Naps - Birmingham, MI

There is no rule regarding naps...it depends on the child. I've heard of moms who force their children to stop napping (why??) early, but my two youngest have needed to nap, or the day is miserable. My 4yo still naps about 50% of the time...depends on his mood. My 21mo old still needs 2 naps a day and is just starting to skip his am nap some days (4yo was the same way). There are also days when they skip naps, but still need a quiet time to rest and relax.

~L.

My daughter is almost 19 months and she is just now starting to get out of the two nap phase I think. When we put her down for her usual 10:30 am nap she just plays in her crib. She has been going down about 1 o'clock now and sleeping until 3-3:30 and then she is good to go for the day. She use to take her 2nd nap around 3-3:30 so the schedule completely changed once she gave up her second nap.

The transition time from 2 naps to 1 can be very rough. I know it was with my daughter. Once adjusted though, things will settle down. What time is he going down for that afternoon nap? When kids are down to 1 nap, you want to aim at laying them down between 12 and 1. Good luck :)

My advise - stop taking suggestions! Your child will pick his own schedule for sleeping - if he's not ready to give up the naps, he won't. There's no right or wrong - if he needs the sleep, and still wants the sleep, allow him to have it! And if he's not sleeping in the a.m., perhaps just the quiet time, or down-time is enough.

S.~

I stopped my daughter morning nap about that age too. She started out going down about 12:30 then 1:00 an now it's between 1:30-2 most days. She's 23 months. She too would sleep only about 2 hours. Its a hard transition and you have to do what is right for you and your son. He might still need that morning nap. Evey now and then my daughter takes a morning nap although it's not very often. Good Luck.

We've always allowed our daughters behavior determine how many naps they need, as well as the time. The are almost 5 and 3 1/2 now. The oldest is in PM Kindergarten but still takes about a 30 minute nap on the couch after school. The youngest usually takes about a 2 hour nap after they drop her sister off at school. If your son is still really tired at lunch if you skip the nap, but seems rested even after sitting in his crib playing then I would say allow him to have that quiet play time in the crib. He's probably resting and relaxing more than you realize - even though he's not sleeping. Nap time does not always have to mean sleeping. You may find that some days he quietly plays for 60 minutes and sleeps for 30. Eventually he'll outgrow that second nap on his own.

My daughter is 14 months, and she is down to one nap. When she took a morning nap, she would be awake in her crib for 1.5 hours in the afternoon with no sleep. As long as she stays active, she does fine without the morning nap. She does nap a little earlier though, around 12 or 12:30. It is anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3.

I know you've gotten a lot of responses, but thought I should add my two cents :) As a daycare provider, I've seen this happen with numerous kids right about this age. It must be part of the growth pattern. I've had to temporarily change naps to 11 a.m. - ? until the children outgrow this and can move into a more normal time (after lunch is the best!). It seems to last a few months, and most often they will be tired again in the afternoon (a few hours later). I would say if it doesn't disrupt his nighttime sleep, let him take a short nap later ... this stage won't last long, really!

Hi S.- Let your son take naps. Morning and afternoon. You said if he doesn't get his morning nap he is tired, so you know he needs that one, even if he hasn't been sleeping, just getting the rest must do him some good. And, if he still takes his second nap he probably needs that one also. Getting adequate sleep is so important (even for us "big people!!") When he doesn't need two naps, YOU will know. I wouldn't worry about what you have read. Every child is different. My only son is 18, so it has been a long time since I have read any books on napping. But, I do remember how miserable it is for not just your son, but your family too, if a little one isn't getting enough sleep!

I would let him sleep both for now. You could try to put him down an hour later in the evening and see if he gets up later. If it doesnt work he is growing let him sleep. I had a son who slept 18 hours out of the day for a long time and thought something was wrong. Apparently he needed his rest. Eventually they stop on their own. It will work itself out.
Enjoy the free time you have.

How about dropping the book and go by your son's growth language instead. All kids are different and there is no guidebook that typifies all kids.
Our kids are just wired different. If he does well with a.m and p.m. naps, then I don't see a problem with it. He's 16 months old!
Honestly these so called experts really fry me, making bucks on something like when to potty train or let kids take naps. They pile all kids together as if they were clones. Only you as the parent know your child.

