Dropping Morning Nap?

Hi K.,

It sounds like he's ready to drop the morning nap. I wouldn't worry about him becoming sleep deprived because you'll probably find he makes up for it during his afternoon nap.

My little boy dropped his morning nap at about 14 months. He used to do an hour in the morning and about an hour and 1/2 after lunch. Once we dropped the morning nap I found he slept for 2 - 2 1/2 hours at lunchtime.

To ease the transition, I also temporarily brought lunch and his afternoon nap forward by 1/2 an hour until he was used to the change and then gradually put it back to the usual time.

Good luck. All the best, D.

Hi K.,
I have asked around about this too!
Some mom's told me that the drop was gradual. And for Thatcher, 11 mo, it has been like that so far. Some days he pushes through til 1130 or 1230 and some days he has gone back to passing out at 1000 then taking another late nap around 400. I am just letting him figure it out himself.
I did read the Healthy Sleep Habits book, and it had some good advice, but it did not match the type of bed routine that we have (I nurse and rock him to sleep). The book was helpful with sleep deprivation, and giving me the confidence to put him to bed early and take as many naps as he needs.

And I do notice that Thatcher is crying a bit more before sleep, like he is frustrated because he is tired but he doesn't want to sleep yet. I just let him play for another 20-30 minutes and usually he is ready after that.
Remember that teething pain flairs up at sleeptimes because they start to relax and they are not distracted from the pain. I usually give my son a little motrin 30 minutes before his naps, and that helps a lot.
So your son may be ready but not 100% to go straight to one nap. He may taper off.

my kid dropped her am nap at 13 months. i noticed that her afternoon naps were getting shorter and harder, so i dropped the am nap, brought her pm nap up to 1 from 1:30 and she was fine. you could always give it a try and if it doesn't work, go back.

My daughter was around 12 months when she went from two one hour naps (around 9-10am and 3-4pm) to one two hour nap (around 10-12). We wanted her to go to bed around 8 but she had become really resistant and would fight sleeping until nearly 10 (plus she was a terrible sleeper in general, waking often). So, we dropped the afternoon nap and surprisingly the transition to a longer morning nap happened automatically within a day or two. After that bed time at eight became much easier and she has been sleeping better overall. It sounds like your son is ready to push back his morning nap till a little later. Try that, he may be a little cranky in the afternoon during the transition from 2-1 naps, but I found it worth it because my daughter was so much easier to put down at night, and she really took to the new schedule after only a couple days. Good Luck.

Hi K.,
I HIGHLY recommend reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for age appropriate sleep needs and schedules. It IS possible he is trying to drop his morning nap. You didn't say what time he goes to bed at night or what time he goes down for his naps. My daughter's sleep schedule at this age was morning nap at 9am, afternoon nap at 1pm and bedtime at 6-6:30pm. She usually only napped for 1 hour each nap but always fell asleep quickly. Whenever her nap schedule changed I moved her bedtime a little earlier. It helped her wake up more rested which in turn helped her fall asleep for her naps easier. My daughter always has a hard time falling asleep if she is overtired and even 30 mins makes a big difference for her. Whenever your son doesn't nap well, try starting the next nap (or bedtime) a little earlier. If you want more info, email me.
Sincerely,
L.