17 month old naps - transition 2-1 nap?

[workerb]

Hi,
It has been a very long time since I posted.  I am still trying to figure out how to utilize the message board (e.g., how to respond to responses).  Please bear with me.  Hopefully, someone can help me.

I have a 3.7 yo DD and a 17 month DD.  DD#2 had been napping mornings 10:30-11:45am (I have to wake her up to pick up DD#1 from school) and then napping around 3:00pm to 5:00pm in the afternoons.  Because she would wake up so late, she would not sleep at night until 9:00pm.  I also never seem to get my act together enough to get her to sleep earlier at night. 

On Tu/Th, I take both girls to class 9:00am-12:00pm.  I tried to get her to sleep in the stroller during her naptime, but it was difficult.  She would sleep for about 40 minutes if I actually got her to sleep.  She has only slept a few times.  Other times, she refused and I would let her out to play.  Finally, I just decided to drop her morning naps.  I did this about 3 weeks ago.  She would sleep a little longer in the afternoon, 2:00pm-5:00pm.  However, she would wake up around 3:30pm, and I would have to go in to pat her so she would go back to sleep.  I don't think she sleeps as many hours as she use to.  Her bed time is still the same, 8:30-9:00pm.

I wonder if I messed her up by dropping the morning naps so suddenly instead of gradually as Tracy suggested in her book.  For the last 5 nights, DD#2 would wake up every hour from 1am-7am.  I can usually pat her back to sleep.  Sometimes, she would wake up every 10-15 minutes. during those hours.  Needless to say, I am very tired and at my wits end.  At this point, I don't know whether I should go back to morning naps on all days OR morning naps on MWF and skip naps Tu/Th OR just wait this out and see if her transition from 2-1 nap will take.  Any suggestion would be appreciated. 

HELP!  Thanks.

[brenda2]

i think she is ready for 1 nap, she's old enough to be able to handle it, however you are doing a very late nap if there is only one and her bedtime is still very late.  this may be causing your problems.  you didn't mention what time she gets up in the morning?  is it 7 am?

on one nap usually it would look like this:
7 awake
12 - 2 or 3 (let her sleep as long as she wants)
6 or 7 bedtime.

when my lo went to 1 nap her bedtime was very early and she did longer overnight. this is to avoid ot.  if she is going to bed too late then ot will cause nws.

if you can't get her into bed early enough for her nap on tues/thurs you could let her have a very short stroller naps on those days but wake her up - 30 min nap in am and then a longer nap after lunch.

[workerb]

Thanks, Brenda.  I just thought that since her nap was so late (waking up at 5pm), her bedtime should be later.  In the last 6 nights, I couldn't tell what time she awoke because between 5-7am, she would cry and stand up in crib about every 1 hour or every 15 minutes until I tell her to lay down and sleep.  She normally does go back down to sleep, but then wake up again and do the same thing every hour or 15 minutes.  These last 2 mornings, it was every 10 minutes, until I drag myself up at 6:45am.  When I first changed to 1 nap, the days that she only slept a 2 hour nap, she would sleep in until 8am.  It is strange that her nws have only started this last week.

I will try your suggested schedule.  Do I need to try some sort of gradual thing or just go right into the new schedule?  I wonder though from 3pm to 6pm, is that enough activity time?  Does that also mean lunch is at 11am?

On Tues/Thurs, I can't seem to get her to even do a stroller nap lately.  She just cries the whole 20 minutes.  When she did go to sleep those few times, she would only nap for 40 minutes and in the afternoon, she wouldn't nap until around 3:30pm and still wake up around 5pm.  So, I think I should just try to leave the class earlier on those days.

[brenda2]

with my dd i do lunch then nap straight after.  so lunch is at 11:30 or so. 

if she has been doing 2 naps until 17 mo she is at high end of sleep needs IMO, so the super long A time in the mornings is very long.  this might make her ot.  by moving the nap earlier you are evening out the A times a bit which is better.  if she does not seem tired at 6 pm for bed then  go by her cues and put her down around 7.

it's a big adjustment to go from 2 naps to just skipping that morning sleep and having just the afternoon sleep.  you have to meet her somewhere in the middle. ie move the nap earlier .  if she's used to sleeping midmorning and then you just go straight to only sleeping in the afternoon that is a huge adjustment.  it is easier for them to adjust if the 1 nap is in the middle of the day.

i would just go straight onto the routine i posted.