Hello ladies!
I've been a babywhisperer since DD was born. She's been on EASY since birth and she is now 26 months old. I have had to seek some help from time to time but overall things have been peachy.
However recently when DD turned 2 things went completely haywire and I was at my wits end as DD was REFUSING naps big time and becoming a MONSTER to deal with! Becky1969 gave me great advice and it took a while of consistant effort and following the plan and we have been back into Babywhisperer bliss for several weeks now.
Here is my thread:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=134562.0But what I wanted to say was, stick the course, start as you mean to go on as Tracy would say. One thing I learned is that when DD was refusing her nap, it was NOT because she didn't need one, but that something had made her very OT and she could not cope and wind down to just rest. So I followed what Becky said, move the nap and bedtime up to catch up sleep. Trust me when I say it will NOT stay there forever!
We went from 5:30 or 6:30 wakings and 30-45 or even no nap, to this:
7:45 am wake up
1:45 pm nap
3:45 wake up
7:45 pm bed
That works for us. She does VERY well with 6 hours A time after that 11.5 to 12 hour night. BUT, BUT, BUT, it took us shortening that A time to 4.75 hours to get back the nap and a 6:30pm bedtime to get a 12-13 hour wake up.
So don't fool yourself into thinking that they are refusing the nap because they don't need one or they need more A time. That is what I thought and I accidentally made the OT monster WORSE. Once I got her back on track with nice long nights, her naps got longer and longer, and then she was HAPPILY playing without crankiness and it would take her a while to settle to sleep, THAT is when I moved her nap 15 min each day and bedtime 15 min each day. Now we have magic. But don't do what I did and just say "oh you must need more A time". While that is true NOW it was only after we cured the OT monster that we got here.
I don't go by the clock like I used to, I go by A time now and observing her mood. When she is more whiny or not her bubbly little self I look at the clock and go, okay its been 5.75 or 6 hours its nap time. She goes RIGHT down with no issues, and sleeps 2 SOLID hours. Then I keep her bedtime at 7:45 pm, usually about 4 hours from waking up from nap. We initially had a 7-7 routine but we are fine with the later wake up!
We even had relatives over for Thanksgiving and I was very firm with them about naps and bedtime and we had NO issues and they were happy because they got to enjoy a wonderful happy child.
Stick with it, don't be afraid to take steps backwards to get them more rested. In the beginning of this journey I had to sit in her room for at least 45 min to keep her in bed (BGB not crib) becuase she would want to hop out and play to avoid sleep. Then it got to 30 min, then 20 min, then 10 min and now hugs and kisses, lay her down and walk right out, and she goes to bed and does not pop up anymore. YOU CAN DO IT!
I told my SIL just some time ago when she told me she was tired of pat shh with her LO, she said yesterday it was 45 min until she feel asleep! I asked her this, "Would you rather do 45 min of pat shhh for 4 days, or holding and rocking for 10 hours a day for several years?" Her LO is 11 mo now and she puts her in the crib says night night and walks away. That little bit of effort she did then is paying off now. Well at least until the 2-1 nap switch LOL
Anyway, I hope this helps some of you. YOU CAN DO IT, and don't give up! I feel so sorry for the little kids I see at Target at 9pm at night getting yelled at by their parents, crying and whining. Their parents are doing them a disservice and its just because they are not strong enough to do what you are trying to do!
Good luck and thanks to Becky and everyone else that has helped me!
