I wanted to post our success story to give those out there who are going through this time in your "toddlerhood" some encouragement and strength. When we were going through the 2-1 nap switch I was devistated, nervous, and sensitive about everything. It was difficult finding the "correct" time to put DS down and for how long, etc, etc. The battle seemed endless.....
BUT it DID end and it will end for you too. It took us just at about 2 months to do the entire transition. We not only transitioned to 1 nap, but we also moved DS's bedtime back an hour and a half (to 7:30) so that he would sleep in later. It was an adventure.
Some tips that I received (and others that I learned) that I hope will help others going through this...
1) Be consistant - Don't just try for 1 day and then give up on an idea. Give the idea at least 3 days if not 5 days.
2) Determine which works better for your child; Clock times or A times. In the beginning for us, we HAD to watch A times! DS wasn't having enough A time in the morning and we had to push that back before we could attempt 1 nap. As time went on though I found that he know needs Clock times. He's on a schedule that he knows.
3) Be patient - some ppl say it was only a week of craziness and then all was peaceful again. I don't know if that is really true, what I do know is that God gives us a great ability to forget the rough times! It took us about 2 months of actual work at the switch, but in reality it was more like 3 or 4 months of fighting naps, etc.
4) Embrace where you are at in this stage. I found that this switch proved even more to me that DS was growing up. Instead of being angry or annoyed with this stage, I really tried hard to enjoy it even when DS would ONLY nap for 30 minutes in the morning and then refuse his pm nap.
I'm hear to help, my advice is still "rookie advice" as we just recently moved through this transition, but I'm willing to help where I can!
It will get better, easier, and you'll be back to enjoying sleep and relaxation before you know it!
