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SLEEP => Sleeping For Toddlers => Topic started by: Jsands1984 on February 24, 2013, 01:28:45 am
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My son turned 2 in November (28 months) and I am expecting #2 at the end of April. We had some bedtime issues about a month and a half ago, and thought we fixed them. Now we are having issues with naptime.
His schedule is normally (on a good day):
7:30 - put down for bed, songs, asleep by 8
Wake up between 6 and 7 (usually closer to 6)
12:30 - put down for nap, songs, asleep by 1
2:30 - wake up from nap
Tuesday is when the nap issues started. I put him down at 12:30 like normal, sing his songs and leave the room. He opens the door about 5 minutes later and I put him back to bed. Then between 1 and 1:15 he opens the door again because he has pooped. (He normally never poops during naptime.) He finally falls asleep by 1:30 and I wake him at 3. If he sleeps past 3 we usually have trouble getting him to bed on time. Thursday and today he did not nap at all. After changing his dirty diaper he got out of bed, but did not open his door. After repeated attempts to get him to stay in bed and nap we gave up and he played in his room until the normal end of naptime at 2:30.
We had things to do after naptime today and he fell asleep after about 5 minutes in the car. We were late getting home so our plan to put him down early fell through, but we did have lights out by 7:15 instead of 7:30.
I don't know what is causing him to fight naps all of a sudden. Him pooping during naptime makes me wonder if he is teething or going to start teething soon because he has more dirty diapers when he teethes. We have tried Tylenol and teething rings. I don't know if it's my pregnancy affecting him since we have been telling him his baby brother will be here soon. I also wonder if he is trying to drop his nap all together.
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There is a sleep regression around 2 - my DD went through it for a couple of weeks and then went back to her normal routine for a couple of months before she dropped her nap totally.
I would try and stick to the routine as much as possible - maybe try the nap later than 12.30 given he is taking longer to go to sleep. If you get nap refusals try doing bedtime much earlier, so 6.30 or 6 if you can.
Teeth could weel be part of it - the 2yr molars are a mare!
Laura
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I never thought about sleep regression. Is there somewhere I can find a list of what ages they occur? Thay always catch us off guard.
I'm not sure a later nap will work. Today I put him down at 12:30, he pooped at 1:15, and even after I changed him kept getting out of bed. I finally got him to sleep at 2 by laying in his toddler bed with him (real fun for me since I'm 31 weeks pregnant). I don't want to create a habit of doing this, but today he got up at 5:40am so I was desperate for a nap. I let him nap until 3:15 and I think that threw off his schedule because it took him longer than normal to fall asleep tonight.
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I will be so glad when this phase has passed. Yesterday morning we were late getting home from running errands and he fell asleep in the car for 5 minutes. This tiny cat nap apparently threw off everything. We got home at noon, had a quick lunch, and I put him down at 12:45ish. He did not fall asleep until 1:40 so I let him sleep until 3. I guess that threw off bedtime because we put him down at 7:30 like usual and he didn't fall asleep until almost 8:30, and he was up at 5:30 this morning.
I don't know what else we can do. The funny thing is a week and a half ago he stayed the night at my in-laws and they said he slept from about 8-8. Of course they also never stick to his nap time. They spend the whole afternoon running errands so the only nap he gets is brief ones in the car.
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Tried something different for nap today. I put him down at 12:30, sang songs like usual, and then laid in bed with him until he fell asleep. He was out by 12:45! I don't know if this is partially to do with him getting up at 5:30 this morning, but it worked.
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I was reading another woman's post about GW and her son sounds similar to mine so I thought we might give it a try.
We turned out lights at 7:30 and sang our bedtime songs. DH left by 7:40 and I sat by the bed. I told him it was time to go to sleep and closed my eyes in hopes he would ignore me. He tried talking to me and tapping my arm and leg, but I sat with my eyes closed and ignored him. The only time I acknowledged him was when he tried to get out of bed. Then I would gently lay him back down and cover him up with no talking. About 35 minutes in he had a dirty diaper so I had to get him out of bed and change him, still no talking.
I think he started to think it was a game because he started throwing his blankets on me to try and get a reaction and would stick his leg straight in the air when I tried to cover him up after laying him back down. Every time I thought he was close to settling and going to sleep he would pop back up and mess around on his bed or try and get out. I finally gave up after an hour because 1. I am 32 weeks pregnant and sitting on the floor was giving me a backache and a few braxton hicks and 2. my patience was starting to wear thin. I left the room and a couple of minutes later he was opening his door. I lost my temper and gave him a swat on the bottom (I normally try not to spank) and sent him back to bed. A few minutes later I went back in an apologized for spanking, laid him in bed gently, and covered him up. That was at 8:50 and he has been asleep since.
