developmental advice

[dizzy]

My LO is now 10 months and has recently started having nap problems. i just can't seem to get him down at the right time and no 2 days are at the same time. Is it maybe to do with what he is doing before nap time? He seems to not be able to stay up as long at the moment as he did a few weeks ago? He is desperate to walk at the moment and doesn't want to sit down. We always used to stay in before first nap but I have recently taken to going for a walk so he gets to see something as he is nosey but could this be too much for him?
Do some LO's go to one short nap and one long one at this age? If so about what time. My LO is usually very textbook. He often has half an hour in the morning and then wakes but does wake crying. At the moment I try to get him to go back to sleep which usually works but sometimes means he sleep son me. Is he actuality trying to have 1 short nap? or am I just getting him to bed too late every time? I go back to work on Monday and am leaving him with DH and what all to be brill for then as I have had 4 brill months when all has worked really well. Just can't get it right at the moment.

[marensmama]

It's usually at this age that they start to go through the 2-1 nap transition.  There's a section on it in the FAQ's at the top of the naps board, you'll likely find some good information there.  Don't have much time now, but I'll be back to check on you later.  Maybe post your routine, and I'll take a look! 

[brenda2]

hey dizzy
my LO is 10 mo too and we had some nap and EW trouble about 2 weeks ago which thank goodness seems to have sorted itself out now.  i think it was to do with the 2 to 1 switch.   it is a bit early but they start moving towards just 1 nap and needing less daytime sleep around this age. it's a tough age but you'll get it sorted out!

how much total daytime sleep is he getting now?  what are his nights like?  can he go to sleep independently?

my LO now is doing a long nap in the morning and a short nap in the afternoon (15 - 45 min, sometimes longer depending on the first nap and what time it is).  usually around this time to limit sleep you do one or the other short, for us it works better to have the long one in the morning.  also, A time for us is really varying a lot.  between 3 to 5 hours.  i used to be a clock watcher and now i have to go by cues (which is tough...).  sometimes she just won't go down unless she is really tired.

i'm finding as she gets older she can handle more stimulation and also the sleep window seems to be bigger too.  if you think he's too stimulated you could do a longer winddown...i douobt a walk in the stroller would be too much.

if he's waking after just half an hour that suggests OT to me and maybe put him down earlier.  post your routine as nicole suggested and we'll take a look.

[dizzy]

Hi, thanks for the advice. i think he may want to go to one short one long and he has always slept longer in the afternoon so hopefully it will go that way as that would be better for the child minder and DH.

He has been sleeping brilliantly at night except for the odd bad dream or separation anxiety. He usually sleeps from about 7.15 pm until about 6.20 am but have had recent night wakings and last night woke at 3.38 am and had a right old chat with himself before he went back to sleep then woke at 6.30 am.

Routine

W- 6.30
Breakfast 7.30
A
walk about 9.00 am (30 mins max)
bottle
S - 1000
A - 11.00/1120
Lunch 1215
A
bottle
S- 3.00
A - 4.30
Tea - 5.15
A - tweenies (15 mins TV)
Bath 6.30
Bed 7.00 pm

This was working fine but now some days wants to go down before 1000 other days not tired and this affects afternoon. I do try to do it off his cues but sometimes can be yawning at 8.30 and i know he doesn't want sleep then. Some of it has to go with his desperation to stand all the time and to walk while I hold him. He want to do this all the time and it must make him more tired. He is often waking up crying from morning nap so think ot but also think this is the one he may want to shorten as it has always fluctauted bewteen 1 hr and 1 hr 30 depending on how he feels. I have just always counted afternoon nap time from when wakes from morning one and have not had set time. Today woke at 6.30 and didn't nap until 1030 but yesterday was 9.40 and he woke up crying after 30 mins. Can not figure him out.

[brenda2]

yeah, our A times are all over the map too. this morning she was down for a nap 2.15 hours after she got up and that was a stretch.  i'm not getting short naps though...so must be getting it right...so maybe their A times just really fluctuate at this age.   if you're getting a 30 min nap it means OT and try to shorten the A time a bit.  my LOs first A time is between 3 and 3.5 hours, then she does her longest A time of about 4 hours then short again before bed.