Is 7mo too young for 1 Nap??

[Allyenna]

For the last 2 weeks RJ has been trying to increase his A time to 4 hours!!!! And he won't sleep for his afternoon nap.
He wakes at 8:15 and at 11 I hold him & relax with him.  At 11:15 to 11:30 I'll put him in his crib and he'll play and play and play.  Most of the time he won't scoot around but he'll just play with his hands and talk to himself- no fussing.  Right around 12-12:30 he'll fall asleep and I'll wake him at 1:30-2 to try get him to have an afternoon nap.  So again at 4 I'll hold him and cuddle until 4:15-4:30 and put him in his crib.  And he'll play, and play and play and not sleep at all.  Bed time is at 8 so I don't let him sleep past 5 if he does go down.  He stays in pretty good spirits until about 6 and then starts to crash. 
Since he's been dropping his afternoon nap he's been sleeping better at night.  He doesn't take a bottle at all but will have a small cry at about 1 or 2.  If he does take an afternoon nap he wakes at 2 or 4 to play for an hour.
So I'm wondering, since he isn't fussing or fitting at all is he ready to drop to 1 nap??  Should I just let him sleep at 12-12:30 and see what happens?  And if he is ready for this switch, how do his meals fit around it???

His schedule *ideally*-
8:15- Wake
8:45- Bottle
9:15- Ceral & fruit
11:15- Nap 1.5-2
1:00- Bottle
1:30- Fruits & Vegs & a cracker
4:00- Nap 45min
5:00- Bottle
6:30- Supper, cereal & vegs
8:00- Bed

[Colin Macs Mom]

IMO 7 months is far too young for one nap. We also did an 8 - 8 EASY with Colin and looking at your routine I think your LO is getting overtired. I'd suggest going for something more like this,  ideally -

8:15- Wake
8:45- Bottle
9:15- Ceral & fruit
10:45- Nap 1.5
1:00- Bottle
1:30- Fruits & Vegs & a cracker
3:00- Nap Nap 1.5 - 2
5:00- Bottle
6:30- Supper, cereal & vegs
8:00- Bed

[Allyenna]

Thanks Jessica.  But I don't think he is overtirred.  The routine you posted is exactly where we were about a month ago.  Then he moved to naps at 11 and 3:30 and then 11 and 4 to where we are now.  I know he's gettting OT in the evenings but he's not showing any signs in the morning at all.  That's why I've been trying to give him such a long winddown.  From watching him, he doesn't start rubbing his eyes until about 11:40-11:50 and he doesnt' get irritable or fussy at all!  He's nuts!

[Colin Macs Mom]

   Wow, that's really something! He must be getting really great night sleep. And that's a good thing obviously... so then I guess go with the flow!

[MommaHolmes]

I agree that 7 months is VERY early for 1 nap (but not impossible) - I would caution against just changing him to a 1 nap schedule, even if he were 15 months, cos they get OT so so quickly and it's a nightmare to recover from.

I recently posted a long diatribe about the pitfalls of the 2-1 transition (as we had a bit of a disaster!) which I think is here - there's also another post on the Nap FAQ board about the 2-1 switch.

Whatever you do, take it steady and don't make any sudden changes. Let him have 2 naps on as many days as he will take them and get him to bed early if he refuses the second one.

HTH
Laura x

[Maffoos mummy]

Hi,I do agree that in my opinion that's far too early to go to one nap. However my niece is 10months old and for around 4-5 weeks now has been resisting her afternoon nap-as you say she's not crying or distressed in any way,will just lie in her cot playing and cooing!! This to me is madness!!! My ds had reflux and is soooooo sensitive to having less sleep so it seems crazy to me,but that's what works for her!! She's 100% angel baby through and through,slept through the night from something ridiculous like 3 weeks,rarely cries etc...do I sound at all bitter?!?!?!    As per pp my sister is attempting the 2 naps every day but goes with the flow if she simply won't sleep,and gives an earlier bedtime. She also sleeps very well at night-consistently 12/13hours. HTH.

[Allyenna]

Jen- my DS also has Reflux.  How old was Matthew when he finally grew out of it?
Jessica- How old was your little guy?  Wow is Reflux common now!

Thanks everyone.  I let him sleep yesturday at 12:15 and he finally woke at 3:30.  Pretty good stretch but I think he really needs that afternoon rest.  Even if he doesn't sleep, just the down time is good.  By 6 yesturday he was really cranky, and our night was a bit off too.
RJ's pretty good.  He doesn't fit exactly anywhere but is between an angel and a textbook with a hint of spirited baby.  He hardly cries during the day, but I haven't had a 9hr stretch of sleep since he was 5mo.  We're finally getting a good 6hr, but then he wakes every 3-4hrs until morning.  (I wish he would get a bit better- I need my sleep now!!!) I'm just glad he's finally stopped taking a bottle after bed. That's half the battle right?
Thanks again!

[Maffoos mummy]

Hi again! Ds grew out of reflux when he was around 9 months-right on cue with him being able to sit unaided which is what my GP'd told me would probably happen as it enabled his food to settle properly,and was obviously a lot easier keeping him upright for large chunks of the day. I think with the night wakings that puts a different slant on things actually,he may well be OT but not showing clear signs of it due to his angel/textbook,other than being difficult to settle for naps. Maybe try putting him down a little earlier again as you used to? By the way,congratulations on your pregnancy,only just spotted it!!   

[jess, lukeys_mom]

Hello from spirited refluxer mom number 3 here ! Luke's reflux got way better with solids and by around 8 months it was pretty much gone and we stopped meds completely.

I agree with pp's that 7mo is pretty young for 1 nap and try to keep the 2 nap routine as long as possible if you can.
I just wanted to add two things. First, that at a certain point I think after 6 months or so, tired signs become harder to read and it's necessary to watch the clock ((almost)) as closely as you lo so you can keep naps balanced. And second, that 7-8 mo is a pretty common age to start a little nap strike. My ds did it as well for about a month. At that time for us it was nice weather so I started taking him out in the stroller for his second nap on most days just to be sure he would get it. It is a little AP but he could settle himself for regular sleep so it did no harm. I would do your best to get him to nap at regular times.

Is it possible you can try a much earlier am nap than you had been doing and see if he is able to get settled? Could it be that his morning A time is way too long and he's getting really OT?

Sending sleeping vibes your way, must be tough getting so little sleep while you're PG! x

[Colin Macs Mom]

Jessica- How old was your little guy?  Wow is Reflux common now!

How old was he when he did what? Reflux? I think he was something like 14 months when we successfully weaned him from the Zantac.

[Allyenna]

I hope RJ grows out of his AR soon!
As for our sleep... we took a 1.5 nap yesturday morning at 11:45 then he laid down at 4 and slept from 4:15 to 5.  I'm wondering if he wasn't still tired from the day before.  Anywho- last night was AWESOME!!! He went down at 7:50 and slept until 3 (I think he had a big fart), I gave him his sucky and he slept until 7:45!! WOW!  I think that's the best night night we've had since before Xmas!  Here's hoping we can keep that up!

[Colin Macs Mom]

That's great!!

[Maffoos mummy]

Hope it continues,that's fab!!