I don't know if 1hr 10min is normal for a first night try of GW? Maybe me being in there was too stimulating for him? Either way I probably should have held off until Sunday to start because tomorrow we have to go to a family dinner at my mom's an hour away and will not be home til past his bedtime.
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Hi, I popped over from the other thread where we were discussing GW :)
I don't think the time it took him to fall asleep for the first night of GW was at all bad. I'm sure it will get much shorter once he realises that you will see it through to the end and he is asleep. He was probably just testing the boundaries and will very soon stop getting out of bed at all. Once that happens you can start moving towards the door.
I found it really important to stay calm as you mentioned. If I even got annoyed and put him back in bed quickly or a little too roughly (apart from really not being very nice on my part) it only riled him up and quite rightly made him feel angry which is obviously not conducive to sleep. So being very slow, matter-of-fact and calm was key.
Maybe try taking a chair or beanbag in to sit on if you can't get comfortable on the floor. But know it won't always take so long. A few days of consistency should show a big change. Think of it as short term pain for long term gain ;)
I would also consider pushing his nap later but capping it. So maybe put him down 15mins later but cap the nap by 15 mins so he is still waking at the same time. We didn't get much more than a 10hr night if my DS1 had a 1.5hr nap at this age and he was always high sleep needs (e.g. he did a 3hr nap and 12hr night when he moved to one nap). We actually got a lot more sleep overall when we capped the nap. When it got to 30 mins his night's stretched to 12hrs and when we cut it completely he started sleeping 13-13.5hrs overnight. I'm not suggesting you drop the nap now or even cut it so drastically (we were forced to as he stopped sleeping at home when he moved to a BBB and after spending 1-3hrs sitting with him trying to get him to nap every day for a week with an 8mo to look after too I have to admit I gave up) but just 15-30 mins less may help for a while.
What do you think?
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Up until a month ago we were letting him nap 2 hrs but cut it down to 1.5. Since he was about 18 months I have put him down about 30 min before I want him asleep because that is usually how long it takes him to settle. So right now he gets put down at 12:30 in hopes tat he'll be asleep by 1 and then wake him at 2:30.
Should we let him nap 1.5 hr no matter what time he falls asleep? For instance, I put him down at 12:30, sat with him about 15 minutes until he asked me to leave, and then went back in at 1:15 when he came and got me because he had a dirty diaper. So it was almost 1:30 by the time he fell asleep. Would you still wake him at 2:30 so his afternoon wake time is the same as usual or let him go to 3 so he still gets 1.5 hrs of sleep?
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I would definitely have a time in mind by which I wanted him up. If my DS1 especially slept too late in the day it really pushed is BT late and then he would still wake early the next day and lose night sleep. So in that instance I would still wake him at 2.30 yes. If he went down much later than usual I might split the difference and a let him have an extra 15 mins if he went down half an hour later for example.
If you chose to take my suggestion above though I meant let him sleep from 1.15-2.30 so he is getting 15 mins less sleep but still up at the same time. That should make him more tired at BT.
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We tried GW for a few nights, but I was getting frustrated because I felt like he thought it was a game. The least amount of time it took for him to fall asleep was 50 minutes. He would spend the first 20-30 minutes getting out of bed then running back and giggling when I would move to put him back. The 2nd half was spent with him laying at the foot of his bed then pretending to fall out of bed and be "asleep" on the floor. Also about 30 minutes in he would start asking me to leave but I stood my ground and didn't acknowledge him, even when he started throwing his blankets and pillow on top of me.
A few nights ago I wasn't feeling that great and my back was killing me so I didn't sit with him. I know, inconsistent on my part. However, that night he got out of bed and rattled the door but never opened it, and was asleep in 30-45 minutes. So we decided to try this again to see if he would continue to fall asleep faster than when I was sitting with him. It worked for 3 nights. Now when we leave he will play with the door a bit and when he realizes we are not giving him attention he will either turn on his light and play or open the door.
I feel so confused because naptime is going fairly well. I put him down at 12:45 (15 minutes later as suggested) and unless he poops he will usually go to sleep with no problem. Then we get to bedtime and he is doing all of the above or asking me to sit with him. If I do go in and sit with him when he asks then the games start over again.
