2.5 year old---help w/ bedtime---nap length changing all the time-30min-2hour!

[Sima]

   Hi, my daughter is 2.5 and she wakes up at 6-6.30 (sometimes earlier)
Her naps range from 30min-2 hours and therefore, wanted to know if I should have a set bedtime regardless of nap length.  
I usually put her down 5.5 hours after she wakes up from her nap.
The more she naps the less she sleeps at night---but not always the case.

She is extremely sensitive to OT though and will NW and EW if OT.
 
wake up  6.30
Nap 12.30--(varies: 1.30, 1.45, 2.30)!!!!
Bedtime  

She might be getting one of her 2nd year molars so that might be causing short napping and EW.  Any info on 2nd year molars???

She has always been irregular in terms of sleep.  Anyone with this experience? Thanks!

[*Natasha*]

I generally have a set bedtime and always have unless they are sick or really really tired. At this age my DD1 was doing a 7.30pm bedtime which i think would fit in well with your routine.

[Sima]

Thanks mum!


Today little one woke up at 5!  Was not sure when to put her to nap since her naps range from 30-min to 2 hours.  Usually 1 hour naps.  So if nap too early, then early bedtime and early wake up...cycle never stops.  Anyone with bubs that are very sensitive to OT??? 
I fixed her nap at 12.30 but today put her down at 11.45 and let's when she wakes up.  When naps 1/2 an hour, sometimes she goes back down but usually NOT.
Any suggestions with her nap lenght being irregular???

[abaker89]

We have naps that are varying length 45 min-2.5 hrs.  Luckily the 45 min and 2.5 hrs are unusual but they do happen.  She is 26 mths and has been more consistent at 1.5 lately.  Her wake time is pretty regular, 7:30-8:30 and then I vary the nap between 12:45 and 1:30.  So I don't go exactly by A time but try to estimate around 5.5 hrs and then do it earlier or later during that nap window.  Bed is at 8.  I don't know if that helps or not.  So I guess I fix the bedtime and the wake time is pretty consistent and then I just vary the nap a little bit to compensate for the wake time.

Aileen

[Sima]

Hi abaker!
I read your posts too and we went through nap refusal for a while as well-like 2 months.

Could you please write her sleep schedule?
So if she takes 45 min nap-what do you do??
Do you keep bedtime the same??
Is your lo sensitive to OT but EW and NW?  If my lo short naps, then I make bedtime early because if not, she will EW anyway but with less sleep.

Thanks, Siria

[Sima]

So frustrated!!  Hope it is ok to bump myself up!
Why 30 min naps, 45 min, 1 hour, then 1.5 then 2----everyday is so different bedtime hard to figure out and also on top---extremely sensitive to OT--NW and EW.

[BUFFY SS]

my daughter hasn`t slept through the night anymore then 10 times sincce she`s been born she fusses , cries and has to be rocked everynight and she`s 2 years old.if i don`t let her nap she falls asleep in 5 minutes if i let her nap it takes 30 minutes if she don`t nap she`s fussy and terrible if i let her nap i have to rock her for 15 munites and lunchtime and 30 minutes at night what to do if she dont nap she cries through the night what to do??

[abaker89]

We don't generally have any trouble with EW or NW so I'm not sure if it will help you or not.  Her schedule is:

wake between 7:30-8:30
nap at 1 pm (if she woke past 8, I put her down at 1:30)
bed between 7:30 and 8

If she take a short nap, I put her down closer to 7:30, longer nap would mean 8 pm bedtime so I do vary it slightly.  She seems to really like her 12 hr nights still (she is a bit younger than your lo) so I also shoot for bedtime to be about 12 hrs after she got up.   We did have a horrible 2 mth nap strike from 19-21 mths but she has been doing quite well for the last 5 mths.  Mostly 1.5 hr naps.  I guess since we don't get NW or EW then she must be less sensitive to OT?  The one thing that does bother her is if I stretch her pre-nap A time past 5.5 hrs.  She will almost certainly short nap then.  I really try and keep her between 5-5.5.  Maybe that is what is causing the short naps for you too?  Do you try to stick with an approximate A time?  I know it must be hard with those EW.  I would try and leave her in there as long as you can.  I think that helped train my lo to sleep in.  And it also made for a nicer morning routine since I can shower before I get her. HTH!

Aileen

[Sima]

Thanks for help Abaker!
I have tried to do less A times -5, 5.5- and got 1 hour naps and then actually with the EW, bedtime was EW too so didn't work.   She is just so unpredictable with naps.  She goes from 45 min to 2 hours.  If nap is too early, then I am risking that her nap might end so early that stretching to bedtime will cause OT again.



Buffy: do you have a post here too?  I will check to see.

[Sima]

Sorry to be pest, but anyone to help me?

[Colin Macs Mom]

Could you please write her sleep schedule?
So if she takes 45 min nap-what do you do??
Do you keep bedtime the same??
Is your lo sensitive to OT but EW and NW?  If my lo short naps, then I make bedtime early because if not, she will EW anyway but with less sleep.

It would help us help you if you could answer these questions

[Sima]

Hi Colin Mom!
Yes, her schedule changes mostly due to her nap duration but mostly like this:
5.30-6
Nap 12-12.30 to ? 45-2 hours

Bedtime depending on wake up time, 5.5 after wake up

If she wakes up 45 min into nap, sometimes I try to get her back to sleep by rocking her but usually to no avail. 

Bedtime is different to due varying nap lengths; I have tried to fix her bedtime but she is extremely sensitive to OT and will EW.
I have tried to fix her nap time at 12.30 but with some 5.30 wake up recently had to move bedtime up and then again, a cycle.   

If anyone has some insight to this, I would appreciate it so much.  She was sleep 11 hour but now less---could be 2nd year molars.

When she wakes up early, I try to keep her up--she usually does not show much signs of crankiness but will short nap.

[Colin Macs Mom]

Have you checked in here? http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=138416.0
You may benefit from that  

I would keep going as you are mostly, with the 5.5 hrs after wake up thing. BUT I would personally not do this -

When she wakes up early, I try to keep her up

You mean in the morning right?

[Sima]

Hi Collin's mom:
What I meant is that when she has EW I try to keep her awake close to her nap time instead of a too early nap time since her naps vary so much in length.  If too early, she might wake up from nap too early during the day and bedtime too early..and so on...
Thanks for the link!

[Colin Macs Mom]

OH - I see!