Anyone want to talk about the 3-2 Nap transition?

[londonlady]

Yeah I wake her up by 8am latest, mainly because I want to ensure I get enough feeds into her during the day so that she doesn't need to feed overnight (other than DF.)

Also, my 5yr old son is always awake by 7am, so I'm up anyway!!  Sounds a little greedy (as she does STTN) but I love having my evenings back too so I'd rather get a start on her 12 hour day so that I know she'll be down for the night at a time that suits us. Both kids in bed by 7.30pm latest usually, and time to just relax with DH.

Sofia refused the CN today - see back and forth again!!

Rachel. x

[beckygatt]

Doesn't sound greedy at all Rach! I always look forward to my evenings relaxing with DH!

After a short nap, do you ladies decrease A time or keep it the same? I'm trying to figure out the right A time for S but with short naps not sure what to do...

[eshea]

Our morning nap seems to be short these days (maybe an hour) and he wakes semi-happy so I don't try to get him back down.  HIs A time before the afternoon is still around 3hrs. 

We had a bad night last night - everyone was up!  My husband is out of town and I think the kids know that mama will be spread thin.  I BF at least 4 times and had my 3yr old in my bed.  Terrible terrible.  I am hoping to not recreate the situation today.  I think teeth are coming or he has a cold.  Any of your kids get runny noses and teary eyes with top teeth coming in?

[amayzie]

I tend not to decrease it- or if i do not by much... that's just me though.. others swear by it! I think if your LO is sensitive to OT then you could reduce and hopefully prevent that..

[beckygatt]

She's not too sensitive...

Eshea - S has had a runny nose (clear) for ages and I'm sure she must be teething!! Sometimes she cries at night and will resettle with teething gel so they must be bothering her. No sign of any teeth though Can you see any signs? She also had a bad nappy rash!

[londonlady]

Yes, I pull in the A time a bit when she has short napped, usually 10-15ms maximum though.

Eshea - sorry for the bad night. I can't tell if my DD is teething or not (had the same symptoms for ages, gnawing, dribbling) but we were just talking on our birth club thread about runny nose being a sign of teething.  Hope you have a better night tonight. xxx

Wonder whether we'll be on 2 naps or 3 today...??  

Rach. x

[amayzie]

We're pretty much on 2 naps now!! It's amazing to think how far we/ve come from the 5 naps a day i had for a while with the short naps that i had early on!! An being able to get out, do something and get home in time for H to go back to bed in his own bed is AMAZING!! Am a little worried that as H seems to have gone to 2 naps earlier than some that it means he'll drop all naps early.. i as hoping for a day nap till school!!

[beckygatt]

Looks like no catnap again today! 3rd or 4th day in a row now. She's been up since 3 which means a 3-3.5hr A time before bed! Seems very long but I can't force her to nap can I? At least the other 2 naps were decent; about 1.5hrs each.

[londonlady]

Yeah no CN here either today. She just cried when we tried to put her down. Sofia's a little under the weather and I could see she was tired, I thought I'd try a bit of AP to get her to go off, but even though I managed to leave the room with her looking like she was going to go off she started wailing about 10 mins later so just got her up and soldiered on. Makes for a ridiculously long afternoon A time but she seems to cope and go off to sleep ok... Guess we just have to go with the flow...

[beckygatt]

Yep, same here. 3.5hr A and she was a bit cranky but then went off to sleep ok... Has been a bit cranky overall, probably cos of teeth. Not sure where to go from here though. Do I keep trying to get a catnap or just give up on it and hope other 2 naps and A times will lengthen?

[eshea]

So glad you ladies are having success!  I wish I could say last night was better, but he seems so unhappy and uncomfortable (meds didn't seem to help much, either).  The stuffy nose made it hard for him to suck his fingers so I rocked more than I would have liked and BF, too.  Ug.  Looking forward to something happening with those gums, but there are no signs.  It might be a cold, too, and I'm ready for that to be over!

His PM nap is going well...1:15 asleep (but needed some help) and he's still sleeping.  It's a no cat nap afternoon and I am praying that it will mean a bit better evening.  All fingers crossed!!

beckygatt - I ditch the catnap if bedtime is within a manageable amount of time (like 3.5 of A)  Anything longer then that and I shoot for the CN.

[amayzie]

I'm with eshea beckygatt- we've had some VERY long A times before bed- makes me all anxious as if it's child abuse..(have you picked up yet that i may be a tad on the overdramatic side?)-  but I just bring BT forward by half an hour or so to manage it. It's usually not been too bad for us if we do that. I think especially if both naps are good then that's all you can hope for- too much day sleep and it's a bit strange for them.

SOOO glad e're not dealing with teething in the mix!! And a cold is jut rotten!! My Lo had one at like 8 weeks.. it as terrible!!

[amayzie]

bah! Why do babies seem to sense what you are hoping they;ll do and do pretty much the opposite?!? Today we have shots at 2.30- yesterday he didn't need to START his afternoon nap till 3.30 and was hoping for something similar- but NO he's just woken up and will be due to have his nap at 2:30 pretty much on the dot!!! Oh well- he might sleep through the shot? ;P

[londonlady]

Yeah good luck with that Katie!!! lol.  Hope he gets through his shots ok.

We're having a 3 nap day, mainly because Sofia is sick, and only napped for 1 hour this morning, then did a 2hr one, but having woken up at 6am we are 2 hrs ahead of where we should be for the day, so I'm just putting her down for a nap now when on a normal day she'd just be waking up... crazy. Does anyone feel like they are doing the tango with this transition...?

Rach. x

[eshea]

It is a tango!  Last night even after a great napping day (3.5 hrs total, the most for weeks I think) we had a terrible night.  I know it's because I played hard and fast again and wouldn't BF.  I had created a monster for two nights when DH was gone and the runny nose/teething was happening.  The baby seems better so I told him when I tucked him in "okay now, no eating until 10pm and then between 2 and 3 am.  See you in the morning!"  Apparently he didn't get the message - screaming from 8:30-9:45, then 12:15-1, and up at 3.  We stuck to our guns, though, and know it will improve quickly! 

My husband was so helpful - he knew I caused the problems by BF but he did the first shift of pu/pd (which is just being in the room) and I took the rest of the night.  It was painful, but I know tonight will get better and then we can hopefully move on and avoid these situations next time.  Easier said than done, right?