Hi,
My daughter is 15m. She, too, is down to one nap on most days. When it's two naps, it's usually because she woke up earlier than normal. On a one nap day we usually eat lunch earlier (like around 11:00) and she goes down for a nap no later than noon. She'll typically sleep for two hours, sometimes a bit less. When she takes only one nap, we move her bedtime up earlier- usually between 6:30 and 7pm. This extra sleep on the front end of nighttime sleeping is suppose to help compensate for no morning nap. She typically wakes up in the morning around 7am. I've used the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child as a reference on many occasions. Good luck!
Sara

Drop the nap when your child no longer goes to sleep during naptime, and when he seems alert and cheerful without it. There is no magic time that is right to cut down on naps.... every child has their own schedule. Some kids take morning naps and afternoon naps right up till kindergarten, others are done by age 2. Follow your child's behavior as your indicator.
L.

Do what works for your son, not what a book tells you, or your girlfriend/mom/sister/etc tells you.

Hi S.,

The bottom line is that you drop one of the naps when your son is ready--I don't know who told you 15 months was the magic number, but that may be too soon (or too late) for some children. My son started to transition from two naps to one nap at age 15 months; my daughter was only 12 months. I know someone with a 17 month old daughter who still takes two naps. Each child is different, so keep that in mind.

That said: it does sound like your son may be ready to start transitioning to one nap. Key word: transition. This may take a month or two before the morning nap is completely gone. Toddlers making this transition still often need "down time", so it may be a good thing to still put him in his crib during the time you would normally give him his morning nap. He will most likely just play quietly in his crib for anywhere from 30-60 minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less. When he starts crying, take him out, even if it has only been a few minutes. There are days when he he will just play, as I said (or just completely skip the downtime altogether), and there are days when you will find he falls asleep.

On the days he does not sleep (downtime or not), move his afternoon nap up by an hour or two (or more). If he normally takes his afternoon nap at 2, put him down at 12 or 1. Some kids take naps as early as 11--you will just have to play around and see what works best for him. His naps very well might be short (like you said, 1.5 - 2 hours only), so put him to bed early.

As I said, this is a transitional period, and everything is trial and error. The one thing I can promise you is that everything will all fall into place sooner or later. Before you know it, he will no longer need that morning "downtime" or nap, and his afternoon naps will become longer. (Then again, he might not take long afternoon naps and that just might be his "style". If that happens, just stick to the earlier bedtime.) Yes, it is very frustrating in the meantime because planning things becomes very difficult, but trust me, it will all work out eventually. And before you know it, you will be back on the board with questions about your son giving up his naps altogether!!! Ahhhhh!!! :) Good luck!

--D.

every child is different...

My daughter took 2 naps until she was 19 months old.

she slept about 2 hours for each nap.

My son dropped his morning nap at about 9 months.

When you go to 1 nap a day it is pretty early.. maybe 11 am.. so lunch is 1030 then naptime..

My sonis 16 monhts old.. and he gets up at 8 am and now takes his 1 nap at 1 pm.. He sleeps 3 hours and then goes to bed at 8 pm.

It is a great schedule for us..

Hi S.,
You have to do what is right for your child. I dropped the second nap around 12 months for my daughter. She wasn't sleeping well at night, so I knew it was time. The total amount of time kids sleep in a 24 hour period includes naps...so if she was taking up some of that with her 2 naps, then I figured dropping one would be better for her bedtime.

It took about a week for her to really adjust to the new schedule. She gets up between 6:30 and 7am, naps after lunch, for about an hour and a half and then is to bed at 7pm. (she does wake up typically twice in the night...but goes right back to sleep)

Since she has adjusted to the one nap, our bedtime routine is typically struggle free and no issues settling down. Of course we have the occassional off night. But in general, it runs very smoothly.

Every kid is different. I know an 2.5 year old that takes a 3 hour nap... essentially TWO of my daughters 1. And then goes to bed just fine and sleeps for 12 hours.

Evaluate how your son is sleeping at night and if you think he needs to drop the nap, then work at doing so. If he is sleeping fine at night, then I would suggest he needs the extra sleep and don't disrupt the schedule.

There's no set schedule that works for every child. Some children take 2 naps long after 15 months, others drop the second nap much earlier. Watch your child and do what he needs.

I don't remember exactly what age it happened with our children, but when they stopped taking their morning nap, the afternoon nap just moved up earlier. We'd put them down when they started acting sleepy. With our 28 month old, that's usually around 11am. I know that's earlier than a lot of kids nap, but it's what she needs, so it's what we do.

I've always found that transition between nap times to be tough. In my experience (2 children ages 4 1/2 and 20 months), you need to do what your child needs. With my children, even if they did not sleep during the nap, it didn't mean that they didn't need the down time. For example, my four year old still takes a "nap" in the early afternoon while his sister naps. He rarely ever sleeps, but he is required to rest in his room until the length of a movie passes (whether or not he watches it. It gives him a chance to wind down a bit. Without it, he is so cranky by the time my husband comes home he is out of his little mind. Maybe your child still needs the break as well.

