both of my girls were down to one nap by that age. They would sleep from 6:30-6:30 and only take a two hour nap or so during the day. Every child is different. As long as he doesn't seem overly tired and it isn't an issue for you, it's normal :)
Hey Tiffany,
I can only tell you that as a mom to a little one that did not nap at all, and only slept for 4-6hrs a night for almost 2 years...Yes I was super sleep deprived, but all in all thier sleep habits adjust. Also, ignore comments people make about thier wonderful sleepers as all babies are different and require different amounts of sleep.
You may want to check your routine and feeding schedules to determine if some tweaking to bath time or meal time may help keep him up later at night or even encourage a daily nap that could result in better sleep at night. However, some kids sleep needs are less. And from the sound of your little one, he is sleeping and waking and sleeping again, even has a daily nap... for sure he is not lacking. One nap is plenty too if it is for 1-2hrs, or 2 naps at 30mins-1hr is good too! Unless your child seems unable to function, has medical issues or develops/grows slowly, I wouldn't be concerned.
My little monkey at 2 1/2 yrs finally takes naps most days of 30 mins to 2hrs and sleeps from 10pm - 6am (broken, as cries out 2-3 times due to dreams or requesting juice, even though we only offer water during sleep). Oh and we are growing better than average and of course as her mommy, I think she is super smart.
Hope things improve soon or you find a solution, but whatever you do ...don't worry!
-MB
Hello Tiffany,
Every child is different. My daughter is 16 months old and wakes up between 7-9am then takes a 2 to 3 hour nap at 11. Then is up for a little bit and usualy takes an hour nap before dinner. She sleeps on and off at night. No matter if she takes naps during the day. So every kid is different. My son when he was little would sleep all night and take naps through out the whole day. Some kids just dont need those extra naps and some kids do. :)
S.
Helping others work from home!
www.always4myfamily.com
Each child is different for nap schedules, obviously... :) My 16 month old still takes 1 good one and a cat nap about supper time. He usually sleeps from 8-8 but lately my DS has been waking him up around 7 (Grrrrr). Anyway, so I've found with my older son: If he goes to bed at 6:30pm - he wakes up at 6:30. If he goes to bed at 10:30pm - he wakes up at 6:30. Especially if he's skipped his nap (he's 4) - if he gets a nap, bedtime if by 8 o'clock.
I started reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby by...?? Marc _____??? Can someone help me out? I'm sleep deprived... :) Anyway, he talks about how many hours a kid should be sleeping and that those hours can never be made up (as for adults, too). Very interesting and he talks about the fact that our children usually aren't going to bed early enough. Is it a set rule in my house?? No, we break it but I find my day is much more pleasant when they go to bed when they are supposed to...
HUGS! And good luck! :)
Just wanted to second another responder about the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I was having fits trying to get my twins to nap when they were around 7 months. I read A LOT of books and that book really made sense to me. I altered a few of our habits and it really worked. I definitely suggest you read it. Also, I agree with other responders about making sure you're putting your child to bed early enough. I started putting my kids to bed earlier and they started sleeping better and longer at night and during the day.
Good luck!
All three of my children had different nap schedules. I have one friend (her dad is a pediatrician) that had a child that completely quit napping at 16 months, but she went to bed at 6pm every night. One thing to try (this will sound strange) is to put him to bed earlier at night. Often, when a child is overtired, they will not sleep as well. My first child slept from 7pm - 7am. If I kept her up later, she would awaken at least one time during the night. Their immature nervous systems do not process being tired like ours. They will sleep fitfully rather than better if they are extremely tired. You mentioned that it is sometimes hard to keep him awake until 7 or 8. I suggest trying putting him to bed as soon as he shows signs of being sleepy. I did this and it completely revamped my child's sleep schedule for the better. Good luck!
