Napping Issues

**Angie** · 02-19-2009, 12:51 PM

I would really like to get some opinions on what might be going on with my 13 month old DD's afternoon nap. She goes to bed around 6:45-7 pm, sleeps through the night and wakes up around 8-8:15 am. She's ready for her first nap at around 10-10:30 am and sleeps for about 45 min-1 hour. The problem is her afternoon nap, she refuses to take it. I've tried putting her down anywhere from 2-3:30 thinking I'm either putting her down too early or too late and nothing seems to be working. She'll lay in her crib for a little while like she wants to go go sleep, but then just gets back up and starts screaming. By about 4 pm, she ends up being in a horrible mood and stays that way until she goes to bed around 7. I'm getting really really tired of a whining/crying baby for 3 hours a day. I don't *think* she's ready for just one nap since she's ready for that first nap so early and she's in such a terrible mood in the afternoon. I would think if she was taking one nap, it would probably need to be closer to noon. Any ideas or advice? Thanks!

**kemorr** · 02-19-2009, 12:56 PM

Your DD is starting the process of dropping from 2 naps to 1. My DD also started at about 13 months and was finally done with her second nap by 15 months - it took a while. Although the sleep books say that most babies drop their am nap, it is not unusual for babies to keep their am nap and to drop their pm nap. This is what DD did and also what lots of my IRL friends kids did. My DD was the same as yours - always took her am nap then would refuse the pm nap. The transition stage is difficult - but what I did was very slowly move the am nap backwards, by 15 minutes every 3 days or so. In the early stages, I still put DD down for her pm nap but eventually, as the am nap got later, I stopped putting her down for the pm nap. I also moved bedtime earlier both to make up for the lost nap and so she wasn't awake for so long in the afternoon. DD used to nap at 9 am and 1 pm, now she naps at 11:30 am. I could never get her nap later than 11:30 am and this is still her nap time at 2.25! She goes to bed at 6 or 6:30 and wakes up early, anywhere from 5:30 to 6.

Goodluck, the 2 naps to 1 is a rough transition!

**wendalah** · 02-19-2009, 12:58 PM

She's getting a lot of nighttime sleep. If you want to encourage two naps, maybe try waking her up a little earlier in the morning. Like, six-thirty or seven a.m.

**Angie** · 02-19-2009, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by wendalah

If you want to encourage two naps, maybe try waking her up a little earlier in the morning. Like, six-thirty or seven a.m.

Ok, that's just crazy talk!

Thanks for the replies! I'll try waking her up a little earlier first and if that doesn't work after about a week, I'll see if I can start pushing her morning nap back. I don't mind the idea of one nap, I just hate how cranky she gets when she doesn't take that afternoon nap. I'm sure it would help if the morning nap was later, so there wasn't sooo much time before bedtime.

**wendalah** · 02-19-2009, 01:39 PM

Yeah, I know it's crazy, but I think it's pretty normal for babies to get about thirteen-fourteen hours total sleep around this age. Your DD is getting that from night sleep alone, so she probably is not wanting to sleep during the day too much.

It's kind of like that age-old "you have to choose between your face or your ass when you get older" adage. You either get to sleep in late in the morning, or you get a nice nap break during the day.

**Loud_curly** · 02-19-2009, 01:41 PM

Yep, DS just went through dropping the afternoon nap. He always preferred the morning nap, and that's the one that stuck. Depending on the day, he takes his nap anywhere between 10 am and 12 noon (his wakeup time is still all over the map - anywhere from 6 am to 8:30 am, with a bed time of 7:30 pm). And no matter how much he may need that afternoon nap, it just doesn't happen.

**Ellyn** · 02-19-2009, 04:53 PM

Yeah, she's dropping a nap. We went to a noon nap with both kids (lunch at 11) at that age. Once they get a little older (DD is 18mo. and goes down at about 1:30-2pm now) you can push it into the afternoon. My kids go to bed around 7:30 and get up around 6:45-7am.

**Angie** · 02-19-2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by wendalah

It's kind of like that age-old "you have to choose between your face or your ass when you get older" adage.

This made me LOL!

To everyone that said she's dropping a nap, I say BOOOO..doesn't she know I like the two nap schedule with her awake during lunch time so we can go out and have lunch with friends? This isn't going to work with mommy's schedule.

*sigh* I knew this day would come one day. We have noon plans tomorrow and Saturday, but on Sunday I'll start trying to push her morning nap back.

Disclaimer: I am of course kidding about being inconvenienced by her nap schedule. I count my lucky stars every morning when I can sleep in to 8 am!

**BusyBee21** · 02-20-2009, 10:05 AM

LOL! Sounds like she's ready to drop to one nap, like all the PP's have said. DS is in daycare, and he naps just after lunch (they start this at 12-14 months in the Toddler room). Lunch is served at 11:30 and they are down for naps at noon or so. You may want to try that. And move your lunch dates to 11 so you can be ready for a nap at noon!

**Lizard** · 02-20-2009, 10:57 AM

Yeah, my 1st kiddo dropped the afternoon nap at that time too. She went from two 45 min - 1 hr naps to 1 nap that (still) lasts 2-4 hours. You'll get used to it quick and never want those short naps back again!