S.,
I have four children from 3 to 9. I have found that nap transitions, whether from several down to two, two down to one, or, gulp, no nap at all can take a while. For my kids, it seemed to take several weeks to officially change. During that time, the week may go something like this: Monday may involve two naps because the weekend activities meant less sleep. Tuesday he may take only one, but you might want to move lunch to 11 am so he doesn't fall asleep in his peanut butter! Wednesday back to two naps, etc. None of mine have been able to cut out a nap "cold turkey." So for a while you may have to flexible, but it will sort itself out. One more thing - cutting out a nap at 15 months is merely a general guideline, just like walking at a year! Each child's sleep needs are unique. Pay attention to your boy and how cheerful he is with/without naps, how easily he falls asleep for naps and then at night, etc. My daughter was done with naps shortly after she turned two, while all my boys still took them well after they were three, and even occasionally when they were four. Do what is best for him - too little sleep on a regular basis is not pretty!

Your son needs the sleep or he wouldnt take the naps. THe 15 month thing is a general rule of thumb. My son took 2 naps until he was 2 and 1 until he was in school at 5. If he sleeps well at night for you and it makes him happy you should absolutley let him have 2 naps!

I agree with the other post about "transition" - it took our sone about 8 weeks to loose the morning nap. I did it because the afternoon nap was becoming impossible (he would not sleep even though he seemed tired), and our evenings were getting really unpleasant. I took some notes for a few weeks and it turned out that he was sleeping about 3 hours total every day between the am nap and the attempts at a pm nap. He was 14 months and this is when we introduced sesame street (on demmand). I would let him watch that at the usual morning nap time, 10 or 10:30- he would really zone out, but because of the show not ever actually sleep. Then by lunch he was pretty drowsy and feel asleep in his lunch maybe 2 times. Then I just kept pushing the start time back until we settled into the 1:30 time slot where we still are - he turned 2 in June and still sleeps from 1:30 to 4:30 everyday.

Your son will drop his second nap when he is ready. My daughter began falling asleep later and later for her morning nap and only resting fer her afternoon nap, she did this around 17 months and is on a 1 nap a day schedule now. I let her drop it on her own since some days she needed 2 and others she just needed the rest in the afternoon.

Don't worry about all of the conflicting "advice." If your child needs more sleep, LET HIM SLEEP! I found that when my son takes a nap, he won't go to bed at night. So I don't let him nap any more. That's what works for my son. If yours needs two naps, by all means... let him! Every child has individual needs. There's no "rule" that works for all children. I'm jealous! I wish I could let my son nap...I'd get a lot more done around the house!

S.: Do what you think is best. I NEVER listend to the "Books" when it came to giving naps. I would stick to a 2nd nap until he is at least 20+ months. my rule of thumb at that age was 2.5 - 3 hrs awake time = a nap but that was me, My son took 2 naps until he was almost 2. after turning 2 he went to one 3 hr nap and now (he will be 3 next month) he takes one 1.5 hr nap a day.
Remembe if you son doesn't sleep for his first one still put him in his bed for 45 min or so. bc sometimes they just get over tired so for his 2nd nap he wouldnt sleep longer bc something in their bodies (once they get to over tired mode) won't allow them to stay asleep they become restless I know that might not make sense but this what I have noticed with mine ( I also worked in a daycare for 9+ yrs) best of luck remember this is just my advice I hope it helps.

Hi S.,
I was going to say the same thing as Terese...do what works for you. If your son needs both naps, then continue to give him both naps. Eventually he'll work he way to one, you'll know when the time is right because he'll make it just fine through lunch. Good luck!

hi S.

my dd dropped her 2nd nap around 12 months and she currently takes one nap around noon which I have to lay her down for most often because she appears sleepy. She wakes up around 730a and goes to bed anywhere between 7pm and 830p. Her nap is only about 1 1/2 to 2 hours as well and sometimes around 4 or 5pm she seems to get a little sleepy/fussy and I just distract her with a toy or something she likes to do because if I let her take a second nap she will stay up very late. He is probably ready to drop the morning nap maybe you could try to move his nap time to a later time by trying to keep him up through distraction to maybe 1pm or something so it will be kinda in the middle of the day maybe that will cut down on the sleepiness

My son (now 10yrs old) napped a lot when he was little. I played it by ear. Unlike his sister who got by on 7-9hrs per day since birth (still now).

However, my son still needs at least 10-12hrs per day. I've met adults that need 12hrs per day.

If your son needs the sleep, let him sleep (you sleep too). You may find relatives that need a lot of sleep too. It's just is what it is.

