11mo resisting first nap, but will then do 30min overtired nap

[arabesque]

Hello 
DD is 11.5 months and I have reached the dreaded 2-1.

She is resisting her first nap, really screaming, crying an standing in her cot. Today i ended up feeding her to sleep  at 5hrs A time...not ideal! But I think the morning trauma of PUPD made her anti cot.

Im pretty sure she will do a 30 min OT nap, as she does these sometimes when her A time is ~4hrs.

Also with school pickup, its hard for me to squeeze in a late catnap.

I guess what Im really asking is for some sample routines on  nap but for young babies. And how to encourage that nap not to be 30 mins! With my sons, I remember doing alternate days of two and one nap...but they were a lot older!!

[becj86]

What's her current routine? How many times has she resisted that first nap? Will she take another?

Sorry for the 20 questions...

[arabesque]

Thanks
Current routine was

W 6:30/7
BF 7
Breakfast 8
Nap 10-11/11:15
BF 11:30
Lunch 12:30
Nap in car on way to school 2:30-3
Snack on way home (cracker)
BF 4
Dinner 5
Bath
BF 6:40
Bed 7

And up until last week was having a night feed. Now she's starting waking earlier 5:50-6:15, and resisting first nap for a week or so. Today she was up at 6. I don't know how to encourage her to sleep in longer either.

[becj86]

Ok, that first nap needs to be later - that will help with the EW, nap length and it looks like she might move to one nap pretty comfortably fairly soon. She could have a little OT building just not having a full nap anywhere in that routine but if she's coping well on that, really you're looking to consolidate both naps into one longer nap.

[arabesque]

Thanks! Can you tell me how I make it a long nap? She went down after 5 h A times yesterday and slept 36 mins. Then I had to squeeze in a late nap.

I'm happy for her to go to one nap...but longer than 36 mins lol!

[becj86]

LOL!

I suspect you might have to sneak in around 30min and just soothe her through the transition for a few days. That can be as simple as a hand on her as she stirs. I don't think there's any point trying to slowly increase A time and a jump from 3-3.5hr to anything like 4:30 or 5hr is going to yield OT short naps just from habit for the first few days. Really at this age, you kind of have to take the leap of faith and stick for a week or so to see if the new routine beds down and then tweak from there if necessary.

[arabesque]

Thanks 😀
Yesterday was better...she was up at 6, so I put her in for nap at 10:05, and had to put my hand on her as she kept standing and crying, and she was asleep at 10:23. Then nap 2 in the car.

Last night though...oh my...awful! She's been sleeping through mostly, but she was up at 11:05, and cried and carries on until I fed, then still couldn't settle well. Then awake 5:45, I fed again, and let her mantra and she put herself back to sleep (hallelujah) until 7. So now I'll shoot for nap at 10:30/45 because I know she's tired from lost night sleep. Or is today a better day to try for one nap??

[becj86]

She's been sleeping through mostly, but she was up at 11:05, and cried and carries on until I fed, then still couldn't settle well. Then awake 5:45, I fed again, and let her mantra and she put herself back to sleep (hallelujah) until 7.

Yeah, this is probably another sign that says to go to one nap IMO. I'd go for one nap today if you can - the sooner you can do that in the OT/UT cycle, the quicker it will unravel and fall into a decent routine IME.

[arabesque]

Ok thanks will see how I go!

I have a ddr appt for my son at 1pm, and school pickup, so not sure I can fit it today I hate school pickup! The curse of good nappers everywhere!

[becj86]

Indeed! Spanner in the works there Good luck.

[arabesque]

I fell at the first hurdle lol... She was yawning and tired at 10, so I held her out a bit, put her in at 10:15, and she got up (at least to knees, maybe to standing) and mantra cried a bit then put herself to sleep within 10 mins!

So today is a two nap day - but that fits my other events I guess. Thanks for the encouragement to press to one nap - I will work on it!