Nearly 15 month old going to 1 nap?

[Floweryspring]

Hello everyone!

After months of things going well, we are now stuck!

DD was doing a Long 1.5hr AM nap, short 30-45min PM nap and sleeping 11.5-12.5hrs at night. The Am nap has moved from 9.30am to 11.30am slowly in the last 6 months and for 2 weeks no matter what, both naps have been short. Night wakings have happened. Sometimes hysterical screaming at DH that I just nurse her to calm her and she will self soothe back to sleep. She has always been an independent sleeper.

Oh I tried to do short am nap but no matter how I moved things around, she would never do a Long. PM nap. My older child was a short am Long pm napper before 1nap. Doesn't work with DD.

She woke at 8am 4 days ago after pm nap refusal and I decided to bite the bullet and do 1  nap. She has done 1hr 30mins - 2hrs 10mins. But she still wakes 1-2 times a night. She seems fine during the day so I really don't know what to do anymore! She has been teething molars but they haven't cut through.

I would really appreciate some eyes to see if I am doing something wrong! Thanks

Before 1 nap
Wake 7-7.30am and BF

Nap 1) 11.30 anything 45mins to 1hr (previously 1.5hrs)
Nap 2) 5 or 5.30pm for 30-40mins. This nap I had to APOP - pat her anything from20mjns to an hour!!! And she wakes by herself

Bed 7.30-8pm. She had always preferred very short A time to bed with along wake time before PMnap.

Her total sleep used to be around 13.5hrs in 24 hours just before I put her to 1nap.  She has always seemed to prefer Long nights.

Last 5 days on 1 nap

7.25am wake
11.25am Nap 1hr 45mins
Refused PMnap
7.25pm asleep (took 1 hour to get her to sleep as she kept screaming every time DH left the room. OT?)
NW 12.25am fed her after pupd failed. She was hysterical. Put her down awake and she self soothed.
NW 6am fed again and she went back to sleep till 8am. Both NW lasted 20mins each?

Fri
8am wake breakfast
11am lunch
11.40am BF and in cot
12pm asleep 2hrs 10mins
2.30pm snack
5pm dinner
6.30pm BF
6.55pm asleep after 10mins. no screaming no crying.

NW 8.45pm (1hr 50mins into sleep) pu comfort pd. 2mins all it took.
NW 5.55am - poop!! Fed and she went back to sleep till at 6.20am till 8.05am

Sat
8.05am wake
12.05pm nap 1hr 30mins
7.45pm asleep - took an hour to sleep. Screamed whenever DH left her. And finally we took her out, changed nappy fed her again and my DH put her down again and she slept in 2 mins.

NW 12.30am poop!!! Change nappy asleep straightaway
NW 6.10am fed and back to sleep 6.30 till 8.20am


Sun
8.20am wake
12.30pm nap 1hr 40mins
7.05pm asleep in 10mins without crying or screaming

NW 9.05pm DH pu comfort pd 2 mins.
NW 12am hysterical and wanted feed. Self smooth after feed.

Mon
6.45 am heard talking. Not sure when woke
11.45am nap 1hr 30mins
Bed? 6.30pm?

I did set naps for my older child when we went to 1 nap at 16 months and started at 11.30am and the naps started at 1.5hrs and pretty much stayed there. She did do some 2hr plusnaps but not very often. but she would happily go to bed at 5.30pm and wake at 6.30am. And bedtime got pushed to 6.45-7pm after few months as her nap went to noonish.

This time round DD doesn't seem to want earlier bedtimes? Previously, she has mostly  woken around 7.30am tostart her day and 7.30pm bedtimes. She prefers 12hour nights.

Should I set the nap at 12.pm and bed at 7pm regardless of wake times? I feel a bit lost with my second DD! Is 1.5hrs nap enough?  I want my good sleeper back! Lol

Thanks!

[Haribo2012]

Hi there, I'd say yes move to 1 nap and I'd set it at 12 noon, and if nap is 1.5 hours keep Day to 12/12.5 hours but over 2 hours give her a 13 hour day.

Both my kids have differed DS1 was long am short pm napper and went to 1 nap at 13 months, never did over 11 hours at night and DS2 short am nap long on nap until 16 months then 1 nap at 12.30pm and quite often dies 12 hour nights unless teeth moving.

I'd say those molars are causing NW later in the night, do you medicate?

[Floweryspring]

Thanks for your reply! Ok so set nap at noon but not bedtime? And 1.5 hour naps are acceptable for 1nap? I might have been mistaken but I read somewhere 1.5 hour naps on 1nap is considered overtired?

I am wondering if it is better to plough through with 1 nap for a couple weeks? She does look a little tired today.

She HATES medication. She screams and spits it out thrashes about. We do get it down but wasn't sure if it really was the teeth and I was worried about medicating unnecessarily. I will medicate tonight!

[Haribo2012]

Normally once you get 1 nap established they do lengthen and yes 1.5 can be OT but with nap transitions this is often inevitable, you could set BT too, I kind of went with BT around 7-7.30 depending on nap length so it was sort of set if you get what I mean. At this age I'd try sticking to 1 nap if you can't get a CN and long nap in.

It's worth a try with meds in the middle of the night, and before BT for a couple of days just to see as those molars hurt when moving about.

[Floweryspring]

We medicated her last night. She woke once 2.5 hours after going to sleep with her legs up. Thought she pooped but it was just a bad fart lol she has formed a bad habit of pooping in cot the last 3 months! Either gets woken by poop or poops right after waking but always in cot!