I know that DH and I need to sit down and come up with a plan of action and stick to it. I wonder if he is acting out partially because he senses the change coming with his baby brother due in about 7 weeks because he is also acting out in other areas all of a sudden. At least now that the weather is getting nice I will be able to get outside with him and let him run around more after nap and before dinner.
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If you choose to do the GW again I would sit next to the bed so he doesn't get a chance to get out and run back. He would be within arm's reach of you and not get that far. Also, can you sit at the end of the bed he is pretending to fall out?
I'm not sure how verbal he is but have you tried having a conversation with him about what would help him go to sleep without all the messing around? Does he prefer you to sit there but on the agreement that he doesn't keep messing around and if he does you will wait outside for example?
Is he tired by BT do you think? Have you cut his nap to 1hr15 now? Perhaps he needs another 15 mins taken off it to be tired enough at BT?
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I do sit next to the bed, but with my belly and hip pain I can't always move fast enough to get him as soon as his feet hit the floor. I will try and sit at the foot of the bed next time. What do you think about the fact that he will take a nap just fine without us, but not go to sleep at bedtime?
I asked him tonight what he needed to fall asleep and he said "Daddy stay" so DH is sitting with him tonight. We've told him it's not play time, he's not supposed to talk to DH or get out of bed. I've tried telling him he just needs to lay there with his stuffed animal and go to sleep.
He is always rubbing his eyes after bath and acting tired, but as soon as we turn the lights out and put him in bed he gets wound up. We try to keep things as calm and quiet as possible. He does have a 2 year molar that has been taking it's sweet time coming in, but I don't know how much of that is a factor.
Today he didn't nap. I think it was because of Daylight Savings time. We gave up trying to get him to stay in bed at 2. After that we went to run errands. He fell asleep for maybe 5 minutes on the way to the first stop. Then he fell asleep again on the way home at 6:30. We tried just putting him in bed for the night but he woke up as soon as we got in his room and is wound up again.
I'm not sure DH has the patience for GW. He just came out of DS's room as I was typing and was frustrated because he was having to put DS back in bed "every 3 seconds".
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He's probably not as tired at BT after the nap. That is why I was wondering about his nap length.
Do you read stories after the bath? What about doing them in bed so his body has a chance to relax in the bed before you leave?
You do need a lot of patience for GW but it will only work if you see it through. Otherwise he learns to resist and you will leave him to it or change it up. When we did it it took over an hour of constantly returning him to bed. It was a similar length of time the next few nights but once he realised that was all that happened until he went to sleep he lost all interest in playing up. It helped to expect the long, tedious battles so I was prepared and didn't feel so disheartened.
Does he have a side rail on his bed. we have one to stop him rolling out but it was also handy because it meant he only had a gap of about a foot at the end of the bed from which he could get out easily.
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Sunday night I ended up switching spots with DH at 8. He played around and I had to put him back 3 or 4 times. He was asleep by 8:40 and slept until 7:15.
Yesterday at nap we read books with him lying in bed. We said night-night at 12:45 and I sat with my back toward his bed at the foot of it. He was asleep by 1 so we woke him after an hour to see if he would be more tired at BT.
At BT we did stories in bed, songs, and prayers. Then DH left at 7:36 and he was asleep at 8:56. I had to break silence a couple of times when he tried kicking me and pulling my hair to get my attention. I must have put him back in bed 20-30 times. He slept until 6:45 this morning.
I just put him down for a nap and it was the same as yesterday. I will wake him at 2.
Here is what his bed looks like: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Baby-Relax-Toddler-Bed-Cherry/13008309. I sit with my back to him at the foot of the bed to try and deter him from getting out.
He asks me to leave whenever we say night-night, but I have done that before and he is at the door 5 or 10 minutes later asking me to come back.
I guess we will stick with GW and hope it works.
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Yes, I would stick with it. it will get better. I felt like it never would with my DS1 but itdid very quickly and then it was just a case of sitting with him until he fell asleep (no fight) and moving away. You're doing really well.
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Thank you! It's nice to have an outsiders encouragement. I appreciate you taking the time to give me advice. Hopefully my next DS will be a better sleeper. :)
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1hr 6min tonight, 14 minutes less than last night! He's trying new tricks, some of them rather amusing. It's hard to sit there in silence and not laugh at him.
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Haha! Little tike ;)
I found the first few nights similarly long and then it suddenly dropped in time and o.ly took 15 mins or so.
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47 minutes Wednesday night and 1hr 2min last night. He's been fighting naps though. He went from put down at 12:45 and asleep by 1 until 2, to asleep at 1:30 Wednesday and 1:15 yesterday. I let him sleep until 2:15 those days.
