anyone want to chat about the 2-1 nap switch , thread#3

[NiknLily]

LauraRose - That sounds about right to me   

Katemom - Just to add to what Laurarose said, ultimately you are aiming for a nap anywhere from 2-3hrs long when finally transitioned.  Most start of with less then gradually the nap will lengthen.  Some find they have to cut short nap to 1.5hrs so as to not interfere with night sleep.

[katemom]

Thanks for the info. on nap length ladies!

I don't know if my lo is napping long enough for one nap and I'm not sure what to do next.  Her first days on 1 nap have had the following nap lengths...1:40, 2:25, 2:05, 1:45, 1:55, 1:30, 1:40.  They're not bad, but aside from a few days over 2 hours, seem to be under 2 hours most of the time.  Will it get better with time if I stick with it, or do I need to go back to 2 naps?  I offered a p.m. catnap on the day I got 1.5 hr nap and she refused it big time, but I got her down for 45 minutes when all was said and done.  Other than that, I just went with those nap lengths as her total day sleep. 

Any advice?

katemom

[NiknLily]

Those nap lengths sound great, we are only just starting to get naps that length after a good 3months transitioning.  As long as they don't keep getting shorter and you don't get any NW's or EW's she will be just fine.  Her naps will get better and better with time, providing you don't run into OT.  FYI OT can in some LO's not appear for a month or longer after transitioning.  So keep a close watch on her sleep for the next couple of months and if one day you suddenly get an OT nap (1hr 15mins for most LO's) then give her an early bedtime to catch up.  So if she has been consistently napping for 2hrs then does a 1.15hr nap get her to bed a good 45mins to an hour early and hopefully you will be able to nip it in the bud.

[skatty]

Hi everyone, wow it's been qiet I hope it means you are all getting great naps and nights 

Well last week went great as far as naps go, we had a 2hr and a 3 hr nap but I am sure it was because L was sick! We then went away for the weekend with family and L got completely OS nad OT even though I tried to limit the stimulation. We did 2 naps and they went ok but on Saturday night L was wide awake from 1am until nearly 5.30am and then her cousins woke at 5.30am as they always do and were also OT so were crying and screaming  Luckily L STTN last night but she was up at just before 6am rather than 7ish (she slept over 12 hours though). She then fell asleep in the car on the way home from playgroup and didn't wake when I transfrerred her to her pram but then woke after 40 mins and wouldn't go back to sleep  I have just put her down again as she is soo tired so fingers are crossed she'll sleep. It is so frustrating to of had things going so smoothly with a lengthening nap and long nights with no NWs to having to try 2 naps and worry about NWs and EWs, I just hope she sleeps nearer to 7am tomorrrow morning so we can do 1 nap again, I have been enjoyng the extra freedom you get with 1 nap!

I hope to catch up with you all soon, Laura Rose it sounds like things are going really well at your house 

[lib]

Hi everyone

First chance to get back on the computer after a week of staying with parents (cos of building works) and coping with a house knee deep in dust.  Well it's been a "fun" week, with Lily EW, NW, short naps - she has been so unsettled that I am at my wits end what to do.  At the moment I am lucky if a get her 2 naps totalling 1.5hrs, so I put her to bed early but have still been having wakings of around 3.30 - 4am, then waking up for the day just before 6.

Re her naps I have been trying putting her down earlier, later, but it all generally results in a short nap - which I just can't seem to get her out of.  This afternoon she went down beautifully for a nap, but woke screaming after 40 mins - I went in and soothed her and got her back to sleep after 20 mins, only to walk out the door, my button on my jumper caught the door and made a noise, Lily wakes and gets completely hysterical.  So I end up getting her up.  So another early night of 5.45pm.  Sigh.  I hope she sleeps thro as I am sooooo tired now.  I think I will be in bed by 8! 

Any helpful hints anyone?  New Mum - I can't get any where near your thing of moving the day later as she is napping so errratically, so if you have any bright ideas they will be gratefully received!

[debo620]

lib, I'll just quickly ask you, is the first nap 45mins long?

that was the problem for us,
a 45min am nap always led to a 45min pm nap, didn't matter the amount of A time in between.
however, as soon as I cut the am nap to 30min, and then 2.5hrs later had him in bed, he would play for a bit and then nap 1.5hrs---so 2hrs total and I was happy with that.

