2-1 nap switch angst!

[Aly Mac]

Hi everyone,

L has been going through the switch for a couple of months, and a week or so ago, naptimes just got ugly.  normally an hour or more to get her to nap and half of that was crying.  So we've gone to one nap, at 11am, and she can sleep close to 2hrs, but normally about 1.5hrs. this has been getting longer so hopefully it will improve, but she has never been a long napper (used to do 45min naps til aobut 8motnhs of age).

The problem is she gets a cranky int he morning before her nap, and the afternoons she's not happy either as she is tired.  she used to be such a happy girl, and I know she is if she is well rested.  I put her to bed early 5.30/6pm depending on when the nap ends, but that then leads to early waking and then she's really tired.... not to mention we have been getting a nw if no ew

I guess I know i just have to ride it out, but it's so hard on her and me.  Friday we did a 2nap day as she was really cranky by 8.30.  she did great on her old routine, and then sat and sun she was also really tired. of course by sunday the 2naps were hell to put down and the cycle has started all over again. I think I stuffed up by doing 3days of 2naps.  I should have just done the one.

am I best to just keep going with one nap until she can extend, even if she is cranky for a while?  What do you guys do for nw and ew?  any remedy?? or again, just a symptom of ot...??

i guess i"m really jsut looking for morale support!!!

this is her one nap routine:

6.30 wake (if i'm lucky - but can be from 5.30)
11-1 nap
6pm sleep (if she shows signs early, it's 5.30 to bed)

we normally get an ew with this routine. anywhere from 4.30....

2nap routine

6.30 wake (if i'm lucky - but can be from 5.30)
9-9.30 nap
12.45-2 nap
6.30/7 bed

with this we now get a nw.....normally close to the midnight mark either side which is odd, as if she ever has an nw, it used to be later in the morning.  normally awake for close to an hour.

would love to hear your experiences - of course, I've read the 2-1 info on the naps board (given I'm a mod and all,) and I'm on the support thread, but most keep looking to me for advice! we all seem to be new to this on that thread at the mo.

thanks for listening.

[deckchariot]

oh Aly - I've got no advice (I'm one of those who looks to you for advice), but wanted to give you hugs all the same!  I'm just thinking "out loud" here - if she does the one nap routine, but is cranky in the afternoons, could you try just a catnap?  Of course, then it begins to look a bit like your 2 nap routine, so maybe that's not helpful.  I have no experience, but wanted to send along hugs all the same!

[Mama2C]

We are going through something similar. My dd is 13 months which seems early to do this 2-1. I totally hear you about everything. Could you try to take her out in the mornings and wait for her one nap to be closer to 12:30? This is what I am trying with my dd. So maybe the nap can be from 12:30-2:30? That way she can go to sleep around 7 and maybe no nw? And maybe try to have a quiet resting time in teh morning, around 9am for half an hour listening to music in the dark?

But I am definitely in the same boat as you so my advice may be completely off the mark. I am trying this later one nap time with my dd and she is less tired in the afternoons. BUT we still have one nw and it's around the midnight mark too!! I figure I might have to ride it out a bit too. I send my husband in for the nw and she goes back immediately (with me she cries and cries for me to stay in the room with her which I refuse to do!).

Good luck and I am definitely in sympathy with you!!!!

[skatty]

HI, we fully transitioned at 12 months and all was pretty smooth. First off I did  a 20 min catnap late afternoon so our routine looked something like this

6ish wake
10.45 am nap for about an hour to 1hr15 
4pm out for a walk in the pushchair, I'd let her sleep just 20 mins and then wake her
6.30 bedtime.

Basically that 20 mins was just enough to refresh her for 2 hours for tea, bath and bed routine.

After less than 2 weeks she started waking later in the mornings so our routine changed to this:
7am wake
11.30 until 12.45-13.00
bed between 5 and 5.30pm

We did this routine for  months though she started waking later (between 7.30 and 8am) but I kept A times to no longer than 4½ hours to avoid OT. Looking at your 1 nap routine if she sleeps at 11 for only 1½ hours then she has a long PM A time which is most likely causing the EW and any NWs. I think the best solution is to have a late afternoon catnap or bed at 5pm, I personally would go with the catnap until she starts not taking it or until her mornings start to get later which probably wont take long once she has caught up from her OT. Leorah really was up there with the champions of the short nappers but now she is on 1 nap she is having more sleep than she's ever had (not at naptime unfortunately but at least she'll tag it onto her nights). Before I switched I read the whole of the first 2-1 nap switch thread and from other people's experiences I came up with this plan even though it would mean ridiculously early bedtimes (4.30pm on more than 1 occassion!) and you will be pleased to hear it's very common that you get later wake ups when switching 

[MommaHolmes]

Hi Aleesa,

The thing that cracked it for us (and we went down the OT/NW/EW trail for some months!) was figuring out that it was the afternoon A time that was causing the problems. I ended up sticking with a nap time of around noon (regardless of wake up times, which were often 5:30am) and making bedtime no more than 4.5 hours after wake up from nap.

