Author Topic: 20 month old - OT ??  (Read 1342 times)

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Offline blessedmamma

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20 month old - OT ??
« on: January 20, 2009, 04:16:47 am »
Hi

I hope someone can help me - I'm at my wits end trying to second guess everything (as you do !!!)
I have a 20 month old who I have been trying to transition from 2 sleeps to 1 sleep - it seems like forever. Anyway - the best routine I can get seems to be:

6.30/7.00 Wake
12.45 Nap till 2
6.45 Bed - Doesn't fall asleep until 7.45 and here is where I think the problem is.

Do Toddlers usually take 1 hour to fall asleep or is my little boy overtired ? He falls straight to sleep on a lunch time but I even think his lunchtime nap seems a bit short ? Is this also due to the overtiredness ? Is 10 and a half and 1 and quarter (total less than 12) hours enough for a 20 month old ? He seems to do this for a bout 3 days then I need to throw in a 2 sleep day. Could this be the reason he isn't taking a longer nap at the lunchtime ? You see - I'm second guessing again.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Ps on the days he takes 2 sleeps he sleeps 1h at 9.30 and another 1h at 2.30 then still takes an hour to fall asleep at night.
Thanks again for reading/helping.

Offline nike

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2009, 04:26:13 am »
My DS2 is 24 months, a little older than your DS, but still has exactly the same routine as he did when he transitioned from 2 to 1 naps at roughly 15 months.   He wakes approx 7 a.m., has about 5 to 5.5 hours A time (so up til approx midday) then naps for anywhere from 2 to 2.5 hours.  I never let him sleep past 2.30 to preserve bedtime.  Bedtime is approx 7 p.m. and he generally falls asleep straight away.

I know every kid is different but looking at your routine (and being aware that you are only just making the transition from 2 to 1 naps, I would suggest your DS may be overtired.  If my little guy woke at 6.30, I would have him in bed no later than midday or else he's guaranteed to sleep a shorter nap...classic OT "symptom".

Based on waking at 6.30 a.m., could you try this routine:

NAP 11.30 - 12 p.m.
WAKE 2 p.m. (hopefully ;))
BEDTIME 7 p.m.

So basically 5 hours up, two down, 5 hours up then bed.  If his nap is shorter, I would suggest an earlier bedtime.  I still do this with my DS to combat OT, but he is getting to the age where a shorter nap or slightly later bedtime doesn't affect him too much.  HTH :)

ETA that, thinking back, DS required a bit shorter A time during the transition.  Bedtime was closer to 6.30 p.m. back then.  You should be able to work out if your DS fares better with a longer A time in the morning or afternoon :)
ME: 37 (IVF survivor of 4 m/c + 1 ect)
DH: 36 (my hero)
DS1: 20/05/05 (our miracle natural conception)
DS2: 18/12/06 (2nd miracle; 5 weeks prem)

Offline blessedmamma

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2009, 04:36:38 am »
Thanks for your help Nike - I tried putting him down at 12.10 today but he still only slept till 1.20pm ???? He doesn't cry when he wakes from his nap just stands up for a few minutes then starts shouting Mamma ??? Do toddlers wake crying if they are overtired ? My DS usually wakes quite happy and is fact quite hyper when I get him out of his cot ! Do you think I should try putting him down to bed earlier tonight ? Maybe go for 6.30 ?

Cheers

Offline blessedmamma

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2009, 03:54:36 am »
Hi

last night I put my DS to bed at usual time (although his awake time was longer as his lunch time nap was earlier) and he fell asleep quicker - Great I thought.........but then he woke at 3.30 and played in his cot till 5am when he eventually fell back to sleep. Is this another overtired sign ?

Sorry to be a pain but I've been trying to transition DS for about 5 months now :-( and can't seem to get him into a routine - I'm crying most days now too because it seems like this transition thing is forever:-( I thought at 20 months my DS would be almost certainly into some sort of routine :-(

Thank you for your help.

