Support Thread for 2 to 1 nap transition cont.

[*Becky*]

Hi ladies,
Can I join you??? DS is 13.5 months and we are struggling with this whole 2:1 thing and have been for a while. He has been doing a 35 min am nap and then a longer nap later which is max 1.20. I would love it to be longer but he is a chronic short napper and always has been really. Seems to be fine at night but we get early mornings due to early bedtimes due to short naps! Anyway - wondering how to move forward as today was shocking. Refused am nap after 3.45 A time (usually around 3.45-4 hours - will not go down before) Ended up sleeping after 4.40 A time!!! Messed up the whole day really as his middle A time is long too - have tried to get him down earlier but won't go. So he did 2 x 45 min naps all day....not sure how to move on. Should I cut the am nap more or try and make it his main nap? Confused x

[JaspersMum]

Hi Brodster'sMommy and Henry1 - sounds like you've been having a rough time indeed.

Brodster'sMommy that diarhoea sounds a bit weird, I would definitely be getting a second opinion on that.  Could it be gastroenteritis?  If he's got diarhoea and is screaming more than usual he could well have a bug.  Or perhaps he has an allergy to something?

This is the schedule I try and stick to 5 days of the week.  The other two days my mum and MIL have DS and they do what they like, despite my repeated attempts to get them to follow his routine!

Wake up - 6.30am (hardly ever later than this, sometimes earlier)
Nap 1 - 10ish for max 35 minutes
Nap 2 - 3.5 hours from wake up, so usually around 2ish
Bed - 3-4 hours after wake up, so around 7ish (he doesn't need a long A time here like some kids)

At night he sleeps from 10.5 -11.5 hours and we only have NWs if he's sick or teething.

Henry1 my advice would be to try one nap if your LO can handle 4.5 hours A time in the morning.  You might want to alternate some 1 and 2 nap days.

[JaspersMum]

Gee, I let him sleep this morning for an extra five minutes or so (so he had close to 40 minutes in total) and it completely stuffs the pm nap!!  Beware ladies!  The littlest things can have a huge impact!

By stuffed up I mean that I put him down too early for his pm nap, so it took him ages to fall asleep and then he woke early probably because he was OT by the time he did fall asleep!

Wake - 6.20am (after an 11.5 hour night)
Nap 1 - 10.11 - 10.49am
Nap 2 - put him down at 2.20 - fell asleep at 2.40 - woke at 3.15 cranky!
Will have to try bed at 6.30!

[shresmummy]

Hey Rachel, oh no I hate that. We had a couple of days like that last week as well...just 5 mins can make SUCH a big difference. It sounds crazy doesn't it? Sometimes people wonder whether I'm just nuts when they hear me talk about DD"s routine.

I realised the only place I will discuss these things from now on is on this BW site. No one else seems to understand!!

Well as you may have read on my other post, DD had a 1 nap day today. and I put her to bed at 6:30 and she fell asleep in under 3 minutes! Can you believe that?

Henry1, I would also agree with Rachel and just give a 1 nap day a go if your LO can handle that A time. Just one other thing, when I did cut my AM nap short with my LO I had to really push forward the PM nap a lot and make certain I didn't let that middle A time end up too long. That just seemed to backfire on me all the time if I didn't keep it to under 3.5hr. But that could just be my LO being strange!!

[Brodster'sMommy]

I think I am slowly but surely losing my mind over DSs sleep (doesn't help that I'm pregnant!

Last night he was up all night. Half the time I went to him he was standing in his crib, paci in his mouth, screaming at the top of his lungs - really high pitched. I took him to the dr this morning and they find nothing - they don't even see teeth coming in!

I tried something new yesterday:
a: 7am
s: 10-11
s: 2-3
s: 7

he was awake/fussing/crying from 12:30-3am.

I've tried a short AM , long PM nap but DS never slept longer than 1.5 hours (rare occasion). I've tried one nap. I've tried 2 - 1 hour naps. I'm totally lost.

If you were me, what would you do?
 
Today he woke at 7:45 and was out cold by 11:40. I'm going to let him sleep as long as he wants and see what happens. I feel I have nothing to loose anymore.

Please help me!

[mimi1017]

I'm gping to join in to share my experience. My DD started the 2:1 napping since she turmed 12 months. At first I was in tears over her being a mess in the PM. Then like previous post I tried short am long PM and vice versa, lengthening am A and it was backfiring with EW. So I noticed that she won't do long A without getting OT for the rest of the day. I stopped trying to do the recommended during this time because my DD has never done well with these strategies, so I follow her cues and she has her long AM nap after 3-3.25 A and will NOT nap in the PM, but she'll lay there, play, relax...down time during her usual PM nap she would usually take and surprisingly is in a good mood until it gets close to bedtime.  She still takes a PM nap some days when I offer it but as she is getting older she seems to refuse it more. Don't get me wrong I still get Ew here and there because it is a looOong A before bedtime, but we manage and she seems to get caught up somehow. I am waiting for her to lengthen her am a time and then she'll take a midday nap. This is how I'm keeping sane for now during this crazy time.....who knows I'll be coming here crying later, but for now her AM nap is predictable...hth

[JaspersMum]

Brodster'sMommy - could it be separation anxiety?

