10Mnth Old Learned to Stand in Crib and Now Refuses to Take 2Nd Nap

I'd think its just a phase. My daughter (11 months) went through that too -- when she learned something and she couldn't sleep. She's still on 2 naps a day (some rare days she'll have three!). She's a binky lover, so we put 5+ binkies in her bed and she entertains herself until she falls alseep. Makes life a bit easier.

Good luck!

R.,
No it's not a phase just him getting older, you will have many more obstacles like this along the way, some will make you laugh and others will drive you nuts, but in the end it is all worth it.
Instead of putting your son in his crib for a nap try some quiet time with him in the afternoon. I used to shut off the T.V. and phone then grab a blanket and book and lay on the couch with my kids for some quiet time. When I had more then one child I would lay a blanket on the living room rug for them. They weren't allowed to play with their toys or run around as it was "quiet time." I found that that down time was enough to get them through until bedtime. I have to say it was much more challenging when you have more than one child but just as much fun. One other thing, my son was out of a crib at 10 months old, he climbed on the top rail and jumped out. I ran out and bought him a toddler car bed from Next Step once my hair stopped standing on end and I stopped shaking. LOL
T.

Hi R.
Some kids don't need as much sleep as others. I always was one to let them be on their own schedules.
When they didn't want an AM nap, I hoped for a longer PM nap. Sometimes it happened, sometimes not. I found just when I figured out what their schedule was, it changed.
The MD told me as long as they did not show signs of sleep deprivation, all was well. Yes, you can be in sleep deprivation w/o them being in sleep deprivation. We were!! Our children never were. Our younger boy only slept/sleeps 2 hours in 24. Not sure exactly when it started maybe around 2y, but his time got shorter and shorter til we got to 2 hours in 24. He climbed out of crib at 5 mo. He would sit and let me read to him, or sing songs, or even puzzles and playdough. Today, he takes care of his son so his wife can get some sleep. Our older daughter slept/sleeps where she can and about 4-6 hours in 24 and although I thought if I ever had another kid like our son I would get MD to do something. They don't because she is perfectly "healthy". My other 2 slept about 10 hours at night and never napped much, but I was thankful for the 10 hours because I knew what it could be.
God bless you.
My advice choose to accept their schedule because to have a power struggle causes rebellion, and where the rebellion shows up is where ever they can be in control. Potty training, activity, eating to name a few.
Write me and we'll visit. What does your mom say? She might have great stories about you. I love to share mine, she probably would to, I hope that is possible as you are young enough to be my daughter, write me OK.
K. SAHM married 38 years--- adult children 37,33, and twins 18.

In addition to the other suggestions, you might want to consider lowering the crib to the lowest setting. My son will be 1 at the end of this week and still takes 2 naps a day, but had a hard time settling once he realized he could stand up and throw his binky over the edge. Suddenly we'd hear "uh-oh" in the monitor, followed by a binky hitting the floor and tears. We lowered his mattress and put a few "friends" in with him to keep him company and we're still going strong!

Ha! This sounds exactly what happened to us! He is a bit young to go to one nap a day but it is possible. I asked the moms for help a few months ago and the advice was great. I kept trying to go for the second nap since the novelty of the standing up was bound to wear off. My son was 12 months at the time. He just did not want that nap. Keep trying for about a week or so. If it does not work, push the first nap a little later. I found 4 hours after waking was a good barometer. Also, to prevent the standing (and subsequent crying/screaming) I nurse him and then lay him down sleepy, put on his crib music and then without speaking to him, hold my hand on his chest till he falls asleep. I don't hold him down or anything, but I find that with my hand there, he doesn't try to get up. If he is still talking and kicking his legs for more than 5 minutes, I know he wont fall asleep. SOmetimes I don't even need to keep my hand on him.
Some moms I know just leave and let the baby work it out himself. Either I just don't have the stomach for that or my son is just to persistant to settle down. Maybe a bit of both. Do what feels right for you, but our technique works for us and he is a very sweet loving little boy. Good luck!

He is probably ready for one nap.. not two anymore.. The perfect time for a big nap would be around 11 or 11:30 if you can push it and then he might sleep a good 2 or 3 hours. If you can make sure you feed him so his belly is full and he will sleep better. good luck.. It's hard when they start standing and wait till he climbs out... oh NO! It gets harder but more interesting and a whole lot of fun.

