12 month old with 30-45 min naps

[Layla]

I actually had the very same fear... didn't want to be a prop if I stayed in the room too long but when I did the wi/wo with Isabella (mind you she was the same age & it was when she going through the 2-1 nap switch as well), I would go in & stay by her cot (we had & still do have a chair by her cot). I would then rub her back or pat her bottom & say "shhh, its ok, mummy's here... go to sleep" & she was bawling her eyes mind you while all this was going on. As soon as she was calming down, I would get up & attempt to leave the room. Stand outside & count until 5 or 10 or 15 & then come back again to calm her down. Once she was calm or her cry would turn into a mantra cry I would leave. Again start counting outside & if she was still crying at the end of my count I would go back & repeat.

When I was doing the wi/wo with Jasmine I would pick her up, give her a cuddle & back into the cot. She would too scream her head off as soon as I would head for the door but if you stand outside the door & listen, sometimes the cries would stop before I would reach 10 & if not I would go back again to comfort her & leave. She is different to Isabella as I figured out that she gets even madder if I stand by her cot trying to console her & a quick cuddle is enough to help her rather than with Isabella where I would stay with her & that would help her settle sooner than a quick in & out.

Hope that makes sense

[lesorl]

Now I don't know what to do- she woke today at 6:17am, so do I try for one nap at 10:45am, or try for 2?  I'm leaning towards 1, as 2 was going so horribly wrong lately.

Yesterday she woke up well rested, but today I think she was still tired after waking (her shots may have something to do with that too).

[lesorl]

Well she took 1 nap today from 11am-11:52am, after 4 hours 40 mins A time.  I guess I keep putting her down at 11am regardless of wake up time and hope the nap lengthens?

In the meantime, keep putting her to bed at 5pm???

[Layla]

Thats what I did when we finally decided we would go cold turkey. I picked a time (which for us was 11am) & stuck with it. There were alot of days she only took 45min naps... about 1hr was the av... & I used to do a very early bedtime

[lesorl]

Ugh- today she was up at 5:10am, so I guess we'll be taking 2 naps today.

This is so not fun.

[NiknLily]

Hi lesorl
Sorry your still going through it with this horrible transition, I haven't been on the 2-1thread as much lately.  I was going to say exactly what everyone else has, I would go for it now with the 1 nap.  You've stuck it out until she is that little bit older, hopefully now she will do the switch and that will pretty much be the end of it, well thats to say after a couple of months maybe of her getting used to new routine. 

Lily had SA of a sort when going through this transition and serious teething too.  It doesn't make it any easier.  I always gave her meds before sleep for teething, what type depended how badly I thought she was hurting that day and I did tons of APOP for the SA.  My thoughts where that sleep was so much more important and although its no fun correcting the AP it is relatively easily done, especially when they are no longer so OT as the OT tends to make them more clingy at nap/bed times. 

I used WI/PD/WO when lily was first on 1 nap to try to extend it, as she would generally only take 45mins-1hr.  I also tried w2s a few times, think it helped but not 100% on that.  I kept up trying to extend her nap for at least a month (may of been longer) before I got any results.  Then it took another good month+ of doing wi/pd/wo at 45min mark to get longer nap and eventually she started to sleep right through the wake up and take a full 1.15-1.45hr nap.

I didn't bother doing 2naps once I committed to 1nap, even on really early wake up days.  I just kept nap at 11am everyday and after about a week her 5am wake ups jumped up to 6am on there own, I believe purely because of the consistency of her day, it really helped.

[lesorl]

Hi new mum!

Fancy meeting you here...  I haven't been on the 2-1 thread much either, as I feel like M is a special case as she's always had frequent short naps.

I've never had any luck extending naps, so I think we're just going to have to ride it out.

Would you keep Lily up til 11am if she woke at 5am?  That seems like a heck of a lot of A time.  Today we had a 50 min nap, but then had a party and so got to bed for the 2nd nap too late and she of course slept 30 mins.

I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks for your experience and advice,
Leslie

[skatty]

Hi Leslie,

Sorry I am not here much now as I am exercising when L naps usually and try to limit the comp in the evening because of insomnia!

