When Does the Morning Nap Start to Dissapear?

I have 4 kids, and each child was closer to 18 months when the early morning nap really was gone. You have to just see what he needs. Pretty soon, you will start seeing one nap get shorter, or the afternoon nap get delayed b/c he's not tired. Then you'll know that the morning nap and afternoon nap need to be consolidated into one longer nap in between the two times, say start it at 10:30 for a couple weeks/month, and then move it to 11, then 11:30, so on, until it is at the time that works for you lil guy and you. Right when you do drop to 1 nap, you may find that you need to put him down for bed at night extremely early (like 6 or 6:30) - that's okay (at least my kids slept 13 hours those nights)

This is always a tricky period, b/c there is for sure a gray zone when he's too tired for 1 nap, but 2 naps is too much for him. You'll start seeing some signs that he's ready to drop down to one. Good luck.

My son was just at 1 when he decided to give it up, but my daughter was nine months when she decided she no longer needed it. I tried to everything to encourage the morning nap with my daughter, but she just didn't need it anymore. She is now just 2 and thinks she needs no nap at all. I still put her down everyday, but about 3 days a week she doesn't sleep, she just plays in her room for that time. Those nights I have to put her to bed early, but she usually isn't even cranky, just fading fast at the dinner table.

My 2 year old gave it up around 15-16 mos.

typically around 1 year old, but sometimes before and rarely after. If your son takes 2 naps a day and then doesn't sleep so well at night that is a good indication, also sometimes they just fade (they just don't sleep during naptime). When our morning naps faded away we made nap time from 12:30-1pm til 3pm or so then they go to bed around 8pm so they have enough time to get tired again.

When they give up naps or one of their naps just know that he may seem a little grouchy at first but he will adjust. It's hard but they start not needing so much sleep!

good luck! enjoy your boy, they are great! I have 2!

Hi E.,
I HIGHLY recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth as a guide on when biological sleep rhythms evolve/mature. It has a great timeline with averages. He says the AVERAGE child drops the morning nap around 16-21 months. I would encourage you to try keeping the morning nap until you notice that he isn't napping more than he is. Be flexible and on the days he doesn't take a morning nap, try putting him down for his afternoon nap a little earlier and make the bedtime earlier to keep him well rested. The transition from 2 naps to 1 nap can be rough and they can go back and forth for a few months. Dr. Weissbluth is VERY adamant about an early bedtime for the best quality, restorative sleep. It sounds like you are doing great, just make sure he isn't getting overtired by the end of the day. My daughter has ALWAYS been on the fast track when it comes to sleep, sleeping through the night at a very early age but also going to one nap right after her 1st B-day and eliminating regular naps not long after her 2nd B-day. She is NOT the norm or average child when it comes to sleep though. She still rests quietly every day. I L. Dr. Weissbluth, if I lived in the Chicago area he would be our pediatrician! Check out his bio, the guy has extensive sleep experience. Email me if you have questions.
Sincerely,
L.

My now 2 1/2 year old gave up her two nap schedule a few months before her second birthday - now she just takes one really long nap (2-3 hours) a day. It really depends on your kid, but drag the two nap thing out as long as possible, as long as you can get him to sleep - he'll let you know when he is ready to give it up by not sleeping!

My daughter is 16 months and still taking two naps, but I have noticed that her morning nap started becoming a lot shorter (from 2 hours to 1 hour just recently). I am also home with her all summer (I'm a teacher), so I have got her off schedule to do swim lessons in the mornings. That may have contributed to her shortened nap also.

Read the SleepEasy Solution by Sleepy Planet - www.sleepyplanet.com.

Hi E.,

My daughters both stopped taking two naps when they were two years old. However my now 3 year old will sometimes take two naps in a day, a lot has to do with growth spurts.