15 month old with nap issues?

[Evilmena]

Just updating for myself, so I can keep track of the madness!!

So yesterday he did 4:15 A time in the AM (awoke at 6am but then I think he went back to sleep until 7am'ish.)  He had 1h 15min. nap and then slept again for a half hour in the pm.  I put him down after 7pm and he chatted on and off until close to 8pm and no wakeups.

Until 5:30am this morning when he started to cry and wouldn't stop, I had to get him up.  I was going to try to put him back down after 10 minutes but he was having none of it.  Mom said that by 7am he seemed to be falling asleep in his highchair which he never does so she put him down and it woke him up somehow because he began chatting and playing for 30 min. when I went in and took him out and told her it was too early.  I told her to put him down at 9/9:30am so we'll see what time he went down and for how long!

Update She put him down at 9:30am and he woke up at 11:15am...we'll see how the rest of the day goes but he seems off in disposition as well, maybe he'll finally pop some darned teeth...we've been at 6 teeth since November!  She put him down again at 3pm and he slept for 1/2 hour.  Come 5pm he was sooo tired, she put him to bed close to 6:30pm and he hasn't had a wakeup...poor kid had a long day!

[Evilmena]

A little update on us:

Yesterday he was up at 7:40am so I put him down just after noon and he slept a little over an hour.  We were out in the pm so didn't get to try for a pm nap - not that he would have taken one.  We got home, quickly bathed him and put him down a little after 7:30pm...he cried out at 5:30am (which he seems to do every morning now but usually it's a minor peep and he goes back to sleep) and I thought he might not go back to sleep.  Within a few minutes of crying he seemed to settle and fell back asleep and woke up at 8:45am!!!!  Oh glorious!!  I guess he made up for not sleeping during the day.  So I'm thinking he'll have to go down at 1-1:30pm today...right in time for my niece's 1st communion afterparty...I know he won't sleep there so I may just bring him home and then go back when he wakes, I mean the kid has to sleep!

[Evilmena]

Hi again,

need some help as I'm not sure what to do....there has been several occasions now where Jack is waking a little later 7:30am and can now go it seems 4.5 A time...so today he went down at noon and woke up less than an hour later...it could have been 45 minutes, nobody knows for sure without video as he gets silent the first 10 minutes usually but isn't really asleep.  Sometimes he'll start chatting after this.

Anyhow, I told my mom to put him down around 4-4:30pm...should we continue with this?  And if he doesn't sleep?  And what do we do in terms of A time now...looks like he's going down at the perfect time - noon but isn't sleeping the long 2-3 hours...will that just come over time like your LO did?  In the meantime do we just keep trying the PM nap in case he needs it and move up bedtime?  Should we still limit that noon nap if it's occuring when it is - I would think now as we want it to stretch out?

She put him down at 4:15pm and it's 5:20pm and he's still sleeping!

[speechie]

HI- just reading through quickly- sounds like you have some of the same issues I did when my LO was going through the 2-1 switch + teething- fun, isn't it? ugh.
We had a few days with a 45 min nap at about noontime, and we just put him down early to sleep that night- at 6 PM. Then gradually that noontime nap moved longer over about 3 weeks and now we have a 2 hour PM nap from 12:30 or 1 PM on. On the off day that he takes a late nap, we just push bedtime back.
For me, I just realized one day that he needed me to be flexible with his schedule until he was solidly on one nap.
Sounds like you got a little slice of heaven to have the7:30PM-8:45AM night! I don't think I've ever gotten that!
Keep it up, you're doing fine- hang in there, one day it will get better!

[becky1969]

cathie's rigth -- keep at it!

If nap is post 11:30, then you DON'T wake him because you're HOPING he has 1 long nap.  It takes time for their body to realize only one nap is coming! So BE PATIENT! And expect some early bedtimes for awhile.  I'd probably just consistently give him 1 nap at this point, no cat naps, unless nights become unbearable.  If he's STTN, then keep him on 1 for the forseeable future and he'll adjust!

