8 month - 2-1 transition?

[Baby_A_Mama]

At the start of January my 8 month son started in daycare a few days a week.  They typically run a 1 nap a day schedule but are willing to nap him whenever he needs.  The first week was a very rough adjustment, but now he is settled and his naps are changing. He was typically napping at 10 & 2, with a 7pm-6am night (1 waking for a feed).  The past week however, he is pushing through the 10am tired point and not sleeping until around 11am.  He sleeps for 2.5-3hrs, which makes it difficult to fit in a 2nd nap.  I also have a 2.5yr who takes a 11:45-2 nap, so I am thoroughly enjoying the significant overlap in naps and the ability to have a good chunk of time in the mornings to get out. It was extremely difficult before as I seemed to have a child napping from 10-4!

I realize it is very early for a transition to 1 nap, but I would like to continue to encourage the later nap (11ish). My question is how to manage the afternoon.  I had a battle trying to force a 2nd nap yesterday and didn't enjoy it.  If we don't get a 2nd nap, even with an early bed time, we seem to get an overtired morning waking of 5am (which I am occasionally able to get back to sleep but not always!). 

If LO sleeps from 11-1:30, how should I best manage the afternoon?  Or is this idea of one dominant nap at 8 months just absurd?

[lily_layne]

I haven't done it but I think it could work if you could get a short, late afternoon nap in. Would he nap in the stroller or a swing? APOP may make it easier to get him to take a second nap.

[Baby_A_Mama]

The stroller occasionally will work but not always, sometimes he just doesn't want to miss out. How would I apop? Maybe I'm not doing it right. He often falls asleep nursing out shortly after nursing. I take him in a dark room, white noise, rocking chair, and nurse. I tried for 25 min the last 2 days, he wouldn't sleep and I tired putting him down, but he still wouldn't go until about 4:15 . I usually have to wake him around 4:30 to preserve bedtime. Should I let him nap longer?  I can'T spend much more time with him as I have a 2.5yr old and 25 min is usually the most I can hope for undisturbed time. 

[lily_layne]

Some LOs are resistant to apop. If you can get him to nap at 415 I would let him sleep until 445. If you can't get a CN in I would aim to have him sleeping by 6 or earlier. You may find that he may be ready for a 10 am nap after one or two one nap days.

[Baby_A_Mama]

We've been taking a break as he got run down with a good cold but now were back to it. Daycare is getting a 2hr15min nap from around 11:45-2.  I've been doing bed time, asleep by 6:25 but we are getting 5am wake up.  Should I be going even earlier with bed time?  I'd this an overtired wake up?

[lily_layne]

It can be tough to sort out an OT WU from one where an LO's just had enough night sleep but I would lean towards OT given how young he is. How many hours of sleep does he usually need to be at his best? That can help guide us in what to try.

[Baby_A_Mama]

I'm thinking he's on the higher end of sleep needs. At 6 month he could nap 4-5hrs and still do an 11-12hr night sleep and he was a rockstar during his awake periods.

We did a 6:15 bedtime last night, got a long hour waking at 9pm, it took us until 10 to resettle, then a 3:30 feed and awake at 5:45. Closer to what we want but not quite. I


Ideally I'd like to get to a known state so I can gradually work towards eliminating the night feed but with things being all over the place, I don't want to add another variable!

[lily_layne]

That sounds like OT is building up a bit. If he likes that much sleep, I'm thinking he'll need at least a 12 hr night to manage one nap. I would try putting him down before 6 one night to see what happens. If he does wake early, it might be early enough that he'll have more biological drive to go back to sleep. Do you ever try feeding and popping him back in bed when he's up before 6? It often works with my DS.

[Baby_A_Mama]

An early bedtime has been working on the days he only does 1 nap.  He occasionally wakes early still but at least he has had more sleep total so the days are more manageable!  I rarely get him to fall back asleep when he's up before 6. He thinks it's go time.
We're doing much better and I think have overcome the extreme OT that was building. If he gets one nap, it's early BT, 2 naps, he can do a normal bedtime.

t daycare, when they do get him to one nap, he often does 1.5hr-2hrs. If he wakes at 1.5hrs, he is up as there is so much going on. At home however, he wakes cranky and I can usually nurse him back to sleep, sit with him for 5-10min and he's down for another 1.5hrs.  I don't mind this as it extends his nap significantly but are there any suggestions on how I can eliminate this waking?  If I leave him, he will just fuss until it's a full on cry.

[lily_layne]

It might just be a matter of time before that waking goes away. You could try wake to sleep (links under FAQ) to see if that helps but it may take quite a while before you see results.