I really do suggest you  just stick with the 11am nap whatever the wake up. Within a week or two of one nap L started sleeping at least an hour later from 6ish to 7ish and then from 7.30/8ish, in fact she slept until 8.30am today, this would never have happened on 2 naps. It is like they realise when they are on one nap they have to make their sleep up somewhere so if L only has a 1hr15 nap she will usually have around 14 hours at night but if she takes two hours she will have a 12ish hour night. I don't know why but this just doesn't seem to happen on 2 naps and it seems it is a common theme. Also once on one nap I think us mums lighten up a bit, as I only had to worry about one nap and knew she would accept an early bedtime I stopped stressing so much so I felt better too. My tips for keeping them up for one nap is go out for a walk early on in the day so they don't fall asleep then when they are geting tired do soothing low key such as books or a dvd while giving snacks, (dried apricots and raisins used to be great in this house, very energy boosting!) I actually think L would be so tired when she eventually went down she would pass through the dreaded 30 min jolt and make it to at least an hour. I would then put her down 4½ hours later for bed so we had some 4.30 bedtimes but as she started waking later this started to move up. L still does go to bed at 5.30 quite often.

go on Leslie, go for it, I think it may be hard for a few days but it will work well for you both and it can't get much worst can it?

Katt 

[Shdef]

Scotty went through exactly the same. Though his nights weren't quite as long. It sorted when he switched to one nap, however, that was never longer than 1.5 hours either.

I would agree with PP. If bedtime is that early, then so will her wake time, it's actually pretty late for an early bedtime like this, but I would keep it that way to not risk OT.

11 am nap is what we did, too. First weeks of one nap he slept 45 minutes for the nap and was cranky all day, then it sorted...

[NiknLily]

We are all agreed then, go for it.  11am nap everyday, things should improve within a week or so.  Although it can takes months for naps to fully extend it's suprising how well they cope and when you already have an OT LO you really have nothing to loose 

[lesorl]

OK girls- she woke today at 5:25am, and then tried for a nap at 10:45am.

She slept 38 mins!!!!!!!

The 2 days prior to that she slept 50 mins, but yesterday she had 2 naps.  Did the 2nd nap screw up today's nap?

More importantly, should I continue to try the 1 nap at 11am?

I swear you're going to find me running into the street screaming!

Leslie

[skatty]

Yes leslie, I think 1 nap at 11.00am, her body will adjust to only having 1 nap pretty quickly I reckon and she will start to sleep longer. If you do 11 on the head everyday her body clock will set and know what to expect. Good luck 

[NiknLily]

I would too, I know its SOOOOOO frustrating when they wont sleep long enough, but she is still in 2 nap mode.  So maybe the 2nap day did mess it up a little, not sure but I would stick with 1 nap at 11am come hell or high water.  It will take a good week to settle down then things should improve.  I would also commit to trying to extend the nap too.  Even if you have had no success in the past, honestly like I said it took a good month of doing wi/pd/wo before Lily finally started to go back to sleep from 45min wake up.  I would do it as long as I could stand it, I would aim for at least 30Min's worth and tried to not give in at the worst point either, so I would wait till she calmed down but still wasn't attempting to go to sleep.

Actually thinking about it I think what I had to do to start with was stay in the room with her doing PD and at first I was even touching her to get her to settle in the first place for nap & bedtime and would do the same at the 45min wake up.  It quickly became so that I was stopping her from settling so then did GW to get out of room then did the WI/PD/WO.  

The first couple of months where absolutely vile, but it does and will get better, promise  

[Layla]

I would also keep mine awake from 5ish until 11am. Around her previous morning nap time I would keep things really low ke& & give her the chance to "rest" cause that was always the low point. Mine also woke 45mins into her nap ALOT of times & as pp said.. try what you can to extend it. W2s (35mins into the nap) or pd or wi/wo. Mine would wake up NOT crying so it was hard to extend & alot of times I would just leave her there up to 1hr (so another 15-20mins) & if she would go back to sleep.. great & if not, I would just have to do an early bedtime

She's now consistently taking 1.5-2hr naps but at the start it was very unpredictable.

Its a horrid transition but it does get better

[lesorl]

oh my goodness-

I'm not doubting you girls, but she was a mess by about 3:30pm today. I'm expecting NWs and another EW tomorrow.  I guess I'm just afraid it will get worse (and I suppose it will before it gets better).  I can't believe it takes months for this nap to lengthen.  Do you forget about naps when you decide to have a 2nd child?  B/c right now it's one and done.

I'll keep you all posted.

Thanks again for all the advice and support,
Leslie