Giving up a nap
Shawn just turned 1 in May. He's always taken 2 naps. One in the morning (an hour, maybe an hour and a half) and a longer one in the afternoon. He still gets really tired and cranky in the morning, and always falls asleep pretty quickly, so I figure he needs that sleep. Well in the past couple of weeks, he is really fighting his nap in the afternoon. Like right now, it's 5:00, and I'm still trying to get him down for his 2nd nap, which is supposed to be his good long nap! Since I don't like him to sleep past 5:15 or 5:30, looks like yet another afternoon where he's not getting his 2nd nap.
I'm assuming it's probably time to cut out a nap, and maybe put him down around 1:00 for naptime, rather than his usual 3:00.
Do you remember how old your kids were when they transitioned from 2 naps down to just 1? My boys both sleep good at night, so I feel like I shouldn't complain too much, but I think I've really been jipped in the nap dept :) Luke completely gave up naps at 2 1/2 (while I was 6 months pregnant), and I know he also went down to just 1 nap alot sooner than other kids I knew, and I'm sure Shawn will probably be the same way.
Naps
My twins stopped napping in the AM at around 14 months. They are now 2 1/2 and still take nice long naps. Most days they average 2.5 - 3 hours. I generally put them down around noon or so and make sure they get up between 3:00 - 3:30. I never let them sleep past 3:30 so they are ready to go to be around 9 PM.
Nap Time
I would have to say that my oldest stop taking the second nap about 1 year old. He fought it and fought it. Finally I just put him down after lunch and he sleep for a long period of time. My youngest one did take a morning nap but it was about 7 am. At 2 weeks old he sleep through the night 9 pm - 5 am. Stay awake until 7 am. Sleep until about 8 or 8:30ish. Then didn't got back down until 12:30 then sleep until 2:30.
Joni Lochtefeld
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sleep
It sounds like he's ready for the switch to one afternoon nap. Remember that every transition is difficult at first, but he'll adjust to his new napping schedule soon enough...have faith! He'll probably be ready for the 1:00 naptime too, if not before, once you make the switch. I would hope he wouldn't last until 3:00..that would make for a super exhausted babe and mom and we can't have that now can we :) Maybe he'll totally surprise you and take a nice long 3 hour nap once he's adjusted :)
Fortunately, we have been blessed with good sleepers...which I am very thankful for. My 5 YO daughter was probably our least consistent, and more of a cat napper until she turned one, then went to the solo PM nap. That was a difficult transition, but we made it through and she ended up sleeping a good 2 hours in the afternoon and did that until about age 4. Now, my 7 YO and 2 YO were very consistent 1-2 hours AM/PM nappers until they also turned one. They both transitioned pretty well from 2-1. My oldest took a good 2 hour nap in the afternoon, until she was 4 and my 2 year old does the same as we speak.