Naps For A 12 Month Old

[cheerfuldom]

How much time do you require a 12 month old to nap and at what times? When do you transition to one nap a day?

I currently have a 12 month old that is napping 9-10:30 and then 1-3. She does cry when she goes to sleep or wakes up but once she is sleeping, she almost always sleeps longer than this time frame. The parents are having trouble getting the little one to bed. Apparently it takes anywhere from 30 min. to 3 hours to get her down for the night She has been waking at 4 or 5 in the morning and often just stays awake (and crys) until she gets here at 7:30. The parents said their ped suggested shortening the morning nap. I don't agree because 1. she IS tired and 2. 30 min. off the morning nap is very unlikely to change hours of struggle at home. I do know that they are inconsistent with CIO (mom does it, dad doesn't) and that kiddo is very stubborn, she has tried the angry/relentless cry here numerous times but I am very consistent and I do know she does better here than at home. For instance, I guess on Sunday she had a one hour nap in the morning (shortened per the doctors suggestion) and then never had an afternoon nap. One hour for the whole day for a 12 month old is not okay with me. What would you expect of this age?

[Heidi]

How much time do you require a 12 month old to nap and at what times? When do you transition to one nap a day?

I currently have a 12 month old that is napping 9-10:30 and then 1-3. She does cry when she goes to sleep or wakes up but once she is sleeping, she almost always sleeps longer than this time frame. The parents are having trouble getting the little one to bed. Apparently it takes anywhere from 30 min. to 3 hours to get her down for the night She has been waking at 4 or 5 in the morning and often just stays awake (and crys) until she gets here at 7:30. The parents said their ped suggested shortening the morning nap. I don't agree because 1. she IS tired and 2. 30 min. off the morning nap is very unlikely to change hours of struggle at home. I do know that they are inconsistent with CIO (mom does it, dad doesn't) and that kiddo is very stubborn, she has tried the angry/relentless cry here numerous times but I am very consistent and I do know she does better here than at home. For instance, I guess on Sunday she had a one hour nap in the morning (shortened per the doctors suggestion) and then never had an afternoon nap. One hour for the whole day for a 12 month old is not okay with me. What would you expect of this age?

same as you. I would consider shortening the morning nap a little, she could be transitioning to one nap per day. Guess what, though, that pm nap should be longer to make up for it... :: 14 hours per day is recommended! I know children vary, but it sounds more like baby is running the show at home than a lack of need for sleep. Besides, at her age even if she's not sleeping, she could be spending a little time just playng in her crib, etc. My twins here just went to one nap, and they are sleeping 2 1/2 to 3 hours. They used to cry when they went down and when they wake up, but now, most days, they fuss little and wake up smiling.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children

[nannyde]

I would put her to bed right when she arrived and have her sleep 1.5 hours. Then down for a nap with your crew at naptime.

[Meyou]

I would still have her nap morning and afternoon. She's wayyyy too little to be giving up naps. If they can't get her down at night I would say it's routine related not sleep related.

[cheerfuldom]

thanks for your thoughts! I actually did just what you suggested nan and will try that this week. I can see we are going to have the "no nap suggestion" shortly....hate that one....

[MNmamaOf4]

I'd like suggestions too

I'd love to hear what other people suggest too. I have a DCB who just turned 1 last week and this morning dad requested that I cut his naps for the entire day down to 3 hours because he isn't sleeping well at night. He has been napping about 2 to 2-1/2 hours in the morning and that's already with me waking him up for lunch. And naps another 2 hours in the afternoon. So this morning I woke him up after an hour and 15 minutes and he was SO mad at me for waking him up. My DD is almost 13 months old, and she sleeps 10-12 hours at night and she sometimes takes a morning nap, depends on how early she woke up, but she for sure takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. I'll try it for this week and see how it goes shortening his naps, but he's not going to like me waking him up, that's for sure! He gets here about 8am and by 9-9:30 he's ready for a nap, rubbing his eyes, fussing, crying, etc.

[cheerfuldom]

see thats where the problem comes up. I don't force exhausted kids to stay awake no matter what the parents want. I am willing to tweak the hours and amount as long as it works with our schedule and baby is still happy!

[nannyde]

thanks for your thoughts! I actually did just what you suggested nan and will try that this week. I can see we are going to have the "no nap suggestion" shortly....hate that one....

Yes you will and all you have to do is say "I don't provide services to children who don't need a full afternoon nap"

Practice

When they bring up nap with you ... just start asking questions: What do you guys do when you get home? What time does he eat? What is he eating? How much does he eat. What is your bedtime routine? What do you do when he cries at bed time? Do you rock him to sleep? Blah blah blah

Then start giving suggestions of what THEY can do: Make sure he has a TON of exercise before bedtime... get him outside... go to the park... don't do buckled in time in the car.... have a quiet routine right before bed.... put him to bed wide awake... once you put him down don't get him up... don't feed him in the middle of the night....

[MNmamaOf4]

Yes you will and all you have to do is say "I don't provide services to children who don't need a full afternoon nap"

Practice

When they bring up nap with you ... just start asking questions: What do you guys do when you get home? What time does he eat? What is he eating? How much does he eat. What is your bedtime routine? What do you do when he cries at bed time? Do you rock him to sleep? Blah blah blah

Then start giving suggestions of what THEY can do: Make sure he has a TON of exercise before bedtime... get him outside... go to the park... don't do buckled in time in the car.... have a quiet routine right before bed.... put him to bed wide awake... once you put him down don't get him up... don't feed him in the middle of the night....

Great suggestions Nan! DCD always brings DCB, so I never see his mom, we communicate via e-mail a couple times a month, that is it. DCD can never believe that my daughter is still sleeping when he drops his son off. He always asks how long she sleeps and I tell him 10-12 hours, she never gets up during the night, hasn't since she was about 4 months old. My nap/rest time at daycare is 1:30-3:30 and snack at 4 when the older kids get off the bus, currently DCB has been napping until from about 1:15-1:30 until 4:00 when the kids get off the bus. I don't know what their routine is at home, but I'd be interested to know if they comment again that he isn't sleeping at night.

[cheerfuldom]

yes I prepared for them to start blaming me. Actually they have already hinted at numerous things I can change here but haven't straight out asked so I pretend I don't understand what they are getting at, re-state my daily schedule (hasn't changed in a year, ain't gonna change anytime soon!) and offer a helpful tip about what they can try on their time. I already know its because the dad lets kid do whatever they want regarding sleep so I know that I am not doing anything wrong here, I just wanted to see what all you would expect from a 12 month old. I am positive that no nap, or even one nap is not an option right now. This kiddo is tired!

[christinaskids]

My son is 14 months old and he usually only takes a long afternoon nap. His needs seem to have changed recently so i cut out his evening nap and now he goes to bed at 8. Of course, if he is cranky then he lays down. Those evening sessions of wanting to play with mommy and daddy until midnight have disappeared,