Nap Schedule for an Almost 1 Year Old

I believe babies drop the morning nap anytime between 1 and 2 years old. My twins are 15 months and still definately need their morning nap. They've had a structured nap schedule since they were probably 4-6 months old. Good luck.

1 year for my son, he was still needing 2 naps a day- he woke up around 6:15am and would need a nap at about 10am- sleep about 1- 1 and 1/2 hours then nap again at about 2:00pm....
He finally went to one nap a day around 15 months and he sleeps from about 12:00 to 2:00 :)

I know at most day cares at 1 year they do only one nap a day around 12pm, so I know it can be done, but my son still needed more sleep at that age -

good luck!

Each child is different.

Both my kids, at that age, were still napping twice a day.
They had a regular nap time, which, was according to their own cycles of being tired & my knowing them and when they get tired.

You say your child is a cat napper... is this because she naps while you all are on the go... in her stroller or in the car kind of thing? Or, is she napping at home? I believe a child naps best and for a duration, IF napping in a regular place consistently.

Do you have a pre-nap routine?
Many times as well, a baby/child may seem to "wake" during a nap... but if they are not crying/protesting, and "allowed" to have their natural cycles of drowsiness-sleep-intermittent pseudo wakings-falling back asleep in their own kind of thing, then they will "seem" to be only a cat napper. I actually observed this in my friend. She said her baby never really naps... and will wake after only about 30 minutes or less. And sure enough, that is what her baby did. BUT, when her baby did this, then she would pick up her baby right away and assume the baby was ready to go. Not so. I told her to wait a bit... to just observe and her baby wasn't crying to her anyway... just hanging out. So she waited. Then she saw that her baby actually fell back asleep... on her own, and then would nap for another 1.5 hours. THEN her baby at that point was actually getting a "full" nap. THIS was the baby's own cycle.

As for your having 'quiet time' with your eldest child... well, for me I have 2 kids 4 years apart. AND each afternoon, they KNOW it is quiet time. Because this is the routine I have for them EVERY day, during the school week. AND, the afternoon is when my son naps. Everyday. It is the routine... that I make a part of their day. My kids know it, they don't protest about it... because it is something "we" do.

My son, up until just a few months ago, was still taking 2 naps a day. Now, he takes a nap anywhere from about 12-1:00pm, and he will nap for 2-3 hours. Meanwhile, my Daughter who is 6.5 years old, has a quiet time with me or if she is tired she will nap too. It is her choice at her age now... and if she is tired she will tell me and lie down on her own. And they still go to bed at night just fine, by 8:00-8:30 at night, no matter when they napped or for how long.

The thing is, it is "our" regular routine consistently everyday. It has been that way since I had my 2nd child.
It is up to you at what time of the day, you make it a nap or quiet time or both. AND, by now, your youngest child should be tired at a certain time of the day.... try and observe her. Usually at this age, they nap about 12:00 or so, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Each child is different. BUT, if you make naps regular and consistent, you may find that your baby actually naps better and longer.

Just what me and my kids do, or have done. It works for us. But I know each child is different and each situation.

Here is a link:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-chil...

all the best,
Susan

My son transitioned to one nap at this age. I just tried to split the day... if he woke around 8, I'd put him down after lunch, nice and full around 1. If he slept for two hours (his max) he'd be up from 3 to 8 which is his bedtime. So about five hours before and after, if that makes sense. Seems to work for us. Still does and he's 21 months now. Sometimes we just have to play it by ear. If he gets up a little earlier than usual or is acting tired, I'll feed him lunch early and put him down early. This can make for a longer afternoon (and a grouchy evening) but making sure he's tired enough at bedtime is my focus. We also do a mini-bedtime routine before his nap. I'll change his diaper, put him in something comfy, ready him a story, put on some soft music, and cuddle for a few minutes before I lay him in his crib. Hope this helps and best of luck!

My son transitioned to one nap at 11 months, my daughter was 15 months. I would say most kids still nap twice a day at one year old so try scheduling a morning nap about 2.5-3 hours after she wakes up, then an afternoon nap about 3 hours after she wakes up from that. So maybe 10am and 3pm.

Hi there. My kids always fell naturally into the "2-3-4" schedule. It works like this: a.m wake up, then down for nap 2 hours later, wake up mid-morning, then down for second nap(usually after lunch)3 hours later, wake up...then down for night-time sleep after dinner and bath 4 hours later.

it may look roughly like this:
Wake up 6:30 breakfast, play, snack.
Nap 8:30-10:00 playtime,lunch
Nap 1:00-2:30 snack, play, dinner, bath
Bedtime 6:30

You get the idea.
Then sometime closer to 18-24 months, the 2 naps often converge to one just after an early (11:30 ish)lunchtime.
Good luck! Kids thrive on routine.

My son is coming up on 18 months old and is still taking two naps a day and sleeping about 11 hours a night. He is soooo active during the day though that he needs this much sleep. I have tried to go down to one nap a day and it messed everything up so I am letting things go.

My son is up at about 6 am and then goes back down for his morning nap at 8am and sleeps until 9:30 and then his afternoon nap is about 12:30 - 2:00. He goes to bed at about 6:30 or 7. He does wake up about 2 times a night to eat (yes, he does need to eat).

as you can see... my response is different than other mothers... no child is like the next. So just figure out what works for you. It sounds like she isn't getting enough sleep... I would try to leave her in her crib for a few minutes after she wakes up to see if she'll go back to sleep on her own.

My son moved to one nap at day around age 1...he was moved from the infant room at school/daycare to the 12-18month group and all the kids napped once a day at the same time. It's really amazing to watch them get that many kids to sleep all at the same time! He pretty much went down around 1130a and slept for about two hours. He's now four and still takes naps during the week, but weekends skips them since he sleeps in a little later.

Good luck!
-M

At one years old, I would try to get somewhat of a scheduled nap. Usually 2 naps. If the baby wakes up at 6:00 am, then I would say the first nap should be before lunch sometime.(10:30am) and then the second nap around 3:00.
Of course this would require you staying home for these naps and that can be difficult for some people.
My daughter is 2 years old and I have transitioned to one nap quite a while ago. No matter what, she always takes her nap after lunch.
Good luck!

1 year old was about the time my daughter switched from 2 to 1 nap a day (I remember her nap change interfering with birthday party scheduling!).

I can see why cat napping is not productive for you. I suggest if she doesn't want to sleep at "nap" time, then she can rest or read/play in the crib... its a time to mellow out. My daughter will frequently "talk" in the crib for 30 min to an hour before falling asleep and that's fine with me--she still will sleep 1 1/2 to 2 hours. BTW, I never use the bed/crib as a punishment so there is no negative association with being in there.