Sleeping FAQ: 12-18 Months – Daytime Sleep

Should I have dropped the morning nap at 13 months?

My son of 13 months is not tired by 9:30am, and will not settle down for his morning nap, so I have stopped it. Now he is very tired by 11:30am, so I have brought back his lunch from noon to around 11:15am; this way he is in bed by noon. I expect him to sleep for 2 hours, but he doesn’t always do this; sometimes he sleeps for 2 1/2 hours and other times just 1 hour. When he only sleeps for 1 hour, he is tired by 3:30pm. I let him sleep for 1/2 hour but then it takes him longer to sleep at night. He is usually settled by 8pm and awake by 6am.

Is it wise to stop the morning nap?

He still wakes up several times a night and I have to rock him back to sleep. To make my life easier, I have resorted to putting him to sleep next to me when he wakes up at night. He still wakes up but settles himself to sleep.

Dropping the morning nap can be a bit of a juggling act, as some toddlers still need a period of rest in the morning but not always sleep. By moving his lunch back to 11.15am, you have done the most sensible thing to let him have the chance of sleeping at longer over lunch.

Try to plan his mornings so he has periods of activity and quieter times. Even letting him play in his cot for 20 minutes whilst you tidy up in his room, can help him not become overtired and go down at 12 midday exhausted.

Check he is not thirsty before you put him down at lunchtime which may a reason for his sleep being disturbed.

Again in the afternoon build in quiet times to let him recharge. If he is beginning to walk or cruise around the furniture, he will be using up a great deal of energy and may need a rest by having a ride in his buggy for 20-30mins to help him through to bedtime.

Be aware that by having you next to you in the nights so he settles quickly, may be another reason that he does not always sleep a full two hours at lunch. If he stirs and wakes from a light sleep he does not really know how to get back to sleep alone as he associates falling asleep in the night with having you beside him. It may be worth thinking about getting him to settle back alone in the night using the gradual withdrawal method. There is a full description of this in The Complete Sleep Guide p 49.