Please help me with naps for my 17 mth old!!!!!!

[Layla]

Jasmine still does this sometimes & did ALOT of it at the start of the switch. 1 short nap... sometimes as short as 45mins as well

[~Lori~]

How do they survive on 45 minutes???  Sophie is not...she's going to bed earlier at night, and then waking up earlier in the morning.

It's just hard b/c 2 weeks ago she was sleeping 2-3 hours during the day, and 11 -11.5 hrs at night.  Now, she is at 1-1.5 hours during the day, and like 10 hours at night.  She is a mess (and so is her frazzled mommy)

I've been putting her down at 10, I don't know if I just need to make it later all at once instead of this gradual business b/c it doesn't seem to be making it any easier...

[Layla]

Some go straight to 11am & then gradually to 12pm. So you might want to give that a go for the next 3-4 days to see if she will sleep longer or if it will help at all???

[Shdef]

They DO survive on 45 minutes at 17 months, it's just NOT NICE!!!

And it will increase, honestly... just takes  a while for them two realise that the time for the two naps is now combined into one.

BTW, Scotty used to do two 1.5 hour naps until 13 months or so, then simply refused the second nap. Then we gradually (not gradually enough maybe) moved the first one forward from 9.30 am to 11 am and he only slept 45 minutes for a week, then an hour, then 1.5 But never more. The nights extended though...

[Layla]

They DO survive on 45 minutes at 17 months, it's just NOT NICE!!!

My thoughts exactly!!!

[~Lori~]

Thanks all....I know it takes time, but man, I hate feeling like we are in the newborn stage again. 

[~Lori~]

okay, so it's been a week now....Sophie is still SOOOOOO inconsistent with her morning wake up time...anywhere from 5:40-6:30 am....I've left her in there and sometimes after 1 hour of playing, she'll fall asleep.

I put her down at 11:30 the other day and she slept 1.5 hrs.
Yesterday I put her down at 12, she slept for 2.5 hours.
Today she went down at 11:45 and slept for 1.5 hrs.

She is a MESS at night though and is going to bed so early, but is waking so early still...tell me this will get better please?

[Layla]

It does get better . I actually think she's doing really well as most toddlers start off with an hour nap. What time is she going to bed? I would probably try for bedtime around 5hrs from the time the nap ended.

[~Lori~]

Today she went down at 11, woke up at 12:30...so 5 hours from that would be...5:30?  Oh Lord, she'd be up at 3am:) 

[Layla]

I would probably do bed latest 6pm . I don't think that necessarily means she will wake 9.5hrs later... most around this age do 11-12hr nights.

[Shdef]

It sounds she is doing well Glad you're getting long naps, we didn't at first at the switch (it was still only 45 minutes for the first couple of weeks).

I agree with 6pm bedtime, too. And if she doesn't cry in the morning, leave her be, don't make a noise or anything. Playing in the cot on her own not crying is a VERY good sign, for us it was always the key to independent (and enough) sleep.

[newmaze]

I am so glad I stumbled upon this thread.  My DD is doing the same thing.  Our norm is 45 minutes after the switch.  I am losing my mind.  And, her wake ups have become earlier due to the earlier bedtimes.  Same exact thing here.  She looked SOOOoooo exhausted today that I actually just put her down for a nap (9:20 am).  Is that a mistake?  Will that interfere with her body getting used to this combined 1 nap that should be long?  I am dealing with the same exact issues here.  This is a dreadful transition for us!!

jen

[Shdef]

If she is very overtired I would stick with two shorter naps for a few days and then try again. Or you could alternate. One day with two naps, next day one. Worked for us for a wee while because the days he had one nap (short) he would have an early night and an early morning. So next day was too naps and a later night. And then one nap again...

hth

[~Lori~]

Sophie has started waking up at 6:30, and then I"ll leave her in there for awhile, occasionlaly she has dozed off again, but up at 7:30 at the latest. 

This week, every day, her nap has gotten shorter.  Went from 1.5 hrs, to 1hr 15 min, to 1 hour today.  She just looks SO tired all the time.  Last night she was in bed sleeping by 6:45.  She just is exhausted.

I was wondering about the alternating between 1 nap days, then 2 nap days...my question was won't that throw her off even more? 

[newmaze]

Well, that day she went down at 9:20, she slept for 2 HOURS!  Then did a 30 min cat nap that afternoon (nice to call it a cat nap since on our regular 1 nap days, we only get 45 mins).  We did 1 nap yesterday at 12:00 and she slept for 45 mins.  I put her down for an early nap again today, we will see what she does. 

We need help...... I am so glad I found this thread!  I ditto laurie's question - will this throw her off?