[Evilmena]

Thanks for the responses!  So no more waking when he goes down after 11:30am - check!  He ended up sleeping 1 hour and 15 minutes for the PM nap and then I put him down just past 7:30pm and so far no complaints and no wakeups.

So I guess we'll do one nap unless he for whatever reason is extremely tired or wakes really early and needs to go down early for the AM nap.  The early bedtime isn't an issue, he was doing that when he was on 2 naps and still sleeping 12+ hours!  I know I've got a good sleeper which is why I don't want to complain and why I know he can do this!  As for schedule, I've always been a slave for sleep so we've never been ones to be out and about and him sleeping in the car or stroller (because he wouldn't anyway!) and we don't have activities either so we can definitely be flexible.

Going to tell mom about the new approach and see how it goes...thanks again ladies, I think we're getting there!

[speechie]

Hooray for no wakings- you are getting there! Good work and keep it up!

[Evilmena]

Success!!

So Jack woke up at 7:20am this morning and I told my mom to put him down at 11:45am.  At 11am she was calling me saying he was exhausted and she wanted to put him down - had been this way since after 10:30am...I told her to take him outside (again!) and distract him and get him as close to 11:30am as she could.  She put him down at 11:45am and he slept for 2 hours!!!

Now, tomorrow may be a different story but I know he can do it.  And now he doesn't have to go to bed so early tonight!  Thanks again!

[becky1969]

The key is having him wake late enough so that you can really push him to that 11:45 time.  WTG! And yay!!!! It may still be a struggle here and there for another month, but i think after that it will be smooth-sailing-1-nap-land! 

[Evilmena]

What would you consider waking late enough?  Any suggestions on how to make them wake later if need be?  Of course my mother doesn't attribute anything to the changes I've made - she said he slept 2 hours because he was exhausted...hmmm, so those other times when he was exhausted and only slept 30 minutes?  She doesn't get it, she tells me to stop reading books!  lol  I'm sure when we are completely switched and she's enjoying 2 hour windows to do what she has to get done she'll come up with another theory as to why it's happening.  Whatever, as long as he's getting the sleep he needs!   

[speechie]

I'm always happy if my DS makes it past 6:45AM, but it's really individual and varies from day to day...
Hugs for your mom's lack of understanding...ugh...it's frustrating when family doesn't get it...You are doing great and you can feel smug when the switch works, and YOU know why!!

[becky1969]

Like Cathie says -- usually if they wake 6:30+ that will get you to your goal of 1 nap 11:30 or later.

nothing you can do, but the more 2 hour naps he has the better it all goes!

[Evilmena]

Okay thanks, he doesn't usually wake earlier than 7am, rarely 6am and I mean RARELY.

This morning he awoke at 6:50am and then played quietly until I got him at 7:20am.

Mom put him down at 11:45am and he only slept for one hour to which she said "see".  Which I then corrected her and said I never expected he would do it again and everyday from this day forward.  She said she would try again at 3:30pm to which I said no (only 2.5 hours??), just to put him to bed at 6pm.  Hope that was the right choice...if we tried to squeeze another nap in it would be at 5pm and that's too late in my opinion...this way he has 5 hours A time before bed, which he has had and we keep it only at one nap.  Hope she listens to me!

[speechie]

good for you for sticking to your guns- she should listen to your requests as this is YOUR child! hope that she kept to your schedule, and yes, I think an early bedtime instead of a late nap was a good choice.

[Evilmena]

Yay, she listened to me and put him down for bed at 6pm and he awoke this morning at 8:20am??  Guess he made up for only the 1 hour during the day yesterday!

So she is to put him down around 1pm, hopefully he throws in a long one!  Thanks again for your help ladies!

.....

I'm going to scream!!!  I told her to put him down at 1pm when I learned he had awoken at 8:30am...I had originally told her around 12:30/1pm if he woke at 8am but then called her to say definitely 1pm or later.  So she put him down at 12:30pm, said he was tired before that and of course he slept 1/2 hour.  Now's she going to HAVE to try to put him down again before bed....ugggh.  One step forward, two steps back.