totally confused about naps now!!!

[Katstar]

Been working on ds (5months) naps for a few weeks now. Had some success with morning nap (now 1.5-2hrs) still struggling with afternoon nap (usually 45m-1hr) so trialling different A times.

Up until i started working on the naps ds would STTN most nights. Then the EW at 4-6am started once his naps got longer??? Thought it would take a while to adjust HOWEVER yesterday was an awful day naps wise. Again morning was good - had 2hr 15 mins in morning but then only 40 mins at 2nd nap. Then refused to nap until 3.5 hrs later. He was overtired and cranky although i have to say he was probably more cross that i kept trying to put him down. When he was up he was fine and smiley!

Finally napped for 30 mins then went down to bed half hour earlier at 6.30pm...this is where it gets odd...he slept through the night...had to be WOKEN at 7.15am??? This has not happened for weeks. He has regularly been waking at least once and mostly twice between 4-6am.

Can anyone shed any light on what is happening? I'm inclined not to try and extend 2nd nap if he is going to STTN or was is just a coincidence? He wouldn't have longer nap again today so is currently having catnap and will be going down to bed early again tonight!

[JLSPAS09]

Do you have your EASY routine from yesterday that you could post showing A times...etc? That way, we can better assess...

My LO is 3 months this coming Sunday and has been STTN for the past 3 nights consistently but is a horrible napper. Although I want to *fix* the naps, I am GRATEFUL for the STTN. If it is, in fact, a TRADE OFF, I'll take nights!

Looking forward to hearing from you...

[Katstar]

Thanks. Yesterday went like this:

E 6.50am
S 8.30am til 10.45

E 11am
S 12.55pm til 1.30

E 3pm
S eventually at 4.40pm - no tired signs shown after 2hrs but try to put down anyway - not sleepy at all. Only started showing tired signs (eye rubbing and 'shouting') after 3hrs

E 6pm
S 6.30pm - slept right through until 7.15am!!!

I know how you feel - after a good nights sleep last night i feel human again. Ds wont nap longer than 45 mins when we're out and about so finding it a little restrictive if he does have a longer afternoon nap anyway.

Thanks for your help x

[~Sara~]

Hi there!  Just my 2 cents...I think he's ready for an A time increase, plus I think you need to scale back on that first nap, as it's acting more like an extension of his night sleep (meaning, he knows he'll get huuuuge chunk of sleep early in the morning, so why not give Mom and Dad an EW ).

I think the sttn until 7 was just a fluke, in that I think he was just so tired from his short naps day that he crashed.  I know you want to tackle the EWs, too, but since they're more than likely attributable to his days, we have to tackle the A times/naps first.

How old exactly is your LO (5, 5.5, closer to 6 months)?  I don't think he needs a large A time increase, but only, say 15 minutes or so.  So, tomorrow, try extending his A time to 2h10-2h15 minutes...keep the activity at the end low-key so as not to make him OS or OT.  Gentle extension is the key.

Then, you need to make sure that you keep his naps in check.  If he's sleeping still at 2 hours, wake him up.

When DS was doing 2h15 A times, this is what a typical day looked like:

Awake: 7
E: 7:30
A:
S: 9:15 (1.5h nap)
A: 10:45
E: 11:30
A:
S: 1 (1.5h nap)
A: 2:30
E: 3:30
A:
S: 4:45 (30 minute catnap)
A: 5:15...feed, bedtime routine
S: asleep by 7:30

There's obviously some wiggle room, depending on how his naps go; but I think sticking to something like this will help you out a lot.  You'll just have to start his A time from when he gets up in the morning.

So, let me know what you think about that.

[Katstar]

Thanks...been without internet for a few days so only just seen reply. The last few nights the EW have gone!!! I started to put him to bed earlier rather than stringing him out til 7pm. Gradually the waking has got later and the last 2 mornings he has woken after 7am!!!

Still struggling with the afternoon nap. He wakes after 45 mins and is grumpy and yawning almost straight away. I'm thinking of trying PUPD to see if i can extend the nap. I will try out your timings above and see how i get on. Ds is just 5 months so i think it is time for a A time increase.

The first A time has gone really short since waking later...is this normal??? It is now 1hr 15-1hr 30 then he gets really tired and yawning. I haven't tried to push it back as concerned about OT but e is now only sleeping 1- 1.5hrs for morning nap. Is this UT or OT???

Thanks again

[~Sara~]

That's wonderful about the EWs!  7 is such a lovely number, isn't it?

For the afternoon nap, is shh/pat not working for extending?  I would stick to using shh/pat unless it's starting to bother him--it's just that PU/PD can be too much for some LOs.  The 45 minutes could go either way with UT or OT.  Since he's grumpy, I would say that he's still tired and that you should work at extending the nap.

I wouldn't let him revert too much with his A times.  But his nap afterward sounds good.  If it's closer to 1 hour, I would say it's still UT.  If it's over 1.5 hours, then I would say he's okay.  Just keep an eye on that over the next couple of days.  Has he been sick lately, or is he teething?  That can sometimes make LOs want a shorter A time.