Things rapidly improved for us from there and wake up time jumped from 5:30ish to 7ish, which was bloody marvellous! We even got two full weeks of sleep before DD arrived 

Whatever you decide to do, stick with the plan for at least a week. If your LO is OT (and with EW and NW it sounds like she is) then consistency is the key.

HTH
Laura x

[Aly Mac]

thank you so much guys...!  last night was just horrible, and while I was lying there crying, listening to my child screaming for me while DH tried to console her, I was hoping there was some inspiration on here.

So I guess the main thing from all your posts, is that it's best for her to be a little more tired in the morning A time, than in the afternoon A time.  The plan was to push that 11am nap out later until it got to around 12 or so.  I will push it out by 10mins every 3days I think, and just stick to the 1 naps.  I guess my only concern was that if she is ot in the morning, then her nap will be shorter. not sure where I got that from LOL> 

Oh and Michelle, and skatty, i did think about the catnap in the afternoon, but has never been successful in the past.  Of course, it's been in my mind, and maybe on a day where she is really ot, this would be a better option.

thanks again guys.  I will use your ideas and let you know how I go.

[Vicku]

Hi Aleesa!
Just want to say that I am right in there with you. I just posted on the Naps board cos my 17 month DD's days and nights are all upside down at the mo too and I really need some help. Then saw this thread, didn't realise there was more here about 2-1 transition. I'm eager to hear how you're getting on and if you come up with a strategy that can work more consistently. I've also been trying different things that have worked for a few days, and then it's all changed again and it's soo hard to know where to go then. I think that's what we find so hard, the fact that one nap is too little and two too much. Been very confused about this all so don't have any real advice for you, just wanted to offer my sympathy and you are most welcome to moan to me if you just need some moral support 
Btw, love your pic, Lilly is gorgeous!

[Aly Mac]

Thanks Vicky 

Last night she slept thru.....yah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  her day was like this:

6.30 wake
11.20-1.05 nap
6pm bed

and woke at 6, happy, and playing in her cot.

Feel so much better. not just for my rest, but for her too.  she is so much happier.  HOpefully today will go well too and the next........ but I know we may get some regression.  The problem I found last week, was that she would have a day/night like this, but then she seemed to need less at night, like 11.5hrs, after she catches up on her ot.  so will ahve to see how it goes.  the main thing I guess is to keep, slowly, pushing the nap later and later.

thanks for the support. you do know there is a support thread in the nap seciton too Vicky???

[anyamom]

hi aly,

sending you huge hugs... GREAT to know its been better for lilly !
i am sending huge "get-thru-transition-quickly" vibes to your beautiful baby... 

sorry cant offer any pearls of wisdom, as i really look to receive them from you

here's to more nights and days like yesterday! 

[Aly Mac]

thank you Sudhi - bought a tear to my eye..

[Adriana]

Hi Aly,
My DS has also just transitioned to the 1 nap. He's 13 months and our routine is:
6:30 Wake up (Later than ever after the transition)
11:00 Nap (Longer than ever after the transition)
12:30 Wake up
7:15 Bed

He does get cranky at around 3:00, but I just try to take him outside or distract him so that he gets his second air. If I allow a second nap (Even if catnap), then it can be 8:30 and he just doesn't want to go to bed.

I do know that the second A time is pretty long and should be shorter, but it works for us and he'd been sleeping through for a 7 day record (Then he got the flu and it looks like is getting his first molar).

Hope your routine works for you and I'd leave things just like you did when she slept through for at least 3 days. That's probably what works for her. If it doesn't then you can start moving things around.

Good luck!!

[Aly Mac]

thanks!

well she only slept for an hour today.. so early to bed...

[Vicku]

Hi Aleesa,
Just sending you and Lilly warm hugs and hoping you will have a good day AND night, and that things will settle soon! I'm sure they will, and at least when they settle in this new routine I've heard they'll keep it for ages. Keep up the good work! Sounds like you're doing a great job, and there's bound to be rebounds before the final thing, but sounds like you're definitely on the right track. Keep us posted...
 

[Aly Mac]

thanks vicky  asleep by 5.30...problem is she keeps falling asleep while I bf her which i hope doesn't create a habit 

[skatty]

Adriana, it's good to hear you have had a smooth transition but watch for OT signs very closely so you can nip it in the bud because as you say that is a long A time before bed and some people have found the OT accumaltes and doesn't show until about 6 weeks after the transition and then it is quite hard to come out of. Hopefully you will find that Javier starts to wake even later anyway, Leorah used to wake before 6am and now we often have to pry her out of ed at 8am  

Good luck to all of you, Aly Mac, I'm glad you had a good night, I hope they continue