Nap Times for 13 Month Old?

I think we were at about 13-14 months when we transitioned to one nap. I found that if I kept my son awake longer, then that one mid day nap was much longer than the 1hr cat naps he had been taking. And even if you can't take your older son to the park, at least when he get's home, he gets mom all to himself for a few hours...

R. from Los Angeles, CA

Hello,
Maybe one nap would be fine for your 13 month old. It's like this: Morning is breakfast and then a snack around 10:00 am and then nap time is at noon time. Since you like to take your eldest to the park, the baby should be tired after you get back home. Maybe three times a week to the park might be a good idea. You must have a routine schedule to go on otherwise it is not going to work out. Say right after you guys get backi from the park, you feed the boys lunch no later than 12:30 pm or they can have lunch at the park. Around 3:00 pm it should be another snack time and then 6:00 pm- 7:00pm is dinner time. After dinner is bath time and then bed. They should be in the bed by 7:30 pm if that is what you want.remember you must have them on a tight schedule in order for it to work out.

Hi M., it sounds like these are taking a turn for the better for you, but I just wanted to let you know that since the time change, we've had some problems as well. My son is the same age as yours and has been wanting to go to bed later and take his naps later too. Our usual schedule is 7 to 7, down between 9 and 9:30 and then again between 2:00 and 2:30, but like I said, lately it's been a little later on all accounts due to the time change and the light. The past couple of days I've just decided to wake him up 15 minutes earlier than the day before, even if he went to bed later, to try to get him back on his regular schedule. I'm afraid if I just let him choose his schedule, we're going to be getting later and later at going to bed. It's been working, slowly but surely. Hopefully by tomorrow he'll be back to his old schedule.

Hi M.,
My son is also 13 months and he still needs a morning nap. He wakes up each morning by 6:30 (bedtime is between 7 and 7:30 pm) and goes down for a nap between 9 and 10 a.m. He only naps for 30-40 minutes, though. His afternoon nap is anywhere from 1-2 p.m. and he'll usually sleep for an hour and 45 minutes. However, he sometimes does not take his morning nap, but if he doesn't, he will pass out by 11:45 a.m. If your son skips the morning nap, I think he'll probably need to go to sleep by 12:00, so taking your older son to the park at 12:30 doesn't seem possible. The transition from 2 naps a day to 1 nap a day is tough! I am just letting my son dictate it. I offer the morning nap and try really hard if he is tired, but if he isn't tired and doesn't fall asleep, then I assume he doesn't need it that day. They should be getting around 2 hours of daytime sleep a day, so if he's getting that, it's good. I think they make the transition themselves as they get older, so I would just take it day by day. Hang in there. :)

My daughters nap scheduled changed after she turn one. She is also a light sleeper and does not want to miss anything, so she will force herself to stay awake. I found that she would get tried around 11:30 a.m. and want to nap, so what I did was start letting her take a nap at 11:30 and I slowing moved it to 1:00 p.m. over a weeks period. At first the naps were short lived, but now she will nap for a good three hours and makes for a very happy baby. You might want to try and pick-up your son at 11:30 take them to the park let them get tried bring them home have lunch and then try for a nap. I also made it routine to read to her at nap time, so she knows that it is time to nap. Hope this helps.

Most kids are ready to switch to just one nap a day by the time they turn 1. Sounds like your little guy is in the process of transitioning. It doesn't happen instantly. There will be some days when he'll nap twice, other days only once. Give him a couple of weeks to adjust himself and just let him sleep whenever he seems tired. Keep note of when he tends to fall asleep because this will help you put together a predictable napping schedule that fits with his natural sleep rythm. The best time of day for a single-napper is usually after lunch - any time from 12:30 to 2:00. BTW, I think putting him to bed at 7:30 is a great idea. He will have more rest to get him through the morning so he can last until his afternoon nap.

Good luck!!

Hi M.-
I have 3 boys (7, 4, 3) and a very similar schedule, and have run into this issue myself. All I can offer to you is what helped for us. It seems as though your little one is ready to transition to one nap in the middle of the day (12-2-ish). Once your routine for this change is established, he'll probably take a longer nap. If he has not yet napped when it's time to pick up brother from school, he'll probably sleep on the way home from the pick up, so try to keep him awake until you have picked up brother. Then, if not asleep in the car, give both boys a bite to eat and then put him down. He should sleep for about 2 hours. This gives you some one on one time with your older son. When the little one wakes up at 1:30/2:00, then head out to the park. Sleep is such a crucial part of development, it is worth the changes in schedule to accomodate the adjustments in nap schedules. With this type of plan, you are respecting everyone's need for sleep and time with Mom. I think you are right on track trying to get all kids on the 7:30-7:30 schedule. Routines at this stage are so important, as kids in this age range really depend on the predictability of of routine.Good luck to you. I know that this time in development can be tenuous, but be patient with it...you will survive it!

