A plea to my toddler - don't drop your morning nap!

My son has been EXACTLY like that this week. He is a good napper I like you can count on 2 nice naps a day. But this week has been a bit stressful. BUT for sure my Dude is getting teeth. He has all that signs. Her's to hoping little Wito is doing the same. Teething SUCKS!
And hope by the end of this we both boys are back to their regular TWO GOOD NAPS A DAY!!!! Geeesh boys!

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My baby just turned 13 months and is in the process of going to just one nap, too. And oftentimes the one nap is just 1.5 hours! This change is also coinciding with a change in nighttime sleeping, since she's no longer sleeping through. I'm hoping is a temporary thing, because I was really enjoying not getting up in the middle of the night, and having two times a day to get things done (or sit around as need be)!

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Erin's advice is spot-on. I actually preferred one nap because my son went from two 1.5-2 hour naps to one long nap (almost 4 hours!) - so I got to leave the house twice a day and I had four hours to get things done at home.

Unfortunately, he's two and half and his nap is getting shorter and shorter...enjoy this time while you can!

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I used to work in daycare with infants age ranged between 8-14 months. Without trying, they usually stopped their morning nap around 12 months. The am nap might come back as they were learning to walk and generally exhaustig themselves, and then it would go away again.

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My two kids were both about 14 months old when they dropped their morning naps. With my first child, I was devasted, since I always napped myself during his morning nap. But with my second child, I was thrilled when she dropped the morning nap since that meant we could get out and do fun "kid stuff" in the mornings and then be home for an afternoon nap. It's definitely easier to plan playdates, etc, in the morning rather than trying to choose the perfect time between baby's two naps. And I think you will find that your son sleeps almost as long during his one nap as he did with the two naps combined. Good luck!

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My son went down to one nap a day at about 11 months. My daughter, now 9 months, doesn't seem all that interested in two good naps a day either. But they both sleep great at night and I'll take that and a good afternoon nap from both of them!

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My 14 month old is refusing her morning nap RIGHT NOW, but there was also a lot of nap refusing when she was learning to walk (11 mos), and I think this time she's learning words - hopefully she'll be back to two naps within a couple of months. HOPEFULLY!

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My now 18 month old went down to one nap at 9 months! It was a shock to me when it happened but her afternoon nap was (and still is) a solid 3 hours. I asked her doctor if she was too young to drop a nap, but she said as long as she sleeps well at night and during her one nap, its fine. Consider yourself lucky that he made it this far! :)

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We're going through this too, although Asher is just 11 months. He's tired, he just doesn't want to go down for a nap. This morning it took FORTY FIVE MINUTES for him to fall asleep. And he's SO EXHAUSTED, but he just can't. We're mastering walking over here though, so maybe that has something to do with it? I would think he was dropping a nap, but when he does fall asleep, it's for at least an hour, and he always takes an afternoon nap around 2 for an hour/hour and a half.

Whatever's going on, I FEEL FOR YOU. It sucks.

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My daughter dropped her morning nap when she was 13 months old. But, the bonus was that her afternoon nap went from an hour long to almost three hours.

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Dude, Babboo's school cut him to one nap when he turned one. Not cool with me. It makes weekends harder. But um yeah, I guess they are in charge. Whatever.

Best of luck to you!

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My son dropped his morning nap around 2 years of age; so did the girlie. She's now almost 3, and still has a good 1 - 2 hour nap in the afternoon. But I really do miss the morning slumber. I feel for ya!

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My first was 15 months and my second 12 months when they dropped the morning nap. My first chose to drop his nap all together at the age of 3, while it seems like all of my friends 4-year-olds are still napping. Ugh! I hope that doesn't mean my second will drop his only nap earlier than the first.

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My 4 y.o. dropped her morning nap at 20 months, but she must need a lot of sleep because she still takes a 2 hour nap and sleeps 12 hours at night. My 15 month old is in the process of dropping her nap and doing the same as Wito. I think it might be because I needed to be out doing things in the mornings and couldn't always be home for a consistent nap. I am happy though because now her afternoon nap is 3-4 hours, so she's still getting enough sleep and we're able to leave the house in the morning. Have you read what Weissbluth (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) says about it?

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My Daughter, 14 1/2 months, still NEEDS two naps a day in my opinion. She is generally reliable for ten hours at night which is great. But lately she has been difficult with napping. Morning nap is usually harder than the afternoon, and about twice a week she will refuse it all together. I am of the FIRM belief that she still needs these naps because when she does go down it is often for 1- 1/2 hours at least. And when she does nap we have far less tantrums and whining and are a happier kid. Here's the kicker, I STILL ROCK HER. I know. Who does that? She will go onto the crib awake at bedtime and fall asleep on her own. But naps are different. Something in her little toddler brain makes it VERY difficult for her to wind herself down and let herself rest. If I left her upto her own devices I don't think she would nap at all half the time. She needs to be put to sleep. Now this is not always an easy process. I basically have to hold her firmly and rock and shhhh quietly and eventually she will give in and go down, MOST of the time. I have always rocked her though so she is used to it. Now that she can talk and understand most of what I say I always tell her " Ok, now were going to go upstairs, and close our eyes, and say night night" I Swear it helps. I think a lot of my friends whose kids gave up on naps at an earlier age were relying on their toddler to fall asleep on their own like when they were infants, but toddlers are so busy, they just can't stop. I think they really need to be put to sleep. Which is not easy or fun sometimes.

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Well I think it's probably just teething and he'll bounce back for you in a couple days. All babies, even the best of sleepers, go through this now and then and usually it has to do with teeth. My guy is 20 months and just now given up the 2nd nap. Hope that helps.
Jill - mother of 3

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I think they all dropped their morning nap around the time yours did, unfortunately. Just when you think you can count on something, they change!

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Hi there -- My Charlie went down to one nap around that time too. He may go back and forth a bit between one and two naps (the unpredictability drove me crazy....), but he is probably trying to drop his morning nap. This happens a lot when they are going through a "developmental milestone" like walking -- is he there yet? Nothing ever stays the same with these babies!!

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Umm, it was 14 months. Actually it was the afternoon nap that got dropped, and the morning nap gradually moved later until it was at 1 pm. But it did get longer -- from 1 hour to 2.

I have rarely heard of a baby over 14-15 months who took 2 naps, so get ready for the new reality!

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my son is 14 months old and takes one nap...has for a couple of months now and I love it. I schedule dr appointments and errands in the morning, we eat lunch, and he is down anywhere between 12 and 1...sleeps long enough (2 to 4 hours) for me to work on PTA stuff, housework, General Hospital (sometimes Dr. Phil), and depending on my day, me forgetting everything esle and napping also.

We will nap as long as he allows it. Esp. since the new baby will be here in 10 or less days. We still make the oldest have rest time on the weekends and he is 6.

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