Author Topic: 12 month old - short 2nd nap  (Read 853 times)

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Offline blueberry7

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12 month old - short 2nd nap
« on: October 04, 2014, 08:15:18 am »
Hello,

My LO is almost 12 months old and takes 2 naps a day.  His morning nap is usually 1 to 1.5 hours (but can be only 40 minutes, a sleep cycle) and lately his afternoon nap has been only 30 to 40 minutes.  He is also transitioning to daycare and takes only two 40 minute naps at daycare.  As a result, he is overtired and always cranky at daycare (in addition to his separation anxiety).

Our current EASY looks like this:

7am - wake up, Eat breakfast
Activity
9:15am - Eat snack
10am - Sleep
11am/11:30am - wake up
Activity
12:15pm - Eat lunch
Activity
2:30pm - Sleep
3:15/3:30pm - wake up, Eat snack
Activity
6pm - Eat dinner
Bedtime routine
7pm - Sleep (it may take him 30 to 60 minutes to fall asleep)

He sleeps through the night and gets probably 11 to 12 hours.  Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night crying and I just attend to him and soothe him to sleep (sometimes I give him some breastmilk in a straw cup to comfort him).

Why do you think my LO is taking such a short second nap?  Because of his short second nap, if we go out, he always falls asleep in the car at 5 or 6pm and bedtime gets pushed later.  He is definitely tired from the short nap because he is always tired in the car if we are out and he is really cranky if we are at home around 5-6pm.  I generally put him to sleep for his 2nd nap 3 to 3.5 hours after he wakes up from his first nap.  He is always so cranky and tired that I cannot hold him out for longer.  I have also tried a shorter A time like 2.75 hours and he still ends up taking such a short nap.  If he's tired, I don't understand why he can't get through the sleep cycle.  Is it a sleep regression?  Is it because of all the change (mommy is going back to work and he's in daycare, etc.)?  Does he need to be transitioned to 1 nap?  I think that might be difficult because he's always super tired at 10am.

Thanks! 

 


Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: 12 month old - short 2nd nap
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2014, 13:40:47 pm »
I would guess based on his age and the shor naps that he is ready to transition to one nap. I wonder if the tiredness at 10 am is kind of a learned thing at this point? I imagine he has had a nap at that time for quite awhile?

There are a couple ways to go about it, shortening either nap and slowly pushing them out but it sounda like he is doing part of it all on his own. I can't really advise though as we went cold turkey to one nap. I would for sure suggest pushing the first A time out. The day as a whole tends to get longer when they need more A time but are not quite there yet for one nap.
Heidi