Could My 12 Month Old Be Giving up a Nap?

All mine gave up their morning naps around that time. But their afternoon naps always went a little longer after giving up the morning one. He's probably just ready for one longer nap instead of two shorter ones.

I took issue with a couple moms who said 6:30 was 'not normal'. It totally can be, depending on the kid. My son went down between 5:45 and 6:30pm and slept until 7am. He transitioned to one nap at 12mo's. When he transitioned he napped at 12pm-3pm or so and went to bed between 6:30 and 7.

We're finally up to a bedtime of 7:30pm now that he's two, but he needs it!. I think even Dr. Karp of Happiest Baby fame advocated putting kids to bed at 6:30/7pm. Kids oftentimes need more sleep than they are offered, though it is very dependent on the kid.

Good Luck! And you child is not abnormal by any stretch!

Hey there, I have a 1 year old too (may 11), and over the past few weeks he has been doing the exact same thing. I felt so bad leting him cry for an hour in the am to settle down. We are now onto one nap a day, which actually is more sleep than we were getting with two naps a day. We just moved up the afternoon nap so it is closer to lunch time. Occasionally around 9:00 he seems tired so I will give him two naps on those days. My boy has never slept as much as they say they should sleep, but his doctor has reassured me time and time again that each child has there own normal. If development is progressive and the kid seem healthy then everything is fine. Good luck with the new schedule! I have come to really enjoy it.

I guess I'll put in my 2 cents worth. My son is 15 months old and he still takes two naps, so I don't think yours should be getting down to one. My sleep book says they should go to one nap a day around 18 months old. Anyway, I was thinking maybe you wait too long to put him down after he wakes up. My son wakes up around 7:00 AM and I have to put him back down for his morning nap 1 and 1/2 hours after he wakes up or he won't take a nap at all. this could be just my baby, but maybe you could watch for your babies sleep cues a little closer and see if the timing in-between napping is good for him. I have learned that an overtired baby doesn't sleep as well as a well rested baby...interesting huh. you would think they would be more tired but they aren't. Anyway, just watch him closely and you should be able to figure out what is best for him. good luck!

Around 1 year seems to be about right for giving up that morning nap. I welcomed that transition, especially with my second because he got to be more on the same schedule with his older brother. It was a little tough at first because I had to really make an effort to get lunch in him around 11:00 before he fell asleep. Eventually nap time got later and later as he could go longer without sleep. At 2 1/2 he goes down aroung 1:00 now.

I have 4 children youngest one 3 years. That sounds like way to much sleep to me. By the time my babies were 12 mo. they went to bed at 9:00 and slept till 8:00 or 9:00 and had one 2 hour nap in the afternoon. I never understand anyone putting their child to bed at 6:30. When does your husband see them. 6:30 bedtime is not normal.

Wow.....you were very lucky that your baby would take so many naps up until now! Every child is different and it's not totally abnormal that your baby won't nap much now. My first baby, who is now 9, would never nap. He was a week old and would only take two one-hour naps a day, and then he would sleep at night from midnight to four a.m. He never did take a day time nap, once he outgrew the newborn stage. My second son loved his sleep, and would sleep all day long and stay awake almost all night; it was hard to break that habit. By the time he was a year old, I couldn't get either of my first two boys to sleep through the night until they were 2 1/2 years old! My second son even then wouldn't nap during the day. I finally got him to start napping when he was 3 years old, and he would sleep for an hour. My third son has always loved his sleep. He started sleeping through the night at 11 months, which was a nice change for me. Up until a week ago (he will be 3 in August), he would take a 3-4 hour nap, once a day, everyday! That was sooooooooo nice. My last son, who just turned a year old, has just started sleeping through the night, now that I no longer nurse him. Most days, he will not sleep in the day, though. If he does take a nap in the day, it's just one, 45 min nap. He's been this way since he was a few months old... so I had a three month old, only taking one 45 min nap, once a day. I have no advice for you, because most of my boys have never liked to sleep! I have always tried to get a routine down for my boys, but I ended up having to do the routine without the nap because they just aren't tired in the day. I have never taken a nap during the day, myself, even when I had three kids and was 9 months pregnant with my fourth. Mom said I never took one as a child, either. If he really isn't tired, I wouldn't push the issue. If he is tired, try having him lie down on the couch, watching a movie, if he will, and maybe he'll fall asleep..... or you could go for a quick drive, if he will fall asleep in the car seat. Good luck!

