2:1 nap transition with restrictions! Ideas please!

[sianipeters]

Hi there, my dd2 is 12 months today and for the last few weeks naps have been a struggle. Both getting her to sleep and keeping her asleep! I'm afraid we're in an UT OT cycle. I know something needs to change but having read how to do the transition to one nap I'm stuck. My older daughter goes to pre school so I'm restricted with times. Basically I need dd2 to be awake from 11.45 to 12.30 with no room for negotiation! She's never slept in a pushchair or car (always refused) so needs her cot. I can't work out how to shift the naps about without interfering with the school run! Currently her schedule is

6/7 wake up bottle
E 8 breakfast
A
S 9.30-11
E 11 dinner
A
E 2.00 milk
S 2.30-4
A
E 5 dinner
A
E 6.15 bottle
A bath etc
S 7.00 top up bottle, bed


She's not sleeping well at night being quite unsettled at times and waking early regularly. She has suffered with back to back colds for months now which hasn't helped but I do think her routine needs to change. With my first daughter I remember shifting her first nap later and later but can't do that this time. Please help! I'm too tired to work this one out! Thank you x x

[BstnMelody]

Hi there!

There are a couple of links on here that might be helpful to you:
Average awake times: Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!!
10/11 month sleep on wonky: 10/ 11mo sleep gone wonky? Read this first! (2-1 switch)
2-1 transition: From 2 to 1 nap transition (10-12m and older)
Sample EASY for 10-12 months: chronological EASY samples, 10-12 months

I found that when my DD was getting too much sleep during the day, she woke multiple times at night and had EW as well. To help me figure things out, I looked at both her average awake time between naps and bedtime, as well as her total sleep in a 24 hour period.

I would suggest you could try the following things:
1. Move bedtime later
2. Move naps later
3. Shorten either morning or afternoon nap

Only try one of these things at a time so you know which one is working. I'll tell you that many posts on here suggest trying something for several days before deciding if it works, but I found with my DD that I only had to try something for a day. If it was going to work, it was going to happen immediately or not at all.

Did you happen to read my post about my 10 month and her 2-1 transition? I found capped (short) naps in the morning have worked for us. I was really nervous to try this approach, as DD's morning nap has always been her best. But one day she actually did a short nap in the morning herself, and then a longer one in the afternoon, so since then I've been trying to mimic that. Sometimes I have to wake her, but many mornings she wakes after 30 minutes on her own. This is because I put her down for a nap earlier than her full awake time, so she takes an UT nap.

Here is the schedule we have right now:

WU - 6:30
Nap 1: 10-10:30
Nap 2: 2:15-3:30
BT: 7:30

Good luck!

[weaver]

I totally agree. I would push that first nap later and shorten it, so that your afternoon nap will fall at a convenient time for you.  Many babies of this age have a 'witching' hour past which it is inadvisable to let them sleep, because it disrupts BT or causes NWs.  Watch and you will work out if your LO has one!

[sianipeters]

Right! So it's been a month and I've been following your advice and her current napping routine is...

9.30-10.15 (45mins ish)
2.15-3.30 (1.15ish)

She sometimes has thirty mins in the morning or 30/45 mins in the afternoon. I'm finding that if she wakes early I haven't got enough time to get her back off to make it worthwhile! She's now being tricksy with getting off to sleep for both naps and bedtime too. The only exception is if she's had a naff nap day-then she'll go to sleep at bedtime herself. We're also having a hostage situation unless she's dead tired and she insists I stay in the room with her, sitting up to check I'm still there. Sometimes I have to lie her back down and put my hand on her bottom, other times she throws herself back down like its a game!

I'm thinking its time to jiggle the naps again? (She's now 13months). But can't work it out. I can't move the afternoon one later as she's already a tad UT waking at 3.30pm and going to bed at 7. If I move the morning one later then won't that make her even more UT for her 2.15 one?! Do I need to just bite the bullet and go to one nap at about 12.30? I still have resistrictions due to the preschool run so she can't sleep between 11.30-12.30 which limits my options.

On the plus side since the clocks went forward she's been sleeping 7pm ish until 6.40 ish. We've had rough nights but mostly due to teeth or tummy. Thanks again! X

[weaver]

Good to hear it helped!

You could trim the morning nap a bit more if you like. We had a phase of 20 min naps, as well as a 30 min phase. Up to you really. You could also try mixing 2 and 1 nap days if you're not sure she's completely ready for 1 nap everyday (you do sound a little unsure).

You could also have a look at the sleeping for toddlers board, as she's now over a year, and you will probably see similar stories there. Sorry, can't link as on my phone.