Yesterday
6.45am wake
11.45am nap 1.5 hours
6.45pm asleep within minutes no crying. (Medicated)

NW 9.30pm change nappy and fed.
NW 5.55am fed. Woke 7.45am
She didn't eat much today. I do think the teething affects her sometimes and she is waking hungry at times.

Today
7.45am wake
12pm asleep. Wake screaming 52mins!! Tried to resettle by patting her for 20 mins and then leaving room. She is lying in cot quietly but awake!!!!

Does this mean she is overtired? She had a good lunch before nap. And seemed tired but not crying or whining tired. Do I try for a catnap or Puah through with early bedtime? Omg I never thought a 15 month old could bring such fear into me! Lol

[Haribo2012]

Do you always still feed in the night? At this age she really doesn't need night feeds, this could be another habitual reason for waking?

Teeth do affect appetite, my 19 month hardly ate anything the last 2 days an he has canines coming through.

On a 7.45 WU I'd say nap was bit earlier, screaming WU couldn't been pain from teeth or wind!? I'd push through to BT but go for say 6.30 but if she's really struggling do micro nap x

[Floweryspring]

She stopped night feeding awhile ago but she has been not eating much in the last week. Both side molars are coming through and I suspect 1 canine. We try to resettle and sometimes she is fine but sometimes she just will keep waking and infigure she must be hungry and feed her.

I have no idea what she was screaming about to be honest. This is the child who used to wake in the morning and could go an hour quiet just lying in cot. We could never figure when she woke as she was happy to lie there till we got her. Now it is instant screaming even before her eyes are open!

She didn't go back to sleep and started being quite tired and cranky so I decided to do catnap and took me an hour to get her to nap! I had to pat her and just when I was about to give up, she fell asleep. She usualy wakes by herself but I will wake her at 30 mins you think?

So today

7.45am wake
12pm nap 52mins
5.15pm nap ?30 mins
7.45pm bedtime?

By the way did you think the nap was too early today? But I thought I should stick to 12pm nap and let her regulate her awake time? Should I wake her by 7 or 7.30am?

[Haribo2012]

I would prob avoid feeding at night as if she's filling up on milk she won't eat as much in the day. At this age they don't get hungry at night like a small baby.

With set naps I've always worked on a set WU 7am latest as I like mine in bed before 8pm lol, I'd try waking by 7, nap 12 if 1.5 hours BT 7 if 2 hours BT 7.30.

Maybe try BT tonight 7.45 but often 30 mins at that time in the day here would lead to long time to bed....each child of course is different.

[Floweryspring]

That did cross my mind! We are planning to stop night feeds this weekend. I will hv to sleep with my 5 year old so I can assure her if she wakes up from the crying.

Yesterday
7.45am wake
12pm nap 52mins
5.15pm nap - she woke at 30 mins just as I was about to wake her.
8pm went to sleep happily after playing for 10-15 mins.

NW - sleep crying went on for 2 mins. And she had pooped! She woke while getting nappy changed. Went back to sleep quick.

NW 5.20am! She was up ready to go for the day!!!! I fed her and she was chatting around and thankfully went back to sleep near 6am and was up 7.55am.

She went for her nap at 12.25pm today. Hopefully she does a longer nap.

Will it be crazy of me to scratch the afternoon nap completely regardless of how the 1 nap goes? It took me SO Long to get her to nap yesterday and all for such a short nap! And it didn't even make any difderence to the night!

I would prefer a 7.30pm bedtime as my older child has lights off at 7.20pm. And sleeps till 7-7.30am and I would prefer them to coincide.

So should I set the nap at 12.30pm? That way her day can look roughly like

7-7.30am wake
12.30pm nap 1.5-2hrs
7.30pm bed (unless nap was a complete disaster then it can be 6.30-7pm?)

Thanks for helping me navigate this. It's  harder to see things clearly when it is your own kid!

[Haribo2012]

I'd scrap the afternoon nap, if it's a short one then jus bring BT 15/30 mins earlier but yes think your day plan looks good.

For us this sleep age has always been tricky if it's not nap transitions, it's developmental leaps or teeth lol! My 5 year old sleeps through the crying it's amazing what they don't hear when they're older.

No probs it's always good to throw ideas about x

[Floweryspring]

Hah yeah I know! My 5 year old had severe reflux that even meds stopped working when teething started. Our only saving grace was her teeth all erupted in one go and within a month she had all her teeth. I think I much preferred that to this waiting around for weeks for 1 molar to break through!

She napped 1hr 50 mins today! So I am hoping she gets the idea and settles into 1 nap quick! Well one can hope! Thanks again!

[Haribo2012]

My youngest had awful reflux and same happened with teeth lol! Great update keep us posted x

[Floweryspring]

Well that day after 1hr 50min nap, it was the most awful night we ever had with her!! But last night was the best in a while so I don't know if we have turned a curve!

Wed
7.55am wake
12.25pm nap 1hr 50mins
7.45 bed

NW 10pm DH soothed back within mins.
NW 11.15pm change nappy Fed
NW 2.30am! DH resettled until 4AM!!!! This is the first time she has ever had a Long wake at night.
NW 6am! Feed
Up crying 6.45am got her up for day.

THURS
6.45am wake
11.45am nap - woke at 43m crying but I waited and after 3min of start stop cry she put herself back to sleep. I usually can't bear to leave her more than 10 secs but I knew if I went in no way she would resettle! She went back to sleep for another 1hr 45mins!

7.45pm bed happily asleep.

NW 5am - back to sleep within couple mins.
Wake 7.15am for the day!

[Haribo2012]

Fingers crossed, I'd keep persevering for a couple of days. I notice no feeds on the 2nd night too