Sleeping FAQ: 12-18 Months – Daytime Sleep

My 13-month-old son has begun to fight sleep at daytime naps.

My son sleeps perfectly at night. He used to sleep well in the day, going down easily. However, over the last 3-4 weeks he has begun to refuse to go down for his morning and lunchtime naps without screaming. There has been no change to his routine prior to this, although it is changing slightly now in an effort to get him to sleep (e.g. walks in the buggy and the timing is out). This is because my husband works nights and has to sleep in the day. I am happy to carry out controlled crying in order to get him back into his routine, but feel I can’t because of my husbands need to sleep.

At present my son sleeps from 9.30-10am and 12.30-1pm so is only getting an hour in the day. He settles at 6.45pm and wakes at 6.30am. Once asleep in the morning he has to be woken but at lunchtime he wakes after 30 minutes. How can I get him back on track?

As your son is only having a short lunchtime nap he is going down at 6.45pm exhausted and falling into a deep sleep straight away. This is causing him to wake by 6.30am which means he is tired for his morning nap and so once asleep stays asleep. Has he recently become mobile, or walking or cruising around the furniture? He could well be fighting going down to sleep because he wants to be up and about.

Cut back on his morning nap by 10 minutes and wake him after 20 minutes. Put him down at 9.30am, rather than trying to get him down earlier which results in the screaming. By 15-18 months this nap is often only 15 minutes long and can be dropped. Push his lunchtime nap to nearer 1pm and offer him a drink of water before going down in case thirst is waking him. If he could sleep for 1-1.5 hrs at this time he should not be so exhausted at night.

Putting him down slightly later could help. Once the morning nap has been dropped you may need to bring lunchtime earlier again as he could will be tired by 12.15/12.30pm. Build a quiet time into the time after lunch enjoying a cuddle and perhaps 10 minutes looking at books to get him calm before settling.

Getting the balance of daytime sleep right at this age can be tricky as it so often coincides with a baby becoming far more active. He is moving towards the time of one nap only but this needs to be at the right time of day to prevent late afternoon exhaustion. Using the buggy to give him a rest if he is very active can also help if he continues to fight sleep. Take him for a short walk prior to nap time to see if he becomes easier to settle. Getting his needs met as well as your husband’s is not easy for you, but with a little “juggling” it should be possible.