Last night he was asleep at 8:35 and didn't wake up until 7:45 this morning! I'm grateful for sleeping in but worried he's not going to be tired at naptime today.
ETA: He's napping!
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Stay consistent. It's still early days. It will better.
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He's back to napping 1-2 for the last 3 days. Bedtime has taken 35-40 minutes for the past 3 nights and I only had to put him back 3 times tonight. I'm hoping that the shorter times are progress and not just because of the Benadryl we had to give him for his runny nose.
When do you know it's time to move closer to the door? I was thinking about moving tomorrow night.
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I moved across the room tonight and sat by his closet. No Benadryl tonight, but did give him Tylenol for teething. I left the room after 50 minutes, he was just about asleep. I put him back in bed about 10 times and had to change his dirty diaper about 10 minutes in.
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We stayed by the bed until he wasn't getting out of bed at all. That took 2 weeks. Then we moved to just inside the door.
Not sure what your plans are regarding when to potty train but have you considered getting him to sit on the toilet, maybe reading a story, for 5 mins before sleep to see if he can poo there? I notice he has poops disturbing his sleep quite often.
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We haven't started potty training. We were either going to do that in the next few weeks or wait until baby is here. However, I think the pooping might be because of his teething. His bathroom schedule usually gets thrown off when he has a new tooth coming in.
Last night I tried to go back to sitting next to the bed, but he didn't want me there and wouldn't stop telling me to go and pushing me. So I told him I would sit across the room, but if he got out of bed I would move back to beside the bed. Technically he didn't get out of bed at all last night. I say technically because he did get out once but I think it was an accident. He was playing near the edge of the bed and I think he fell out. He fell asleep after 45 minutes last night.
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That's good progress!
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So Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I thought we were continuing on the right track. Each night took 40-45 minutes for him to fall asleep and I only had to put him back in bed 3 or 4 times each night.
Now I feel like it's falling apart.
Friday started with him waking up at 5:40am! He took a nap at his normal time. Then bedtime was awful. About 20 minutes in I had to go back to sitting by his bed because he wouldn't quit "falling" out of bed. Finally at about an hour I thought he was just about asleep so I went ahead and left. Not 5 minutes later he was opening his bedroom door. I put him back in bed and sat back down by his bed. Then he started crying because he didn't want me by his bed so I moved to sitting by the closet again. He finally fell asleep after 1 hour and 20 minutes (8:50pm) and slept until 6:30.
This weekend was an off one for him. Yesterday he didn't get a normal nap because my MIL came after lunch to pick him up to spend the night with her at his great-grandma's. the only nap he got yesterday was when he dozed off in the car for 20ish minutes while they ran errands before dinner. They had some trouble getting him to stay in bed, but said that he slep from 8pm-8a! He didn't get a normal nap today because we had a family gathering at his great-grandma's. he did sleep in the car for about 30 minutes on our way home this evening.
Bedtime was another bust. We started at 7:37pm. In the first 20 minutes I had to put him back 5 times then he just laid in bed and played. About 45 minutes in he acted like he was going to settle and go to sleep, but then he started getting out of bed again. I finally told him if he got up again I was going to sit by his bed. He got up again at the hour mark so I sat by his bed. After about 15 minutes of pushing me and trying to get me to go back to the other side of the room he gave up and was asleep at 8:57 (1 hour 20 minutes total).
I feel like we are starting to go backwards instead of making progress. What can I do?
I have 5 weeks (or less) to get this done because I won't be able to do it with the new baby here. I don't know if Friday was an off day or if tonight he was overtired from the busy weekend, but I am starting to get frustrated. I feel like he was going to sleep faster when we would just leave the room and let him play til he fell asleep. At this point I'm getting tempted to just turn his door knob around and lock it until he goes to sleep. It's amazing how trying to ensure he is getting enough sleep is so exhausting for me.
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I feel like he was going to sleep faster when we would just leave the room and let him play til he fell asleep. At this point I'm getting tempted to just turn his door knob around and lock it until he goes to sleep.
I think this is fine! It is perfectly fine to leave him to go to sleep by himself.
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If he will fall asleep after playing for a bit then I agree that is fine. But I thought that's what you were doing before starting GW and he just kept opening the door. I wouldn't lock the door as I'm sure that would upset him if he tried to open it and couldn't. Then if he was crying you would have to go in anyway.