All kids are different, but 12 months is quite common for going to just one nap. Follow your baby's cues. Sounds like he's ready. Try it & see what happens.

Let him stay up a little longer. Going to bed at 6:30 may be giving him TOO much sleep. However, a 12-month old giving up a morning nap is not unusual. It just means he's growing up.
Good luck!

I have 3 spirited kids as well! 12 months is around the time when mine started to give up their first nap. They would still need a nap, but would be very resistant. I found that they would still have a morning nap every other day or every 3rd day for awhile during the transition -- maybe try that?

I have four children at ages 8, almost 6, 4 and 15 months. I can tell you that not all children are alike. Children go through growth spurts and this throws everything off from time to time. My daughter takes one or two naps depending on how tired she is. I have no set nap time because she goes to her crib willingly when she is tired. She just lays down and goes to sleep with her sippy cup of water and her stuffed animals. If she is going through a growth spurt she needs two naps a day. The naps range from one to three hours depending on how long she sleeps. I personally believe there is a window of when a nap is needed and if I put her down before she is ready she throws a fit. If I put her down too late she throws a fit, but when I notice her rubbing her eyes and getting just a little cranky, this is when I send her for a nap and she handles it like a pro.

I believe young children need their sleep, but their needs change and we need to be able to change with them to make the best results for both of us. I would watch your childs actions and work off of what they need rather than a schedule. I do believe in schedules for lots of things, but naps tend to be hard to schedule when the childs needs change depending on how they feel and if they are growing. This being said, I would say that you should have atleast one nap time that is fairly regular. My baby needs a nap between noon and one most days. I know this and am watching for her signs that she is ready. If it isn't until two then so be it, but I am aware that the time is coming up.

Good Luck!!!

My little boy was one year old when he was ready to consolidate his naps into one. I would put him down later, like 11 a.m. instead of 9 a.m., and he'd sleep for 2-3 hours. As he got older, the nap time got later, but it would still last a couple of hours. He just recently grew out of that nap time as well, and he's now four. Good luck!

Right around 1, my son and most of my friends kids switched to one nap/day, it sucks but I think very normal.....

I have to agree - sounds like your son doesn't really "need" his morning nap every morning. I would try to just "read" his signals and what he seems to need, but plan on always putting him down for an earlier afternoon nap - lunch either before or after nap depending.

I found when my daughter was "transitioning," that if I really had her doing more physical play or if we went to a play date or a big walk or something that tired her out, she still took two naps happily. The first day I had a more low-key morning for her, she fought the am nap.

As soon as we think we know our child's schedule, they always seem to throw us a curve ball, isn't that true?

Oh yeah - my DD needed two naps when she would be fighting off a cold or teething, etc. Again, I would just try to "read" her needs and watch her signals for being tired during those times.

Good luck - maybe your little guy is just so happy and doesn't want to miss one moment with you and your other children! :) Always look to the positive!

Give up the morning nap and put him down earlier in the afternoon. I noticed my kids didn't need an early nap after a certain age and some kids don't need as much sleep.
C. B

Try taking him to one nap a day. Let him be active and play until after his lunch and then put him down for a nap. He may sleep for an hour or more at one time instead of a couple of short naps.

I would try an earlier afternoon nap, which might mean an earlier lunch and an extra afternoon snack. Our little one goes back and forth between needing a morning nap and not needing it, depending on the activities of the day, sickness, growth, whatever. I wish he would just decide! We only do a morning nap if he's too crabby. Sometimes that means lunch for him at 11:30 and sometimes at 1:30. I wish I could tell you it was easier. I'm a big scheduler for sleep, etc., and this one just doesn't want a part of it. He does consistently stay rested enough. He seems to know.

Just remember all kids are different, so he could be giving up his nap a little earlier. I think mine went to one nap around a year and a half. On the positive side, he may nap for a longer time during that one nap. My son was what I call a micro-napper. He would take 3 30-45 minute naps when he was a baby. Drove me nuts. But as he got older and bigger, he took fewer naps, but they were longer. Do what you feel is right, and not what you think is supposed to be right. I have a 9 month old that I think is transitioning from 3 naps a day to 2, so I can relate.