Changing sleep/nap times can take time. It's a transition.
BUT... you need to keep to a schedule. You need to be the one to decide when your 13 month old needs to nap. A child can go on and make themselves stay up...but then they get "over-tired." And when a child is overtired, they can actually get more "hyper." Remember, nap/sleep is important for their development...and it recharges them and sleep is the time their brain and development occurs as well.

Some young toddlers will indeed fight a nap. But they really "should" nap. At this age they may actually go to 1 nap a day.
Typically, after waking in the morning... a morning nap at about 3 hours later is typical. Put him down at this time everyday (whether or not he "seems" tired)... have a routine about it. For my boy, who is 19 months now... I have ALWAYS kept to a routine and have a certain nap time. THUS, he is used to it, and he goes to nap without a problem. The key is that YOU need to take the lead, and keep to a routine. There have been certain periods where my boy didn't want to nap in the morning... but instead of then blowing off his naps... I just kept putting him in the crib at the usual time... let him wind down, and if he really resisted I'd take him out. BUT... BUT, I always kept to his regular nap time. And, he went back to napping at the same time as always. I've learned that at certain developmental leaps, he'd not want to nap. But again, I just kept to his same nap routines and times, and he went back to his napping regularity. He still takes 2 naps a day at his age for about 2 hours each... morning (about 9:30) and afternoon (about 2:30). And he goes to bed at night at 8:00, and wakes up in the morning about 6:30-7:00a.m. The same everyday.

He does get tired at his nap times, since he's so used to his routine. And I can tell when he is tired by observing him. The regularity is important for a child.

If you decide to sacrifice a nap, in order to take your eldest child to the park.. then you have to juggle the nap times of your youngest. That is the sacrifice.

For me, my 5 year old daughter "knows" that her brother naps at certain times in the morning...and after I pick her up from school. Thus, she does not demand that I take her out at these times. But after his nap, she knows that we will go to the park. Again, my eldest child, my girl, knows the routine as well, so she is adapted to it.

My boy, even though his sister is around after school, "knows" that he has to nap in the afternoons, and though he is playing with his sister... I will pick him up and start his nap routine... then put him down in the crib. And he falls asleep. I explain to him he can play with sister after he wakes up. He understands.

No matter what, I keep to the routine, EVERYDAY. This has been the key for me. And yes, this means that I have to juggle my own personal errands/appointments too, around my child's nap times. This has been my choice...but I am glad to do it because that provides my boy with his needed naps and regularity, and in the end it is better for him and me... and he is never fussy or tired.

Children thrive on routine and they "need" to know what to expect...then they will be less prone to "fighting" it. However, each child is different, with different personalities, and you have your own activities with your children.

However, just wanted to share what I do with both my kids. The routine I have with them keeps me sane, and keeps them on an even keel too. Sure, there will always be times where they don't want to nap... and so reducing it down to 1 nap a day is up to you. But try different things. See what works for you. But at 13 months... a nap is still important. They need that at this age. Good luck you will get all kinds of suggestions and experience here.
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

My kids are older now, but I remember when they were both one, they went from two naps to one. It may take about a week to get in the groove. Try to keep him awake until you get your other son, then go to the park. I found that even if my kids were tired, they still loved the park. Then your son will probably fall asleep on the way home - hopefully you can transfer him to the crib. If not, what I used to do is sometimes let them sleep in the carseat in the car in the garage if I thought they'd wake up to transfer them. Try transferring first to see if that works. Once he gets in the groove of one nap, the 7:30 bedtime should work since he's now getting only one nap, and maybe with one nap it will be longer. Don't be worried about his health if he doesn't nap much - I've known some kids that barely napped and they were fine.

my advice to you is to have a routine. Have your little one take a nap half way thru the day... maybe after taking him to the park along with your older little boy, this way he will be really tired and give into his nap quicker. I have 6 kids, and I know how important it is to have them take naps!!!!! my two younger boys, 4 and almost 3 still need their daily naps or they will just be very cranky by the end of the day. Their naps are also very short, but worth it! Just figure out what time of the day would be best for a nap, not too late nor too early. God Bless you

I had the same issue with my children when the older one was in preschool and no longer taking naps and the younger one still needing naps. It was difficult. What I would try based on my experience is this:

- I would put your youngest down for a nap right after lunch, maybe around 12:30. It might be hard because he wants to play with big brother, but I would let him know that that time is time for you to spend 1-on-1 time with big brother. (I know it's hard to communicate this to a 1-year-old, but it starts setting an expectation).

- Because your son is getting enough sleep at night (1-year-olds need between 12-14 total hours of sleep per day), I would wake him up around 2:30 giving him a 2 hour nap.

