need some suggestions

[meltown]

ok, I know the problem is overtiredness, I am just not sure how to fix it.  The past few weeks have been getting worse and worse with naps and it is effecting the night sleep some nights.  B has been in the 2-1 nap switch for the past few months.  well, he started doing a short nap int he afternoon and a longer one in the day.  he slwly moved it a bit further back and back and then would refuse the afternoon nap.  so I started putting him to bed early instead of doing the short nap at 6:00 and bed at 8:00 since he would always refuse it anyway.  so he would take a 2-3 hour nap int he afternoon and early bed time.  his naps hve now started to get shorter and shoert.  they were 1.5 hours and refusing afternoon nap.  now they are down to 1 hour and bed at 6:00-6:30 depending on the day.  I have tried changing  nap time later and now earlier but hasn't been before 12:00 because that was when he seemed tired.  so now I am seeing him get tired at 11:30 so I am thinking of moving it even earlier.  I am just not sure wht to do at this point.  he is also starting to wake at 5:30 or so int he morning staying awake for about 1 hour and then going back to sleep.  he usually cries when he wakes at that time and we have to go in and calm him and then he is fine until he goes back to sleep.  I don't know if this is because of the OT ( I think it is) or if it is because of the Realy early bed time?  any suggestions would be great.

[meltown]

bump

[*Nicola*]

Mel,

I really have no ideas as Ciara still had 2 naps until she was quite old.

Really just wanted to send you some (((Hugs))) 

[elmarie]

Hi melissa,

My lo of 16m has just completed the 2-1 switch about two months ago and we had the same issues.  I find that before nap she can only handle 5h A but after the nap up to 6h A(although I try to have her in bed by 5.5A).   So our routine is like this

6ish wake
11ish nap(this is also 1-1.15h at the most)
6 (in cot asleep)

She usually does a 12h night which seems to work for us.  From posting it sounds as if it can take a few months befor it settles and you can push up the nap time. I'm slso hoping to get my lo to wake a little later but I'm patiently waiting 

HTH (It seems to be a normal thing that the nap gets shorter before its gets longer)

Elmarie XX

[meltown]

Thanks for this.  yesteday I tried the earlier nap time and he ended up doing 2 naps 1 hour each.  it was nice to get him more sleep.  so I'm going to try that agin today and see if it will get longer again soon.  so, does it get shorter and then longer on it's own? so I just have to play with things until it starts to get longer again?

[andibig]

Mel
 when Sasha started on 1 nap she would sleep for 2hrs then for a few weeks suddenly went down to 1.5hrs .we realised that her nap time had to be earlier and she then started napping longer.
so basically its quite common for them to shorten naps to start with or occ require 2 naps.
HTH

[meltown]

so should I just keep moving it earlier until he sleeps longer then? or keep doing it at 11:30 and so 2 naps if it is shorter?

[andibig]

Mel
Whats his routine at the moment.getting a bit confused about what time he is getting up in the AM etc.

[meltown]

well, hje was waking at 5-5:30 and crying and it took us about 15 min to calm him and then we could walk out but he wasn't asleep yet.  We were at the in laws this last weekend and slept in the same room and he was awake for 1 hour then went back to sleep.  ( I didn't get back to sleep until he did because he was moving around and making little noises and such)  so I assume it has been like this for the past few days he had been waking up in the morning.  he would then wake again at like 7:00 for the day.  yesterday I put him down for his nap at 11:30 and we managed 2 naps each 1 hour.  today I put him down at 11:30 again and he just got up.  it was 1:25 when he cried out so he could have been up anytime from 1:00 on so 1 hour and 1/2 to 1 hour 45 min.  which is GREAT! he hasn't done tht in a while now.  but he will still have a short nap this afternoon ( which is fine if he will do it)  so I am wondering if I should move his nap up to 11:15 or 11:00 until he sleeps a little better consistantly?

he has been goign to be at varying times depending on when he wakes from his nap nad if he will take an afternoon nap or not.  usually between 6:00 and 7:00

does that help?  I know it isn't my whole routine, do you need that?? 

[elmarie]

It does seem that the nap gets shorter when switching.  At one stage we were having 45min naps for about a week.  It now seems that it is getting longer again with 1-1.5h naps.  I do an super early bedtime if that happens.  DD then seems to catch up because she usually doesn't wake any earlier....

[andibig]

mel
yes that info does help as i wasn't sure what time he was waking finally in the AM!!
Ok so really he is having 4.5 hrs awake time before his nap (exc the time he is awake in the morning).i'd be tempted to stay at 11.30 for a few days and then move it a little later.IMHO i think if you move the nap earlier and earlier its going to end with him having 2 naps forever!!

[meltown]

that is what I was thinking too. 

yesterday he had no afternon nap ( refused it) and now it is 12:15 and he is up because he wouldn't nap at 11:30 so I am goign to try for 12:30 or so.  not sure what happened today.  he sisn't get to bed until 7:00 because byt he time I tried to ive him his nap and then got him all ready for bed it was that late.  he has a bit of uneasy sleep int he early night hours but didn't cry out for us or anythign during the night, I'm not sure what time he woke he was making no noise and we went and got him at 8:00 because he hadn't made any noise and we knew he needed to be up.  he was awake when we wnet in, just playing in his crib.  so we will try again in a little bit for hte nap and hopefully it will be longer then 1 hour.  I'll let you know.

[meltown]

got him down just after 1:00 and he slept 45 min.  so I guess bed at 6:00 tonight?  he wont take another nap when he wakes this late int he afternoon.  any suggestions?

[elmarie]

Mel, I think my lo was talking to yours lol! My lo also did the 45min nap thing yesterday-tried wi/wo which usually works but no go yesterday.  i did early bedtime and she ended up playing in her cot to 6.15pm (which is 20-25min later bed than usual-11h instead of the usual 12h night) and was awake as happy as ever by 5.20am.(grr )  I had to put her down at 10.45 and she's still asleep.  it just seems so unpredictable.  Our switch was two months ago and it is still sometimes all over the show. So I think we just sometimes need to go with the flow...