Sleeping FAQ: 6-9 Months – Daytime Sleep

We start our day early so I am not sure if my 7.5mth son is ready yet to drop his afternoon nap

I am not sure when to drop my 7.5mth son’s afternoon nap. We have to start our day at 6.15 for work and nursery and he sleeps well through out the day and night going from 7pm to 6.15 am. His lunch time nap varies from 1 and a half hours to 2 hours sleep, but he is still having his afternoon nap at 4/415 for 30 minutes. I can keep him awake but he becomes more miserable in the evening. Having the nap doesn’t affect his night sleep but as he’s 7 and a half months should I be cutting it out? Due to the time I finish work on a few days he has to have his bed time at 7pm rather than earlier. I’m very happy with the routine at the moment as it suits us all but should I be cutting it out or are we ok continuing until he feels he doesn’t want it anymore? I am aware it is a longer day for him.

My son naps at 9-9.30am, 12.15-2.15pm and 4.15-4.45pm.

Quite a few babies of this age still need a very short afternoon nap. Since your son does start his day early and may not always sleep a full 2 hours at lunchtime keep the afternoon nap in place until he shows signs that he is ready to go without it. As you have already found he is miserable when he does not have it he is not yet ready to give it up.

If your son starts to take longer to go down at 7pm, perhaps chatting for more than 20 minutes or showing a reluctance to go into his cot, then you could think about cutting out the afternoon nap. Until then, continue with your routine as it seems to work well for both you and your son.