cap nap vs later BT

[MadisonC]

So DS is almost 20 months and for about a week now he hasnt been going to bed so easily... I think he is UT.   I think I only have 2 options.. cap the nap or have a later BT and Im not sure which would be best.  Right now is routine looks like this: wake 7am, nap 12-2, BT is normally 7pm but has been like 715.. and I still think he is UT at that time.  I find his nap at 12  he still tired for even with a 5hr A time but I guess he needs more of an A time in the evening.  Just looking for some advice! Thanks!

[clairebear79]

Could you try a 7.30pm BT?  The other option would be to push the nap a wee bit later 12.30-2.30 - you might find he still needs that later BT though.

Am having same problem with my almost 20 month old DS.  Seems general consensus here is to let them keep the longer nap as long as possible.  We are currently doing 12.30-2.15 nap, he's still not falling to sleep til 8pm & he's waking at 6-6.30 am so not sure how long it will be before we really do need to cap, as I think the short nights won't be sustainable for long without mega OT.

[MadisonC]

Lastnight we did a 730 BT and he seemed to fall asleep quickly but woke at 645am which usually doesnt happen.  I will keep doing the 730BT but I dont really want to extend it anymore then that. 

[<Catherine>]

Lastnight we did a 730 BT and he seemed to fall asleep quickly but woke at 645am which usually doesnt happen

I think this tells me he's actually OT. So perhaps the later BT is not the answer - I agree that he's UT at BT, but it looks as though he may well need the longer night time sleep so cutting the nap and keeping BT where it was (or possibly even making it earlier) may be better for him. Just a thought

[clairebear79]

Sounds like a good plan Catherine.  So you think its better to keep the night sleep & cut the nap shorter so his day is shorter overall then?

Sorry MadisonC don't mean to hijack but I've had the opposite suggestion on my thread i.e. that they need the longer nap for development at this age but this will just be at the expense of a shorter night & so I have been trying longer nap/later BT but TBH today is the final straw.  After 3 10-10.5hr nights, he is horrifically OT now at his usual naptime & is sobbing & crying up there which NEVER happens.  I think he will fare SO much better with a shorter nap & an earlier BT to keep his day shorter overall.

[<Catherine>]

So you think its better to keep the night sleep & cut the nap shorter so his day is shorter overall then?

I think it seems to vary so much from one LO to the next - until I read MadisonC's latest response about the EW I agreed with going where you had suggested  My DS suffers horrendously with OT though so I am so wary of it and the second there is OT in sight I do all I can to keep it a bay. And with him the longer night sleep is important (having said that, he also needed to hang on to the nap for ages too - no matter how much refusing he attempted to do  ).

that they need the longer nap for development at this age but this will just be at the expense of a shorter night

I hadn't heard this before, and it might be something to bear in mind, idk. If the LO is coping well with a longer nap and shorter nights (ie, no NW's and no OT affecting behaviour or anything) then great - goodness knows I would have LOVED to have kept the long nap longer

I am often guilty of advising based on my own experience, and I can be quite OCD when it comes to OT  but I'd definitely say it sounds like your DS needs the longer nights Claire (and I also think you should be trusting your own instincts too! ).

Sorry if this is a bit rambly....I'm at work and keep getting interrupted!

[MadisonC]

Thanks for all the advise!  and claire dont worry.. I dont think you are hijacking lol.  So maybe I should wake him at 130pm or 140pm instead of letting him sleep until 2pm?  I liked the 7pm BT because he gets his 12hrs a night (DS STTN) and I also get my "me" time.  The IL's try to tell me put him to bed at 8 or 830 and he will sleep until 8 or 830am. lol no he wont he would be up at 6am!

[<Catherine>]

The IL's try to tell me put him to bed at 8 or 830 and he will sleep until 8 or 830am. lol no he wont he would be up at 6am!

Don't you just hate that?! I get it ALL the time - "oh he's tired, he'll sleep well tonight".....um, no, he's an overtired wreck and will be up all night actually!

Yes, I would suggest trying 1.40pm for a few days and see how it goes, but keep an eye out for OT in case BT needs to be bought forward even more than the 7pm.

Good luck