[lib]

Hi Deb
no it's generally 30 mins - so I'm not sure what's going on.  I thought first nap being 30 mins she'd have a longer second - but no, it tends to be 30 mins too!

Things aren't better this am either - she woke at 5.30, not happy, has grizzled on and off, and now I am about to put her to bed - I have a feeling it won't be a long one. fingers crossed anyway.

[NiknLily]

Hi Lib
It looks like shes definitely OT at present.  This is easily cured for some with early bedtimes but for others (like DD) its a nightmare trying to get her out of it and early bedtimes just reinforced early wake ups.  I cant remember where your at re: nap times, lengths etc. Can you post a quick recap of how it was last time it was going OK, how its going now and what you've tried in meantime.  With all the info in front it will be easier to try to point you in right direction 

[lib]

Hi new Mum

feeling rather pleased with myself - managed to get her back to sleep after 30min wake up from second nap - fingers crossed she'll stay asleep for at least another 30 mins!!!!!!

well - when it was going ok here is the scenario

6.30 wake up
9.15 for nap - varied from 30 mins to 1.5 hours
12.30 lunch
depending on length of previous nap she would go down for 2nd nap between 1 and 2 pm, and length depended on previous nap - generally about 1 hour.
bed at 6.30 / 6.45

now

5.30 - 6am wake up
nap 8.45 - 9am - will generally sleep only 30 mins but she slept for 40 today
1pm - 1.30 second nap - woke up after 30 mins today but as said before I managed to get her back to sleep
if bad nap then she is in bed between 5.30 and 6pm

no NW last night, just a little murmur at 4.30, then properly awake at 5.30

please help me New Mum! 
Cheers
Lib

[debo620]

Lib, this was our rouitne at that age and it worked great! we always have had an early riser but I sort of used 6am as our starting time. see what you think

wake 5:30/6am---in crib until 6:30
nap 1 9:30-10am I woke him.
nap 2 in bed for 12:30--played 30min and was asleep by 1pm and slept til 2:30
bed at 6:30pm, asleep by 6:45/7pm

on a 30min am nap, the next A time needs to be quite short----some find asleep by 2.5hrs awake time works well. this is why I pushed the am nap out to a set time of 9:30, regardless of when he woke.


so you can see he averaged about 13hrs at that age, a little less then average but it worked for us.

[lib]

Thanks Deborah - I really like that idea - FYI Lily is still asleep after 1hr20mins!!!!  So she'll have 2 hours min sleep today.  What time shld I put her to bed if she woke up at 5.30?
L

[debo620]

great on a good nap!
so I would probably aim for bed at 6:15, asleep by 6:30/6:45 or so.

[LauraRose]

Hi everyone--Just wanted to post on what we've been up to here with DS's schedule.  I've been keeping him in his crib until 6:30, even though he usually is awake by 5:45. So, here it is:

6:30 up
7:30 breakfast
10:15-10:30 1st nap  (tends to be 1.5-2.5 hrs)
if shorter 1st nap, 2:30 pm 2nd nap (usually 1 hr.)
if longer 1st nap, 3:30 2nd nap (usually 45 min.)
7:30 bedtime

So far, so good.  I'm feeling less like a slave to Jack's sleep or lack thereof by just sticking to this plan, even if he has a poor sleep day. His mornings have been creeping slowly later--I'm hopeful...

[debo620]

Laura,
I'll just say that that moring nap is an extension of night sleep, so quite often if it is long (2.5hrs) then it will cause earlier wakes. however if the strategy you are using it to slowly push that nap to 11:30 (midday) then that makes sense. I would also say that in order to achieve 11 hr nights (so a 6:30 wake), you will probably have to llimit day sleep to 2-2.5hrs MAX.

[katemom]

Hello all,

My lo goes down for her [only] nap 5 hours after she wakes up.  Most of the time she sleeps anywhere from 1:45-2:15.  But on the days she sleeps 1:30, do you recommend an earlier bedtime or a catnap in the p.m?  I'm trying to move her morning wake up time back to closer to 7am, since daylight savings messed us up a little.  So I don't love putting her to bed early, as I'm trying to inch the day forward, but of course have no choice sometimes when her day sleep is shorter than usual.  But I just wondered if you thought one of the solutions was better than the other: early bedtime versus offering a catnap.  (She does always protest that nap and it's a bit of a struggle/fight between us so I hate doing it, but again, will do it if necessary).  Any thoughts appreciated...

katemom