First A time SHRINKING and 2nd A time GROWING due to NAP NEEDS

[Gippie]

Our DD is 8m2w and she is a great sleeper and napper.    Over the past few months I have had the hardest time "stretching " her AM A time to the 2.5 hours.   She wakes at 6 and is tired by 7:30 and I "stretch" it to 8:30.  ONe day she woke at 7am and when she got tired after 1.5 hours (8:30) I thought "WOW - she KNOWS that it is her bedtime" - but what I learned the NEXT day...when she woke at her normal time of 6 - was that she didnt know the time on the clock - but rather it was the 1.5 hours of A time that she was pooped at.    So it seems DD's A time has SHRUNK BUT her 2nd A time is easily becomming 4 hours (it used to be 3). 

These changes do not affect her night sleep at all - so I am wondering...what does this mean...and how does it wprk with the plan to eventually be at ONE nap?    Should I keep pushing the 2.5 hour wake time, shes cranky and much happier with the 1.5 hour time.   I am also starting to plan for her 2 days at daycare and the 4 hour A time will work out well.   

Any thoughts?

Stacey

[Gippie]

Thanks Stacy - you are fast.  Thats what I thought....and I think it will work out well for us.  I am going to get back on my journaling oer the next few weeks as I see where this is all going.


Thanks

Stacey

[Deb_in_oz]

just wanted to comment on the eventual switch to one nap. Liv always had her shortest A time for first cycle.  at 10 mo she was still only at 2.5-3hrs max (and occasionally she would reduce it on a tired day). so after her 2nd Nap her A time would often be 4-5hrs minimum.  well at 10.5-11 mo she moved to 1 nap after her morning nap started going "wonky" and Dh suggested trying it one day - cold turkey - so we kept her up until 12:30pm which was 6 hrs A time and she slept well. over the next 2 weeks we settled into 1 nap with occasional attempts at 2 naps backfiring (which told us to stick with 1 nap). so she seemingly overnight went from 2-3hrs A time in the morning to average of 6hrs A time! my guess is that at 3-5hrs A time she went into overtired state, but longer A time worked for her as she was tired enough to just go to sleep IYKWIM? odd i know but it worked - so your lo might not keep adding A time in the morning either (or might do) so don't worry about that yet. i say stick with what she tells you.  a lot of lo see that first nap period as an extension of night time so want their "nap" early and then get longer A times in the later stages of the day and when they are older.  now at 17 mo dd2 can easily go insanely long stretches in the morning and we have to force her to stop playing to have a nap (we just went away for 3 days and she had to nap in the car and she was awake each morning from 6:30/7 - 2pm or so     HTH

[Gippie]

Thnaks for the input.  Intersting but TODAY DD woke at 7 -instead of her 6.  Went a good 2.5 hours of A time and then had a 2 hour nap - not out of the ordinary except that SHE WOULD NOT TAKE A 2nd NAP.  She went from 11:30 - 7pm!!!!!!!!!   HOpe this is not a new pattern - eek!!!

Stacey