I think he probably just got OT from the EW and then having only the late 20 min nap in the car with grandma. Then you say he had a 30 min nap in the evening so that was probably too close to BT and he got a second wind after waking from that.
I think I would just keep going with the GW and either sit across the room or in the doorway. If you can get the routine back on track and start catching his sleep windows again then things should improve.
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We were just letting him play til he fell asleep before we started GW. Right before we started it had gotten to where he wouldn't open the door a majority of nights. It probably was just a few off nights because of the EW and busy weekend so I am going to stick with GW for now.
Nap was rough today. He didn't fall asleep until 1:45 and I don't let him nap past 2:15 at the latest so he only got a 30 minute nap. I gave him Benadryl at bedtime, I think he is coming down with a cold. I went ahead and moved to sitting by the door (I got an exercise ball this weekend, much easier than getting up and down off the floor with my big belly :)) He got out of bed 15 times in the first 17 minutes and then one more time later. He was asleep after 40 minutes. Hopefully we are on the road to getting back on track.
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That sounds better. I hope it continues to improve.
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He didn't fall asleep at naptime until 1:10. I napped too and accidentally let him sleep until 2:20 (I kept hitting snooze on my alarm).
Tonight was rough. I don't know if my end of pregnancy hormones were causing me to have a lack of patience or if he was in a particularly ornery mood. We got off to a little bit of a late start (7:40) and it was just one thing after another.
1. I had to leave the room and cry out my frustrations for a minute after he got out of bed 21 times in the first 15 minutes.
2. He kicked out at me 3 different times when I was putting him back in bed. We had to stop and have a short talk about why kicking Mommy was wrong.
3. He kept throwing his blanket out of bed and trying to use that as an excuse to get up. I took it away after telling him I would take it if he threw it again and he threw it.
4. He has turned it into a game. Sometimes I will only get 1/2 way back to the door before he is out of bed again. Sometimes he will "fall" out of bed and lay there until I pick him up and put him back. Sometimes he will get out of bed and just stand there until I pick him up and put him back. Other times he will get up and as soon as I move to get up and put him back he will yank his feet back up on the bed. The whole time he does these things he is giggling like it is a game.
5. About 55 minutes in I told him that if he got out of bed I was going to leave the room. He got up again, so I left. He cried for a couple of minutes and when he stopped I went in and asked him if he was ready to stay in bed. He said yes, so I came back in and told him I would leave again if he got up. He didn't get up again after that.
I'm sure I broke a lot of GW guidelines tonight. I don't know what went wrong tonight. I put him back in bed 33 times in the 1hr 20min it took him to fall asleep. When I put him back I do my best to remain calm no matter how many times it's been. I'm not rough with him. I don't make eye contact and don't speak to him.
I have wondered if moving his nap forward, like 12:30-1:30 or 12-1 instead of 1-2, would help bedtime because he would have a longer wake time. However, I don't know if he would nap that early, especially since he hasn't been waking up until 7 the past couple of mornings.
I don't think sleep training and pregnancy mix very well. :)
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Hugs. No, sleep training and pregnancy don't mix well do they? I think ST and a newborn mix even less well though. :(
It sounds like you are doing all the right things. I would definitely move his nap forward if he will go down earlier.
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He didn't fall asleep until 1:45 this afternoon so it was another short nap day.
Tonight wasn't too bad. We gave him Benadryl for his stuffy nose and Tylenol for teething (I really wish his molars would stop playing peek-a-boo). Right before lights out we tried to talk to him about how bedtime was when we go to sleep and isn't a time for playing, not sure we got through to him though. Tonight took 45 minutes and I had to put him back 24 times. He was asleep at 8:25.
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Hugs with pregnancy and sleep training.
My LO at 2y 4 m is only now on 30 or 45 minute nap if I gave her longer to fall asleep at night.
I maybe wrong but could it be the longer naps mean he is ut at bedtime and that's why LO is getting out of bed so much. If LO more tired at bedtime would be less frustrating.
Would you think of consistently cutting nap shorter but keep bedtime the same. Ours easy is 7am ( finally again) 1pm nap for 30 min nap (just cut from 45) and 8pm bedtime.
Sorry if not good advice
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I've never tried one but is there anything you could use as a reward to motivate him like a sticker chart?
I often found my DS1 responded better to those sorts of talks out of the moment like much earlier in the day. I don't know if he just needed time for it to sink in or time to relax again after getting frustrated with my requests but it seemed to work out that way.
