13 month old only on one nap, trouble night settling and early waking

[Mrs Grumbley]

Hi and thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

I've searched the boards, but everyone else's problems that are similar seem to be pointing them to shifting to one nap.

My boy went from 3-2 really early (5 months or so) and from 2-1 early, as well (11 months). We had a few shaky weeks when we transitioned, but that was to be expected. Then, things were very settled for a few months.

Now for the last week or so, he's been having trouble settling at night - moaning crying, etc, but nothing we need to go in for. We sometimes need to go in at one other point in the night (between 9am and 4am, say), but only for a pat and maybe a sip of water. BUT, then he cries (again, not urgent crying) for around 2 minutes at 5am, 5.30am, 6am and then is usually up burbling for the day at 6.30am. Sometimes it's 5.30 though, as he won't always resettle.

He has a great nap - ranging from 1hr45 to 2hrs30.

Should I be curtailing that nap? Is the long nap (sometimes finishing between 2-2.30pm) causing the night time troubles?

Here's our routine:

6.30/7am wake
7.30 breakfast
10.30/11 - mini lunch #1
11/12 (depending on tiredness) sleep (for 1hr45-2hrs30)
2/2.30 - mini lunch #2
5.30/6 - dinner, followed by bottle
6.30 bath and stories
7pm bed - (but it can take him up to an hour to settle at the moment)


Can anyone shed any light on what might be happening here? I feel like we're due for some teeth, but they've been threatening for months with nothing actually happening, so there's no great change there...

Thanks again!

[Martini~]

How long it's going like that? I would push the nap to 12 the earliest on every day and cap at 2h at the beginning.

[Mrs Grumbley]

Thanks for the reply - so what do you think is the issue? He often sleeps from 12-2 and it doesn't make things any better. It's been going on for just over a week now.

[Martini~]

He might be undertired and that results in EWU but it also might be teething. One week is not much at this age for sleep disturbances and probably if it was me, I would wait up to 2 weeks at least before changing the routine.

Re sleep, I still would keep a nap at this at age at least at 12noon and if he has trouble with settling at 7pm I would cut at 2h.

Is it any better when he sleeps less during day?

[Mrs Grumbley]

Thanks - it's no better when he sleeps less during the day, unfortunately.

I'm sure it will pass, along with everything else - it's just that I'm performing in a show at the moment and not getting home until midnight, so this is terrible timing for him to start waking at 5 again, instead of 7!

(He's not unsettled by that, by the way - he has been looked after by a variety of other people from time to time since he was 4 months old).