16 mo suddenly won't nap

[traceyt]

hi,

my 16mo has generally been a good sleeper, since about 6 mo she has consistently had good naps and since 1 she has been sleeping 12 hours through at night.  now, she suddenly won't nap AT ALL.  i can sometimes get one 30 to 40 minute nap out of her all day.  The result is a VERY exhausted, cranky baby and a very early bedtime.  At least she was making it up at bedtime (sleeping 5:30 to sometimes 7:30) but now she seems to be going back to 12 hours, so 5:30 to 5:30 and then a very brief nap in the am with no nap in the pm.  i have tried EVERYTHING - i have experimented with various A times, and i KNOW her signals now so i am not missing them, i tried moving to 1 nap which worked for awhile but then she started sleeping just 30 minutes in the mid-day... i am at my wit's end.  nothing has changed in her life, she is just suddenly not napping and it is also starting to affect her night sleep!

what is going on?  why is my great napper suddenly not napping at all?

thanks,
tracey

[Lucysmom]

Hi - Sorry you're having a rough time with your dd's naps!  Two things I thought of:  1) Teething - molars and eye teeth.  Both stink!  Can you take a peek and see if anything is trying to break through the gums?  From experience with my dd, the eye teeth are the worst and seem to take AGES to break the gum.  2)  Another round of Separation Anxiety.  My dd is a tad older but I know that many toddlers in this age range do experience SA again (or like my dd, for the first time).  But I think my money is on teething.  Perhaps try some Motrin 30 minutes before you go for the nap?  Also, what is your routine like?  It sounds like now she is way overtired thus the short naps and nightwakings.  Perhaps tweaking the routine and adding pain meds will help get things back on track.

{{HUGS}} 

[traceyt]

hi, thanks for your quicky reply!  yes, all 4 molars are coming in plus her babysitter thought she felt eyeteeth.  but pain meds don't change the nap problem.  she is still sleeping through at night, she is just not sleeping any longer in the morning now so it's like she's not making up any sleep then.  her routine WAS:

wake at 6:30
first nap at 9:45 to 10:30
second nap 2 to 3:30 or 4
bed at 6:45 or 7

Now, it's:

wake at 5:30
if we're lucky, brief 30 minute nap in the am though she often just plays now
no nap in the aft
bed at 5:30 pm

what can i do to help my poor little one sleep?  i have left her for the whole naptime (not crying, just playing and then fussing), then gone to her and tried to rub her back etc, but she just won't go to sleep!  she is EXCELLENT at night, no problems at all, just gives me a night night kiss and goes right to sleep, in fact lately she has been so tired that she has been asking to be put in her crib even earlier than usual (ie - only 1 story and no "dance" time, which we usually do for about a minute or 2 - now she points to her light to say "lights out please", kisses me and leans to her crib to be put down) so i don't think it's SA.

[*Natasha*]

I am going to move this to the Toddler sleep as i think you will get more help their.

[Layla]

Tracey, I think your lo might be fighting naps because she is overtired. What I would do is try to get her to nap once a day but in the middle of the day and not in the morning. So, if the wake up is 5.30am, try and keep her awake until 11. Provide her with lots of stimulation in the morning, then do a long wind-down, quiet time before the nap (read books, whatever calms her down) and then put her to sleep. I think if you slowly re-introduce the afternoon nap close to middle of the day (extra 15 mins every 3/4 days until you get to 12pm), she will be better rested and you will slowly be able to push her bedtime to 6pm, 6.30 and eventually 7pm for a wake up close to 7am.


HTH
Layla

[LŠuren]

{{{hugs}}} Tracey

Calum has 4 molars coming in at the moment and his sleep is also disrupted, we has to resort to gentle removal for a few nights becasue he was just so upset (and waking loads during the night screaming  )