As your child gets older his naps will change, over a period of time you will be cutting out the morning nap. An indication that your child no longer needs a morning nap is a) is harder to settle for the nap or b) is harder to settle for the lunch time nap.
Your child will need a lunchtime nap of some sort probably until he is about 2.5/3. A sign that he is getting to much sleep during the day would be that he is harder to settle at night or wakening earlier in the morning. You should always monitor your child over a 3 day period to get a true picture and rule out teething etc.
So, if you find your child is consistently harder to put to sleep at night then you should reduce his daytime nap. You do this gradually by reducing it by 10/15 minutes (depending on how long the nap is) every 3/4 days until you have resolved the problem. Now you do need to be realistic, if your child is 1 and you have been shortening the naps every 3 / 4 days so that he is getting less that 1 hour of a nap and you still do not see a result then there is something else wrong.
You should always reduce the nap rather than push out the bedtime while your child is having naps.
Now you may feel by reading this that your child is similar to a robot! As I read it back to myself it sort of sounds like that, sorry! Your child is not a robot and you will have days where everything goes to pot! You will have days where you can’t stay at home or it is just not possible that your child sleeps at certain times etc. Don’t panic, that is absolutely fine, if you have established a good routine that works for you, be it what I have suggested or not, and you need to go out or do something else, don’t worry, once it is in place you can go and do things. However your child may be a bit fussy that day, but you will know why and the next day get back to the routine. If you have your routine in place 5/6 out of 7 days then you are doing fine.
Sleep Routine Basics
Babies and children function better when they know what is coming next.
Hi my one year old will not sleep for us at night it take about 1 to 1.5 hours to get him asleep every night sometimes 2 hours it is very draining for both of us.. his sleep routine we have tried numerous ways through the day he wakes at 7.30 in the morning ans then goes for a nap around 10 then again for another nap around 2 or 3 he does not nap for long only about an hour each time. Then when it comes to bed time he is really tired but will not go to sleep for ages. We have tried every thing cutting out one nap in the day but still the same result he will not go down whwn it is bed time we are just looking for some advice as we are two exhausted parents ? ? any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks
Hi Zorana,
Watch your toddlers awake windows and ensure he not overtired in the evening as this will make it very difficult for him to go to sleep. Try and have him in his cot ready for sleep about 3 hours after he woke from his nap to prevent overtiredness. Avoid stimulating play, tv and baths within the bedtime hour as these may also prevent him from settling. Ensure you have a consistent bedtime routine and that you settle him in the same way every evening, this will help him to understand what is coming next and to settle quicker.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards
Edel