2-to-1 nap switch cold turkey?

[lilmonkey]

Good luck Lindsay.  I will be taking notes.

[kohnheads]

Mimi,

Are you going to give it a go?  If so, let us know how it goes.  I'm going to try the next time they sleep past 6:30am.  This morning it was 6am.  Still a bit too early to make it to 11am for the first nap.  Today we (mommy too!) napped from 10-noon.  They're taking a catnap now, because I just can't push them to a decent bedtime when they wake so early from their nap.  Maybe tomorrow?

Lindsay

[lilmonkey]

I'm thinking of giving it a go in July as I have relatives staying with us.  I figured that I need the extra hands and hoping that the distraction can make ds last the long A.

Good luck

[kohnheads]

Ugh, so we had yet another day of early waking.  Honestly, I don't know what is going on.  Today they went down for their am nap at 9am because they were totally beside themselves at that point!  They are both teething, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.  Anyhow, I think tomorrow I'm going to try the short am nap and hope for a nice long pm nap.  We haven't tried this yet and tomorrow we have a dr's appt at 10:55am, so it makes for the perfect scenario. 

I sometimes feel really selfish like I'm pushing them too fast.  Yet we are in such disarray that something has to be done.  We're going on a week vacation to the beach in Sept. and I'm (selfishly) hoping to have them to one nap by then.  Gosh that seems so far away!!! 

We're just starting this process and already I feel like I'm going crazy.  Can I just time warp 2 months ahead???

Lindsay

[lilmonkey]

I sometimes feel really selfish like I'm pushing them too fast.  Yet we are in such disarray that something has to be done.  We're going on a week vacation to the beach in Sept. and I'm (selfishly) hoping to have them to one nap by then.  Gosh that seems so far away!!! 

We're just starting this process and already I feel like I'm going crazy.  Can I just time warp 2 months ahead???

Lindsay

Oh I do know what you mean.  I have a school run for dd at 12pm and I can't have ds transistioning to one nap and taking it before noon.  I want the whole process to be over and done with by Sept.  During the first 8 mos of his life, his morning naps had always been interrupted b/c of school runs.
We have EWs again and I know that it is b/c of too much day sleep.  Or I could be wrong (it wouldn't the the first but don't tell dh, I have him trained to think that I wear the pants around here!  )

Anyway, hope tomorrow is better.

[Aly Mac]

Lindsay, just give it a few days to set in.  So you may not get a long second nap for a few days, so try and perserver.  if a short pm nap, then early to bed maybe.  I know you don't want to reinforce an ew, but if they are ot, it shouldn't effect it - as ot can do the same thing plus nw.!!!

it's such a tricky time, but you'll get there.

[kohnheads]

Well, today we tried the short am nap thing and so far, so good.  They slept for about 30 min this am before I woke them, and despite a difficult waking (boy were they bears!) we got through it fairly easily and they've been down for their pm nap for about an hour now.  I'm hoping we can make it past the 1.5 hr mark.  They did great in between the two naps though - they made it about 3.5 hrs before needing the pm nap.  So hopefully this'll work for us.   

So can somebody explain the transition process if I stick to the short am nap?  Does it eventually just get dropped when they start refusing it?  Do I move it forward or back or keep it at the same time?  Just want to make sure I'm doing things correctly!!! 

[newmama12]

I'm thinking about going cold turkey soon, as well. DD is 14 months and does take 2 naps a day, but she takes forever to fall asleep for them. Normally, she'll sleep 1-1.5 hours per nap, so she's napping close to 3 hours a day. I'm just wondering if she's able to nap all 3 of those hours at once if we change it to one nap. She's been getting up early too..6am! So, by 9:30 she's getting cranky. It's going to be a challenge to keep her up and entertained till 11:30ish before a nap. I go back and forth every day! Let us know how you lo is doing.

[~*~Little Miss Sunshine~*~]

Joining the pack if I may.  DS is still taking 2 naps (well, theoretically LOL).  He has 2 good naps when I'm working and he's at MILs but the past 3 days he has absolutley refused to take his 2nd nap. So he has had some really long afternoons and even an EW this morning   ARG!!  I've been trying to delay it but he is refusing his 2nd nap more and more all the time.  Wondering if I should just do it cold turkey since he isn't taking his 2nd nap no matter what even if he wakes as early as 11:15 from his 1st nap.

[lilmonkey]

I spoke to a friend the other day about going cold turkey when transitioning to one nap.  The key for her was lots of distractions and snacks.  She got her dd (13-14 mos) onto one nap within 2-3 wks.  She would only offer one nap at midday about 5 hrs from wake up.  When her dd was clearly tired and she couldn't keep her awake, she would allow a 5-10 min snooze but not in the crib.  So there is hope for us who are on this crazy rollercoaster ride.

I'm just wondering if she's able to nap all 3 of those hours at once if we change it to one nap.

Chances are slim that she will sleep all 3 hrs at once but eventually she will.  DD was taking 2 1.5 hrs naps and once she got onto one nap, it took her a good few weeks to sleep 2+hrs.  I did have to go and convince her that nap time is not over.   

[~*~Little Miss Sunshine~*~]

So glad there is hope!!

DS was awake at 5:45 this morning so I thought for sure he'd have to go down early, but it is now 10:40 and he hasn't been too bad yet.  I'm hoping to make it to 11 am and have him sleep until 12:30 or so at least.  then I'll give him an early bedtime and hope that he sleeps a bit later tomorrow.  We'll see how it goes!

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Not transitioning yet I think but when I did it with dd I shortened the am nap but I never moved the time of it. It just took her longer and longer to fall asleep so once I had it down to half hour nap time if she wasnt asleep at the 20 min mark it was a one nap day with the nap early. If she fell asleep before 20 mins I let her cat nap about 15 mins. The transition was really easy, took maybe 2 weeks tops.

[kohnheads]

We're still having the EWs despite shortening the am nap.  Today we're on 2 naps because we have our ped appt and shots, so I thought they should be well-rested for those.  Tomorrow I'm going back to a catnap in the am with long nap in the pm.  I need to stick with it and be a little more consistent before I make a true judgment about whether it's working or not.  Because so far it has been HORRID.  It's like my sweet little boys have turned into monsters from a combination of changing schedules, being woken when they don't want to be woken, and EWs.  Am I making this harder on myself than it has to be?  Fiona, I think I'm going to try your tactic.  Keep the am nap at the same time and if they don't fall asleep, it's a one nap day.  That sounds like a good plan.

I love hearing everyone's stories - it gives me hope that this can work and gives me good ideas on how to keep trying!!!

[Aly Mac]

that's what I ended up doing.  PUt her down for her am nap a little later than I was, and if no nap, then the one nap at 11. 

It will get better guys.

Hey don't forget there is a 2-1nap switch support thread too guys!

[~*~Little Miss Sunshine~*~]

Yeah, I think I need to check out that support thread....been in denial