- At 2:30 I would go to the park. For me, this would give us enough time to have fun but still get home in time to prep dinner and get into the nighttime routine.

Also, a 7:30 bedtime is very doable. I would back up the routine by about 5-10 minutes every couple of days until you reach 7:30. Just realize that research has shown that you can actually get a child to sleep later by putting them to bed earlier (I know it defies logic, but it's true). At any rate, good luck!!!

I feel your pain. My 4yr old has more energy than the energizer bunny. He has always been hard to get down for afternoon nap. Basically I end up putting both boys (I have 2boys and a girl) down for a nap, then when younger is asleep the older one can get up if he is still awake. Also you might try to find amovie that puts him to sleep. Example is my youngest brother -18 now- still can't watch Fantasia movies from the 90s, he passes out about 10min in. LOLLOL
PS my oldest is 9yrs so this might work best for younger ones who may still need that nap.
Coinsidentally on Saturdays when my 9yr old is done with Karate, I end up with about 2hrs to my self when all 3 are down for the count.:):):)

When my second son was born he couldn't seem to get any sleep at all. At first it was because big brother kept wanting to wake him up and play with him all the time. Later it was because he finally got big enough himself to want to join in the fun. He needed his naps and got cranky without them, so finally I decided to take some steps. First, big brother was forbidden (on pain of time out) to bother the baby during nap time. I was careful to schedule our family playtimes around his natural nap rhythms and schedule some reading time or quiet time right before his nap to help him calm down. I talked to him about his nap, even though I don't know that he understood. I just calmly talked and talked while preparing for his nap. Big brother was allowed to come in and give him a kiss and then his "quiet play" began too. I ran the vacuum in the next room or did laundry, whatever needed doing but didn't provide a lot of noise. Then I made sure that I put him for his nap in his crib (and later in his bed), no exceptions. He started off not really wanting those nap times, but later he enjoyed and looked forward to the opportunity to rest.
Your baby knows when he needs sleep and his behavior is a clue. Just pick a schedule based on how much sleep he needs and stick to it. Even if the first couple of times don't go well. When he gets older and needs less sleep, his behavior will again be a clue and you can move from two naps to one. Good luck.

When my son gave up his morning nap I was very sad. But instead of having two 1.5 hour naps he went to having one 3 hour nap in the afternoon. I would suggest that when you have your little one's nap time that you require your older one to have "quiet time" too so that your younger one doesn't feel like he's missing out. I grew up in a big family (12 kids) and in order for my mom to keep her sanity we had to have at least one hour of "quiet time" each day. What the other people have said about being consistent with the 2 naps and putting him down at the same time for both naps is really good too if he's not quite ready to give up that morning nap yet. He's still young enough that he might need the 2 naps. Every kid is different! My mother-in-law tells me stories about her two oldest and how the older one would be napping and the younger one didn't need naps anymore. You know your kids better than anyone so trust your instincts.

Hi M., I have a 14 month old and he used to nap twice a day until three weeks ago. Now he naps just once a day for 2-3 hours. During the transition from two to one nap, his sleep schedule was off as well. Just give your son a couple of weeks and he'll start developing a new sleep pattern. In regards to sleeping times at night, try putting him to bed 15 minutes earlier every night for a week, then repeat until you've reach the desired time. My son sleeps from about 9:30am until 8am or so (with some night wakings) and that seems to work out for him. Hang in there. They all sleep throught the night at some point.

Rlax and go with the flow. They are changing every day. My 13 month old is transitioning from 2 naps to 1 nap and it takes some getting used to. I have never been a schedule person because I want her to be able to go with the flow. She gets her naps in no matter where we are...in the mall, on a walk, where ever. I'm sure there are people who would disagree but that gives me the flexability that I need. I'm not a stay at home mom and need to get my stuff done on the days that I do have off. And dont get me wrong, she doesnt want to miss anything so trying to get her to take a nap when she doesnt want too is quite the job. I just try and stay flexable, who wants to hang around a nagging mom? Take them to the park after school! Let them have fun and be kids...they wont be for long!

I found that 1 nap is not the most feasible until they are almost 2 years old. Both my girls (one of which just turned 2) did much better with 2 naps when they were about 1. This last one especially, I would give her a late morning nap that was about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. Sometimes she would fall asleep while we went to do something. Then I would have her nap in the later afternoon for about the same amount of time. And I would put books in with her for the second nap, and she would look for a little and then fall asleep. Sometimes they need a time that is quiet and relaxing, and so even if they don't fall asleep, they get a nice rest. and if he's still cranky after dinner, then put him down a little earlier. Remember that the nap time is not just for him, but for you too!!! And for the second nap, put your older boy on some alone time with some books that will help him unwind after school. Happy Napping!