Did you wake him from either of those 1 hour naps?  I think it is okay to wake him from at least one of them, so if you are waking him in the morning, best to let him wake himself in the pm. 

Sleeping for 1.5 hours in the pm is perfect if he's doing around 30 minutes in the am.  I think expecting more than 2 hours of day sleep during this transition is unrealistic.

I think you need an expert . . can you get more help by posting a question on the main board?

[*Becky*]

Brodster's mummy - I really feel for you. I hope you get some help. We are having a nightmare too and I am just so exhausted. I don't think Henry could cope with a one nap day but it is hellish trying for 2 so maybe we will just have to. Most days I have to drive him to sleep as he fights it so much but I know he is tired. He is so high maintenance at the moment - demanding, fussy etc. I also cannot talk to anyone as they are fed up! I wish I had a plan to at least try and follow...

[Brodster'sMommy]

Henry1, I posted a new topic on the message boards and already had some great advice.

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=161356.0
(hope I posted the link correctly. I can't do things as well on my phone. )

I'm going cold turkey to one nap. I am so sorry your having such a hard time too. I would never wish this one anyone! DS is also super high maintanence as it is but even more so lately. And lack of support from friends whos LOs easily trasitioned to 1 nap is so dissapointing. Thank you Lord for BW!! I hope your situation improves quickly. Keep us updated on the progress. What is your schedule like atm?

[*Becky*]

well the last 3 days have been hellish and today he slept 1.10 in total despite us trying to get him down for longer. He justs fights sleep in his cot but then at night goes down amazingly well. Weird...
Before it all went crazy he was doing...
Awake 6 (between 6-6.30am)
S - 9.45-10.20
S - 2-3pm
Bed 6.30pm

He is quite random and his day changes quite a bit tbh. We have been slowly shortening the am nap to shorten the second A time as it is loooong even with a fairly short nap. Problem is he has never napped for long so if I shorten it too much in the am his total day sleep is low...

Anyway - there is no way he is anything but OT now after the last 2 days....

Will check your post - hugs x

[JaspersMum]

Hi everyone,

we are still plodding along okay.  Wishing I could get later wake ups though, and finding DS more tired in the mornings than usual, like ready for a nap after 2.5 hours almost!  Yesterday we did:

Wake - 6.20 (after an 11 hr 40 minute night!)
Nap 1 - 9.50 - 10.20
Nap 2 - 1.45 - 3.15
Bed - 7.25, asleep by 7.30

Was hoping he'd wake later than 6.30 but no . . got 6.25

I know I have to push back his am A time to 4 hours.

[Julianne1984]

Hey everyone sorry I've not been on for a week!! I have a thread going and have been busy on there (I know one or two of you have read along).

Long story short: After 10months Tyler is on 1 nap. Decided to go cold turkey. He sleeps about 2hrs, sometimes less/more...

A 5:30
S 11-13:00
S 18:30

Today, day 6, he got tired early and has gone for his nap at 10:30, so will have an early night. Back to normal tomorrow hopefully. Once he's been on this routine for a month or so, we will begin sleep training when he wakes at 5:30 and hopefully he'll start sleeping later and we'll shift his day. (Although I quite like a long evening!)

Hope everyone's ok, I'll read posts tonight.xx

[JaspersMum]

Am so thinking of jumping straight to one nap . . . We had a late night last night so I let DS sleep 1.5 hours for his morning nap.  He's now down 4 hours later and he aint sleeping!  I knew letting him sleep would bite me in the a@#!

[shresmummy]

Hi everyone, sounds like a rough weekend all-around for us. I think my LO has suddenly made a jump to 5hr A time. We went cold turkey to 1 nap late last week but then the weekend was all messed up. Today she went to childcare but didn't sleep for her nap until we got home at 12:30, nearly after 5.75hr A time.

But I think I also let her sleep too much today. Cos now 4hrs later she also didn't sleep in time for bedtime.

I wish we could all have an easy transition to one nap. How come everyone l know has no issues? Brodster's mom, you're right, Thank goodness for BW!

Hope you're having an easier time Henry1. Sorry I can't be of more help! I am clean out of ideas today for all of us.!

[Julianne1984]

Shresmummy, I don't know any people who have had problems. My sister has 3 kids they all went to 1 nap easy, as did friends kids etc.

We had problems for 10months so you're not alone. I tried a few times to go cold turkey to one nap but ended up with OT after 3/4 days. This time it's been a week and he's finally fine with it at 19months old!! It takes time. Xx