Call Me Crazy: Why I Actually Want My Baby to Nap Less

Should we drop the morning nap?
Should we drop the morning nap?

Gasp, I know. I think I've officially lost my mind, but I'll say it now and I'll say it again:

My 15-month-old baby sleeps too much and it's starting to cramp my style.

I am ready, and I am impatiently waiting. Baby Paul needs to drop his morning nap and sync up with his brother's afternoon nap ASAP.

My sleep deprived mommy friends have told me to bite my crazy tongue, but hear me out for one moment.

For discussion purposes, let's review Paul's current sleep schedule:

  • Wake up at 6:30 AM, which is perfect because that's when the whole family gets up in the morning.

  • Nap #1 - back to bed from 8:30 AM till 11:30 AM.

  • Up again from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM

  • Nap #2 - back to bed from 4 PM till 5:30 PM (and I have to wake him up for dinner, or he would just keep sleeping)

  • Tucked in again for the night at 7:30 PM (which is great, because that's when we put all 4 kids to bed for the night)

Related: The sleep schedule that saved my sanity

Sounds like a dream, right? But here lies the problem (for me):

I never leave the house, and it's starting to drive me crazy. You know; run errands, visit with friends, basically see what's going on outside the four walls of my home.

I know what you're thinking. Why not schedule the day around the hours of 11AM and 4PM? There's five hours unaccounted for!

Nope, not going to work. You see, baby Paul has a 3 year old brother, and he naps from noon - 3 PM. And no, this nap is not at all optional, trust me.

Basically, I have someone sleeping ALL.THE.TIME. And on the unfortunate flip side, I also have someone up ALL.THE.TIME.

Paul is almost 15 months old, and for the past few months I've told myself that anytime now he'll drop the morning nap and our days would become more flexible. I'm waiting and waiting, but my little sleepyhead doesn't show any signs of weaning anytime soon.

I never thought I would say it, but I would give my king sized ergo-adjustable mattress in exchange for Paul dropping his morning nap and sleep in the afternoon at the same time as his big brother.

Too much napping. Never thought it would become problematic.

Has anyone ever been in my situation? Tips, tricks and encouragement desperately needed!

-By Emily Elling
Follow Emily on Disney Baby

For 10 things you should never do when you're "mama tired," visit Disney Baby!

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