I make sure that my son gets enough otherwise it compromises his immunity and he get sick.

Blessings.

S., when my daughter was 16 months we phased out the morning nap. She too was very tired by lunch time. For a few weeks, she had lunch a little earlier (11:30) and was usually down for her nap by 12:00-12:30. She usually slept just 2 hours. But after a few weeks, her nap time got pushed back. But her nap length USUALLY was not longer than 2 hours. Once in awhile she would sleep 3 hours (which I LOVED) but that was not an every day occurence. Even now at 28 months she goes down anytime between 1:00-2:00 and sleeps about 1.5 hours.

I'd only drop the morning nap if he's waking up during the night or has some negative response tied to taking it. My daughter is 19 months and takes only one nap, but its a 3-4 hour nap. Sometimes it isn't quite that long, but this is a normal part of our day. She also sleeps ALL NIGHT long, going down at 8pm and getting up around 7am.

Every child's sleep patterns are different, but don't let someone talk you into dropping a nap that is proving helpful to your child. Naps are a blessing for both Mama and Baby, keep them as long as you can. ;)

Best wishes!

You could try shortening the second nap slowly, gradually but either waking him earlier or being noisy when you want him to wake up (vacuum etc).

I'm the mother of 3 - you can tell when your child needs sleep. Some days my son will get up at 7am and be fine all day, others he will get up at the same time and desperately need a nap by noon! There is no set pattern or time schedule for when they go from 2 to 1 nap per day, or for how long. I tried to have "quiet time" every day after lunch giving them the option to sleep but they had to be still and rest their minds (they almost always took a nap). But if they were tired earlier or in the morning, I let their bodies dictate what they needed, especially when they were under 3 yrs old.

My daughter is 17 months old and she still naps twice a day for approx 1.5-2 hours each nap (she needs it). She also usually only sleeps 9-9.5 hours at night, and still wakes up once during the night so I'm certain that this drives her nap schedule. I'm a first time mom so I take note of what I hear & read, but follow my daughter's needs. Every kid is different; do what you feel is right for your son.

My son is 13 months. He had been taking 2 naps a day, just like your son. At 12 months he went down to 1 nap- from 12-2 pm. I feed him lunch at 11:30 then give him a bottle when he wakes up (2 pm). I think that's average since my neighbor kids (who are the same age) are on the same schedule. It sounds like your son is right on track!

S. your son may be getting ready to drop that morning nap or is ready. What he may need is a quiet time in his room to relax and chill, recharge without sleeping. If he doesn't want to stay in his room try a quiet activity like reading to him.
Hope this helps.

My daughter is 18 months - for a couple of months now she's only taken one nap. It's up to your child though. It does sound like it's time to skip the early nap and move the afternoon nap up a little bit if he's not going down easy anymore.

DD sleeps 8 - 8:30 PM to 7 - 7:30 AM and then takes 1 nap usually right after lunch (she goes down usually around 12-1 PM) for between 2-4 hours depending on how hard she played in the morning.

There is no "right" schedule. Don't try to force him to take 2 naps if he doesn't want to anymore. One nap is plenty and he'll make up the difference in his nap times or maybe he'll learn to sleep more at night (either by going to bed earlier or waking up later). One nap is plenty if that's what he'll do. HOwever, if it's HIM that wants to take the 2nd nap, what's wrong with that? There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to if he wants to unless it's disrupting his nighttime sleep.

Don't stress over it and "go with the flow". As with any adjustment, it'll take time for him to get into the routine.

I think you should just listen to what your son needs, which looks like he needs the nap. What time does he go to sleep at night? If it's really late, that is probably why he does need a nap, but if he goes to bed early (like 8:30-9) and still requires a nap, then "let" him nap. Don't let other parents input have too much affect on how you raise him, every child is different. GOOD LUCK!!

Maybe put him down for an earlier afternoon nap and he'll sleep longer? My only advice is to do whatever works for you and your child. Good luck!!

Sounds like he's transitioning to 1 nap.. my son did that.. it took a few months and it was frustrating. He'd not go down for a nap and then be so tired early evening he'd fall asleep early and then be up really late.

Now he's 19 months and he takes one nap around 12 or 1 for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Dropping the 2nd nap was tough for me with both of my boys and required a couple weeks of transition. One thing I had to do was move lunch up by 1/2 hour or so and start the afternoon nap early. There was still some sleeping in the high chair, but this helped. Once the one nap is established, you can move things back to their normal time gradually. Also, if the afternoon nap doesn't get a little longer or ends too soon because of putting them to bed a little early, you may need to move bedtime up by 1/2 hour or so too. Again, move it back when you can.