My DS1 was also on a 30min nap at this age with a 7-7 night. If he skipped the nap we did 6.30 BT instead. I must say he did fall asleep much more easily on no nap days or days of the capped nap than if I let him have longer. I know some 3yos still have a 1.5hr nap so it definitely depends on the LO.
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We were doing a sticker chart, but I think it has lost its appeal.
I'm not sure about cutting his nap to 30 minutes. He still seems pretty cranky after being woke up after an hour. However, it does seem to take him longer to fall asleep on days he sleeps an hour. That's why I was thinking of trying to move his nap a little earlier.
He averages 9.5-10.5 hours of sleep a night, so adding in the hour nap he is getting an average of 10.5-11.5 total hours of sleep a day. Is this the recommended amount for almost 29 months? I can't remember.
Today he woke up crying at 5:45am (he fell asleep at 8:25 last night). I think he had a bad dream. I sang to him and tucked him back in. He acted like he was going to go back to sleep, but he didn't. He took his normal nap from 1-2. Bedtime took 1hr5min and I put him back 34(?) times. He was asleep at 8:40pm.
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I'd try to 45 minutes first, because he is having short nights he will be trying to catch up using his nap but this may just be then causing a short night.
If it only gets him to sleep abit quicker as I imagine both you are LO are getting abit upset with bedtime battles. I found that cutting the nap shorter gets a longer night anyway. Once nights lenghten ( hopefully ) he will be in a better mood being woke up anyway. As he is taking longer to fall asleep he could be ready.
We give quiet time before nap starts or when I wake in prep for when no nap days come along, still leaving you with some time in the
day to have with baby or to uourself If they both happen to sleep and do quiet time together.
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Typically a 2yo should be aiming for 12.5-13hrs sleep in 24hrs. This is an average amount though and some will do more, some will do less Here is the FAQ on it. Typical Amounts of Day and Night Sleep
I really found at this age though that any nap robbed more sleep from the night than he spent napping. As I said before we could get a 1.5hr nap but then only a 10hr night. If we did a 30 min nap we got a 12hr night. On no nap days to start we normally got a 12.5hr night. Once we moved to no nap consistently (around 30mo I think) his night lengthened and he started doing a 13-13.5hr night on a regular basis. That continued until he was 37mo and we moved his 18mo brother into his room and then he got woken after 12hrs sleep most mornings unfortunately. I do notice how tired he is these days though so we are working on that.
Some LOs can't handle the long A times on no nap though and won't do a very long night. Then I think it is better to keep the nap as long as you can just to stave off the OT hormones.
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He woke up at 6:30 this morning. I was going to try a 45 minute nap today but dozed off/lost track of time so it ended up being a 55 minute nap.
I don't even want to talk about tonight, it was awful. We had to put him in time out right before bedtime which resulted in a temper tantrum. By the time we got him calmed down and in bed it was 7:45. He was frustrated and I was frustrated so I have no idea how many times he got up. He finally fell asleep at 9.
Here's hoping tomorrow goes better.
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It's hard to come back from a temper tantrum right before bed huh? He was probably disgruntled after the TO. Tomorrow is another day.
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Sorry for lack of updates. I have been pretty tired.
He woke up at 6:30 Saturday morning. We spent the morning running around doing errands so I thought nap would be easy. Nope. He fought sleep until 1:30 so he only got a 30 minute nap. Bedtime took and hour (asleep by 8:30) and I put him back in bed 29 times. :-\
Yesterday morning he actually slept until 7:15. He didn't get a normal nap because we had a family get together for Easter. He did nap in the car from about 11:15-noon. He spent the afternoon running around with his cousins. Bedtime still took an hour (asleep by 8:35) but I only put him back 17 times. He slept until 6:45 this morning.
I guess we are slowly making progress. The bright side is his last 2 molars have decided to stop playing peek-a-boo and are actually coming in, so hopefully tooth pain won't be a problem in another week.
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The second year molars caused us sleep troubles for a while. I hope he responds better when they stop bothering him.
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Yeah, so glad these will be his last teeth for awhile.
Monday he napped 1:05-1:50. Bedtime took an 1hr 10min and he got up 29 times. He was asleep by 8:45.
Yesterday he slept until 6:30. He napped from 1:20-2. Bedtime took 55min and he only got up 14 times. He slept until 6:50 this morning.
I'm starting to think about leaving the room at naptime. When we started he was hardly getting out of bed at nap. Now I feel like he is getting up at nap more and more.
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It's worth a try if you think he will go down better
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We close his door after we put him down so I can't always tell if he is actually out of bed. Should I check on him or only react if he opens the door?
