not tired enough for 2 naps, cranky with only 1

[Lirazel]

DS is almost 13 months and has recently transitioned to just 1 nap a day. Like the subject line says, he's just not tired enough for a second one until it's too close to bedtime.  Then he's just really cranky until bed.  If I put him down early then he just wakes up earlier in the morning thus disrupting the whole schedule again.

Sometimes I try to run errands later in the day so he has a chance to doze for 10 minutes in the car but it's kind of hit or miss and I can't do it every day.

Is this just a normal transitional time we need to trudge though?  Any ideas for how to make it better?

[SpuglyRoo]

Can you make his morning nap a little later/longer?  Some kids take a few days to readjust their rhythm to the new nap schedule.  Another idea is to do a little quiet time around when his afternoon nap would have been, so that he is resting a bit even if he isn't actually sleeping.  Hopefully his system adjusts soon!

[celestialval]

DS is having the EXACT same issue! So glad u asked this:-) 

[marispel]

We transitioned our DS to one nap at around 13 or 14 months old.  We just powered through the morning nap for several days until he got used to it.   So instead of going down at 10 am, we went outside to play or just got involved in a fun activity.  Then we would have lunch around 11:30 and down for a nap at 12:00.   He would sleep 2-3 hours and have plenty of energy to make it til bedtime at 7:30..

It takes a few days, but just keep busy in the morning and push that morning nap to the 12:00 timeframe.

[Lirazel]

Part of the issue is that for the most part, if I push through the morning nap and have him nap in the early afternoon, he sleeps less.  I think he just gets so wired that when he sleeps it's only for 45 minutes or an hour.  If I let him fall asleep at 11 or 11:30 he's more likely to sleep for 1.5-2 hours (still not as much as I'd like, but he's always been a fairly short napper).  In fact, right now he's finishing a solid 2 hour nap that I put him down for at 10:15 cause he was so cranky.  But since he's sleeping past noon I highly doubt he will be tired again until 5 and then we may as well wait until bedtime.

I could try to "power through" the morning, but my experience with that so far is a cranky boy followed by a 45 minute nap. 

I guess I'm thinking this is just a transitional time that is lasting longer than I hoped (I've been working on this for a month already).  I mostly need to feel out what he needs each day until a more regular pattern emerges and maybe provide some quiet time in the late afternoon to help him relax even if he doesn't sleep.

[Jayray]

Yes, I definitely think the transitional time can be months.  I gradually changed DS' nap time a few days at a time.  My goal is 12ish, but, like today, he was falling asleep in his high chair at 11--so I put him down.  We have also found earlier bedtimes just mean earlier wake times.  He only really seems to catch up on sleep with longer naps.

You'll work it out eventually!

[JMJ]

That stage took so long for us.  She'd take 2 naps one day because she'd crash in my arms when she came for a nurse early in the morning, then she'd take one nap the next day.  I never knew if I should schedule something in the early morning or late afternoon or if the only time I could go out was the middle of the day.  It went on for months.

For getting longer afternoon naps, can you lay down with him and snuggle/nurse.  That almost always helps us get our nap to last longer.