Offline nike

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2009, 11:42:06 am »
Ok, if you're sick of going back and forth between 2 and 1 naps then here's what I'd do - bite the bullet and put him on to one nap a day, but I'd be aiming for a super early lunch (maybe 11) and nap at 11.30 a.m. at the latest.  I remember it took a little while in the initial stages for both my boys to lengthen this nap, and my own theory is that their bodies have to adjust to only taking that one nap iykwim.  To combat OT, especially on short nap days, aim for a REALLY early bedtime.  Don't be afraid to put him to bed at 6 p.m. - you may even see a later wakeup next morning ;)

I do remember feeling similar thoughts to you both times my LOs went through the transition, and similarly only recently when DS1 dropped his daytime nap altogether.  It takes a while to work out a new routine, but one will emerge and peace will be restored ;D 

Let us know how you get on  :)
ME: 37 (IVF survivor of 4 m/c + 1 ect)
DH: 36 (my hero)
DS1: 20/05/05 (our miracle natural conception)
DS2: 18/12/06 (2nd miracle; 5 weeks prem)

Offline blessedmamma

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2009, 04:36:43 am »
Hi there

I've bit the bullet and my DS has been on one nap for the past few days - I've been putting him down at 11.45 and he has been sleeping 1 and 1/2 hours - Any ideas about what I need to do next ?? Should I be giving him early bedtimes. I put him down at 6.25 last night instead of 6.40 but he just ended up waking up earlier today ????? Please help.

Thanks

Offline nike

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2009, 10:59:51 am »
If he only napped from 11.45 til 1 p.m. then I would think 6.25 is still too late a bedtime.  Could you try even earlier, say 6 p.m.?  I know what you say about him waking earlier but that could be due to OT.  What time is he waking in the morning?  If it's around 6 a.m. then 11.45 could also be way too late for a nap.  That's nearly 6 hours A time. 

Try for nap no later than 5 hours after he wakes in the morning and bedtime no later than 5 hours after he wakes from his nap and see how you get on.   :)
ME: 37 (IVF survivor of 4 m/c + 1 ect)
DH: 36 (my hero)
DS1: 20/05/05 (our miracle natural conception)
DS2: 18/12/06 (2nd miracle; 5 weeks prem)

Offline blessedmamma

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2009, 09:34:51 am »
Hi Nike

Thanks for your help, I've put my DS to bed tonight at 6pm, we'll see how he goes. He took 1 hour to fall asleep last night and so only slept from 7.40 till 6.25 this morning, I put him down for his nap at 11.45 and he slept till 1.10.

He's still wriggling around now (6.35pm) so I guess I should've put him down earlier so that he was asleep by 6pm - Is that what you meant? He takes anywhere from 40 mins to 1 hour to fall asleep most nights now :-(

Thanks again for your help, I'll keep you posted.


Offline nike

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2009, 11:10:58 am »
Can I just ask what your night routine is, dinner, wind-down etc?  It's highly probable that with only 1.5 hours nap and also making the 2 to 1 nap transition that he's OT, so I'd stick with the early bedtimes for the moment. 

What time did he go quiet tonight?  Did it still take an hour for him to settle?

The other thing that comes to mind is that when my DS is overtired, he will cry out at about the 1.5 hr mark into his nap.  I don't go into him til I'm absolutely sure he's finished his nap and there's no chance of him going back to sleep.  Most times he will settle back down after 5 or 10 minutes and then sleep another hour or so.  Just a thought. 

Please keep us posted :)
ME: 37 (IVF survivor of 4 m/c + 1 ect)
DH: 36 (my hero)
DS1: 20/05/05 (our miracle natural conception)
DS2: 18/12/06 (2nd miracle; 5 weeks prem)

Offline blessedmamma

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Re: 20 month old - OT ??
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2009, 04:08:53 am »
Hi Nike

He went quiet at about 6.35 and was asleep by 6.45 (I would've thought 6.35 though if I didn't have a camera on the cot !) It took him 40/45 mins to settle last night. He woke again at 6.05 this morning (which is 11 hours and 20 mins sleep time in total) and was chatting to himself till 6.20 when he started crying out for me. I then put him down to sleep at 11.15 and he was asleep by 11.30, he woke again at 12.55 (Just under the hour and a half) I waited 10 mins before going into him, then tried for 15 mins to re-settle.

Our night routine (which he has had forever) is dinner 4.45pm, a bit of a play for 1 hour till 6pm (although last night I gave him dinner early and bathed him at 5.30, brush teeth, b/feed/ night night mammy & Daddy then song and bed. I put him in his cot awake and don't go back in - he usually rolls around for about an hour (hasn't always done this though - only started I think when started transitioning)

The problem I'm having is that 1 and a half hour isn''t enough to get him to his usual bedtime and putting him down earlier, he is waking earlier the next day which in turn is making his nap earlier, which in turn is making the stretch between nap and bedtime longer and longer ????? Urgh - will this ever end ????? How did you get your DS to do longer than the 1h and a half ?? Did you resettle or did he just do it and if so was it within the early days of transitioning or did he do an hour and a half for a while before going to 2 and a half hours.

Thanks again for all your help.