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Well I guess it's going to be a no nap day. I tried sitting in the hall. It's now 1:30 and he is still awake. I don't let him nap past 2. :-\
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Yeah, do a no nap day I think.
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Guess we'll do an early bedtime.
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Definitely. Used to do a 10.5hr day when we had no nap days to start with.
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I don't think I could get him down that early but I'm going to try for a 6:30 PD which would be 11.5hr.
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Good luck
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Started at 6:37 he was asleep at 7:15. He did get out of bed 35 times. :(
He ended up asleep like this:
<a href="http://s1010.photobucket.com/user/jsands1984/media/DSCN1615_zps27b598e9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af229/jsands1984/DSCN1615_zps27b598e9.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSCN1615_zps27b598e9.jpg"/>[/url]
I swear he can go from 60 to 0 in no time. The other night he was in the middle of blowing raspberries when he fell asleep. I was sitting by the door with my eyes closed listening to him. All of a sudden it was dead quiet. I looked over and he was asleep. There was no transition between blowing raspberries and sleeping. ;D
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I hope he sleeps well and that day wasn't too long for him. Love the pics ;D
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Whoops! That should have been 25 times out of bed not 35.
He woke up around 6 so that gave him almost 11 hours of sleep last night.
Naps are really getting frustrating. I feel like the more progress we make at bedtime the worse naps get. Some days are great and he falls asleep right at 1. Then there are days like today where he keeps getting up and doesn't fall asleep until 1:20. Or days like yesterday where he doesn't nap at all. I don't know if he's OT at nap and I need to try an earlier PD or what, but today I was in tears by the time he went to sleep because I was frustrated and wanted a nap too. There were 3 different times he would settle like he was going to fall asleep, but then he would pop back up out of nowhere and start goofing off again. :-\
Tonight we thought since he fell asleep so fast last night that maybe he needs an earlier bedtime. We were aiming for 7 but it ended up being about 7:15 when DH left the room. He was asleep by 8 and only got out of bed 15 times.
My due date is 3 weeks away. I hope we start making progress soon.
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Today is a bust.
He woke up at 5:30 this morning. He came in and laid in bed with me and acted like he was going to go back to sleep but never did.
I was going to put him down early for nap. However the errand we had to run before lunch took longer than expected. So by the time we got home, ate, and put him down for nap it was 12:30 which was only 15 minutes earlier. By 1:30 he was still awake and showing no signs of sleeping. So this is the 2nd no nap day this week.
I try not to be a quitter, but this is getting frustrating. I feel like we have made no progress at bedtime since I moved to the door 2 weeks ago. As far as nap time, I don't know if he is trying to go 1-0 or what. I feel at a total loss on where to go from here.
I appreciate all the advice you have given me so far.
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The 1-0 transition...Advice and Tips to help you through.
Check out this FAQ and see if you think he is close to dropping the nap.
There is also this thread which is good for hashing out the frustrations of the 1-0.
Re: Waking up every 2 hours
Right before we dropped the nap down to the 30 min car naps at 28mo we were doing the nap at 2pm. Do you think he would go down better later? I'm wondering if he may actually need more A time in the morning.
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He fell asleep at 6:50 last night after 37 minutes and getting up 17 times. He slept until 6:20 this morning.
I don't know about a later nap. I worry that cutting his afternoon A time might affect BT, but I guess it can't hurt to try. Maybe today we will wait until 1:30 to put him down and see if he will nap 2-2:45.
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That is a good night no?
Let us know how it goes.
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Pretty great day...
He slept until 6:20 this morning, so about 11.5hrs. I was out of town this afternoon so DH and DS went out to lunch. DH said DS fell asleep in the car on the way home about 1:30 and woke up between 2:15 and 2:30. Tonight he insisted that he did not want me sitting in the room. I told him okay, but if he got out of bed I was coming back in. We left the room at 7:30. He opened the door at 7:50 claiming he had a boo-boo. So I put him back in bed, kissed it, and went to sit by the door. He still protested me being in the room so I gave him one more chance. He did not come out again and was asleep between 8 and 8:15!
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That's good :)
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Today he napped from 2-2:45. I guess the later naptime may work. We left his room at 7:35 tonight. I sat in the hall outside his door. He did open the door 5 or 6 times and I did talk to him (oops :)), but he was silent by 8.
Things are starting to look up which is great because I have a gut feeling his baby brother may arrive before my due date.