Count your blessings! LOL! My children were walking at 10 months, and with the exception of the middle one, didn't believe in naps. The other two were up 12 hours and down 12 hours. (Which was fine by me.) :-) Even my daughter who napped only slept for 30 minutes, so naps are a foreign concept around here.

The more active a child becomes the less interested they are in sleeping. They're curious and want to explore, not sleep. Would a timeout period work for you? You know, where he's in his playpen or play area with some of his toys and some calming music while you go unwind for a bit? He might just play himself to sleep. And even if he doesn't, as long as you get a few minutes to yourself that might be good.

Good luck!

My daughter started having a fit during her second nap around 10 months too. It was 45 min of crying to get her to go down. I decided to try her on just one nap a day and it turned out that she was actually ready for 1 nap. She started taking an afternoon nap around 12 or 1230 and would sleep for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It just wasn't worth the fight for me to try and get her to take 2 naps. At the beginning she would take cat naps in the morning if we went anywhere in the car. But after about a month she got into the routine. Whatever you end up trying good luck!

Hi R.,
Babies aren't usually ready to give up the 2nd nap til 12-18 months. If you know he's really tired, then he is not ready. He may be overtired, hence the screaming, so perhaps try putting him down earlier, or try being out somewhere at the time that he'd nap so that he will fall asleep in the car. The other thing I'd suggest is that if he starts screaming do not go in there, don't try to lay him down, he can figure this out on his own. I am not a cry it out fan, but if you're letting him cry all that time, it might be less time if you don't go in. If he finds that screaming gets you to come in, he will keep doing it.
Good luck

I hear your pain. I know some kids who got rid of their second nap at 10 months...mine went a little bit longer, but not much.

One thing that I have tried in the past that has helped is limiting the first nap and then starting the second nap a little bit earlier. When I did that for my son, he took the second nap for a week or two and then stopped taking the second nap again and I realized that he was done with it.

The good news about eliminating the morning nap is that eventually (it took a few weeks), the afternoon nap goes on for a while and then you have two chunks of the day that have a nice bit of quiet time in-between.

Hope this is helpful - good luck!

You can read some advice from Dr. Marc Weissbluth, sleep expert, at http://billiediscoverytoys.blogspot.com/2008/09/sleep-beg...

Start a tradition that your son will remember for the rest of his life - sing him a song :-)

I started singing to my daughter the day she was born. To this day she still requests my singing (bless her to tolerate my voice! LOL) And she could sing all the bed time songs word-for-word by her second birthday.

The bed time line up -
Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Head
My Favorite Things - Sound of Music
Dream a Little Dream of Me

She always requests three songs, ususally never making it through the first.

To your little man - your voice sounds like angels singing.

I am not a believer in letting a child 'cry it out'. If a child is crying then usually something is wrong.

Good luck!!

Hi, I'm sure you realize that your little baby is growing into a toddler. This also means that he wont need as much sleep as he used to. Now, instead of 2 naps during the day, he will cut himself down to 1, but maybe a little longer than usual. Try putting him down for his nap about an hour or so later than normal, and cutting out the 2nd nap. You may also want to check how long he sleeps during the night. I saw one mother who stated that her baby sleeps over 12 hours overnight, and was wondering why the baby was waking up earlier. There is such a thing as expecting too much sleep.
My daughter, now 2 1/2, never had a problem with nap time, luckily!! I take her to work with me, driving feeder bus, so she gets up around 6 am, goes to work, home by 9 am, breakfast with me, then bed by 10:30 and awake around 1:30, then back to work and bedtime around 8:30. I try for 8, but with 4 kids and trying to spend time with them, 8 just doesnt give me enough time with them all.
good luck finding the right schedule for you and your little one.

As a general rule, children at this age need to take two naps. However, considering the struggle that he is putting you through, I would push the time of his first nap, make sure to feed him well and then put him down for what may be a longer nap (both times put together perhaps). I went through this with my son at about that age. Good luck! The issues will keep changing and will keep you on your toes. Learn to love the challenges. ;-)

He may be ready to give up the second nap...it's a bit early in age, but not unreasonable. What time does he take the 1st a.m. nap? At around 11 months of age my son started napping much later in the a.m., giving me the sign that he's getting ready to move to just one nap. Maybe that's what's going on?
Lynsey

i would say definitely stick to two naps! he's not even one yet, and according to my pediatrician babies need more sleep than parents often give them. our daughter did the same thing when she stood up in her crib. it lasted a few days of her trying to resist naps, but she was still tired! i nursed her, sang to her and read her a book. then i went in every few minutes to put her down again.
good luck!!