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Both my kids actually preferred a longer first A time and shorter PM A time once they were fully on one nap. Which is strange because they always did shorter first A times when younger and having 2 or more naps.
Glad things are going well. How exciting to think your new baby will soon be here.
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He slept until 6 yesterday morning. I put him down for a nap at 1:30 thinking he wouldn't go to sleep until 2 and we would do a 2-2:45 nap. However, he was out by 1:40, and instead of waking him at the 45 minute mark I still let him sleep until 2:45. We put him down for bed at 7:30 and he was asleep between 8 and 8:15.
I think I may be paying for the longer nap. He woke up at 5 this morning. :-\ DH put him back in bed, but he never went to sleep. He got up for good at 5:50. Hopefully this was just a one time thing and not a start to early wakings. Guess I will keep the nap at 45 minutes.
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Yes I expect he was just UT with the longer nap and earlier BT.
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We're still doing pretty good. I have varied his nap time between 1 and 2 depending on how early he gets up and how tired he acts, but I am still waking him after 45 minutes.
Nights are going okay. We are still putting him down at 7:30. He was falling asleep between 8 and 8:15, but last night and tonight he didn't. Last night we went out to eat for dinner and by the time we got home it was 7:10 and we didn't have time for his usual bath so we just put him to bed. I don't know if he was wound up from being out later than normal or what, but he didn't fall asleep until 8:50. He woke up coughing at 5:45 this morning (he's been having seasonal allergy problems). He napped from 1:15-2. We put him down at 7:30 like usual, but it was still almost 8:30 before he fell asleep. He is also still getting out of bed 5-10 times at bedtime.
I just keep telling myself we've made a lot of improvement in the last month and we will get there eventually.
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Yeah mine don't do well when we skip the bath. I think they feel hard done by LOL.
Things are definitely improving I'd say.
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He was out in less than 30 minutes last night and did not get out of bed at all! Of course this was probably because we spent 6 hours at the zoo yesterday and he only napped about 15 minutes in the car on the way home. Too bad every night can't be that easy.
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If only eh?
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Still doing good, aside from the fact that he woke up at 5:45 this morning. Plus he's still pretty cranky in the afternoon since we've cut back to 45 minute naps.
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I actually found my DS1 was happier after a 30 minute nap than he was after a longer one. Apparently it is because they never get into a deep sleep.
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I don't want to hear that. This mom needs her naps. :D Especially since I've been up until 2am twice this week with false labor.
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Oh sorry ;)
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Poor little man's allergies are getting to him. He was asleep after only 25 minutes and only opened the door once. Unfortunately he was up at 5:45 again this morning. I think he is getting woke up by his coughing and will go back to sleeping better when it's gone. Or at least I hope that's what is causing the EWUs. I feel bad that he doesn't feel good and want to let him nap longer but worry that will cause him to wake up earlier in the morning.
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Do you think he is OT?
Do you have a Groclock? Are you getting him up at 5.45 or enforcing him waiting for the sun/your wake up time?
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I suppose he could be OT. He's been wanting to nap earlier than the usual 1:30 PD. I don't think he's getting good sleep at night with his coughing fits. Would you recommend giving him a slightly longer nap until he feels better?
We don't have a Groclock or anything like that. We had thought about putting a timer on his light when he was waking between 5:30 and 6, but then he started sleeping until 6:30-7.
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Yes I would probably let him nap a little longer while he is under the weather.
I can highly recommend the lights on a timer or clock. It works well for both my boys. DS2 doesn't stay asleep hut will readily accept staying in his cot when I say wait for the sun.
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He slept 8:20-6:45 last night. It seems like if he falls asleep between 8 and 8:30 he is more likely to sleep until 6:30 or 7 which is an ideal wake up time for us.
We have a string of Christmas lights he uses for a night light. Maybe we will plug those into a timer and tell him to stay in his bed/room until the lights go off in the morning.
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Yes that is a good idea.
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Yes that is a good idea.
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I'm back. This week has been thrown off by the arrival of our new LO on Tuesday. :) I think tonight was the first night since Monday that he got to bed on time. Naps have been rough since I got home from the hospital yesterday. He only took one yesterday after throwing a fit for half an hour and didn't take one at all today. It's going to be an adjustment period for us all. On the bright side he is down to only opening the door once at bedtime.
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Congrats on your new baby :)
I think it's a given that he will regress a bit with the shock of becoming a big brother. I hope your OH has time off to help you.
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Thanks! DH does have some vacation time so he will be home another week which really helps. DS is on day 3 of no naps. I'm hoping this doesn't last much longer.