Author Topic: Long NW's  (Read 23677 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jenn+Ethan+Emily

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 107
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6377
  • So Big!
  • Location: Alberta, Canada
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #90 on: January 21, 2010, 23:43:55 pm »
I was very happy to read my book! I totally understand the car seat thing. It makes me so frustrated. Exactly like you said, a 2 min car seat nap = a 1.5 hr nap in Ethan's mind!



Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #91 on: January 21, 2010, 23:47:52 pm »
Hope the night goes well regardless Jenn! Luckily, if/when Matthew falls asleep in the car I can "usually" transfer him to the stroller - as long as it's been less than 15-20 minutes. He usually half wakes but then I park him in a darkened bathroom with the hair dryer on cold and he usually goes back out. LOL
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01

Offline Jenn+Ethan+Emily

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 107
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6377
  • So Big!
  • Location: Alberta, Canada
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #92 on: January 21, 2010, 23:58:09 pm »
Lol, that is quite a theory! How did you figure out he likes the blow dryer on?!?!



Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #93 on: January 22, 2010, 02:18:51 am »
Honestly, I don't even remember anymore. It's not very BW of me but he basically never naps in his crib. We just don't have time for it - constantly on the move. He used to nap in his infant car seat, now it's usually in his stroller. Sometimes I take him for a walk but it's too cold lately and often I just park him in my bathroom with his teddy and blanket, read to him, sing him Twinkle Twinkle, darken the room, turn the dryer on and leave. Once asleep I turn the dryer off and move him out of the bathroom near the normal white noise machine.

Oh, I remember! When he was an infant and colicky (not terribly so but just enough) I brought him down to the basement while DH was running on the treadmill one night. He immediately relaxed and started to doze off in my arms (he had been majorly fussing/crying)! I tried to recreate with similar sounds and found that the hair dryer helped him relax during his evening fussy time. Then one evening he dozed off with it on! And it grew from there...

At night he does fall asleep totally independently in his crib with only the normal sound machine on!
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01

Offline Jenn+Ethan+Emily

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 107
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6377
  • So Big!
  • Location: Alberta, Canada
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #94 on: January 22, 2010, 03:16:33 am »
That is so funny! hey whatever works though! As long as he sleep at night for you, who cares?



Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #95 on: January 22, 2010, 11:38:36 am »
My thoughts exactly! Plus this way he's more portable - I can get him to fall asleep in stroller pretty much anywhere for a nap, even if it's not a super long one. Night wasn't bad here - 7:35-5:55 with a tiny mantra at 5:05. Early start but...
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01

Offline Jenn+Ethan+Emily

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 107
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6377
  • So Big!
  • Location: Alberta, Canada
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #96 on: January 22, 2010, 14:57:26 pm »
Thats good. Yes an early start but at least the night was good! We had a good night also. I cannot stop these early NW's though! He went to bed at 7:15pm, woke at 8:30, woke at 9:30 and then woke at 11:30, then he slept until 7:20am. Nice to actually be up and about before he wakes finally! We are still getting those 3 early NW's though :-\ Our day yesterday went like this:

Wake 6:30
S: 10-10:40 then awake for 10 min then 10:50-11:10
S: 1:30-1:45 (carseat, ugh!)
I tried to get him to go to sleep during this time several times with no luck but he was clearly tired.
S: 4:20-5:00
Asleep in bed by 7:15pm

So maybe I will plan for the same thing today and hope for better naps!



Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #97 on: January 22, 2010, 15:08:41 pm »
The early NWs really sound like OT during day (not OT before bed) to me. Maybe try again with that first nap 15 minutes sooner? Still cut it at one hour if he makes it that long?  Glad the night went well though!
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01

Offline Jenn+Ethan+Emily

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 107
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6377
  • So Big!
  • Location: Alberta, Canada
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #98 on: January 22, 2010, 16:14:52 pm »
Yeah I will try that again and hope for the full 1hr nap. Hopefully I can eliminate those early NW's at some point here!



Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #99 on: January 22, 2010, 16:21:14 pm »
Even if he only takes 45 it might be better to avoid OT and then you can shorten next A time and try for 2 hour nap?
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01

Offline Tweakster

  • Tweakster extraordinaire
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 444
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 18877
  • Location:
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #100 on: January 22, 2010, 16:28:54 pm »
Hi there, just my two cents in this.  I think it's almost better to scrap a short nap and move on to adjusting the next A time and getting that better nap in the PM.  For us extending wouldn't work anyway but I am just wondering if the extending his short naps is messing him up?  I mean like that 10 mins he was awake yesterday was really A time and could impact how his body clock is adjusting.

I guess I am kind of supporting what Karen is saying just in a roundabout way hehe...I think whatever he takes at the AM is his nap...and then reduce A time and get that better 2 hr+ nap out of him for the PM.  I think that might be better than having a 40 min nap, small gap, and then another 20-30 mins to make up the hour etc. 

Am I making any sense?  I know what I want to say but the words are failing me here lol.
The tweaking never stops!

Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #101 on: January 22, 2010, 16:30:49 pm »
Makes sense to me Wendy!!! How are you and Finn doing? Are you updating your thread?

Gottta run - DS fussy and going out for a walk back later
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01

Offline Jenn+Ethan+Emily

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 107
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 6377
  • So Big!
  • Location: Alberta, Canada
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #102 on: January 22, 2010, 17:53:42 pm »
Okay, that sounds good. Would you do the same thing if he wakes up from his am nap OT and grouchy? Just move then next A time and hope for a longer pm nap? My only concern with that, is that I seldom get a long PM nap out of his and then I end up with an OT baby. That being said, I guess this technique will hopefully allow his body to settle for a longer nap. Thanks for you input! He is napping right now so I will let you know how long it lasts!



Offline Tweakster

  • Tweakster extraordinaire
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 444
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 18877
  • Location:
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #103 on: January 22, 2010, 18:09:57 pm »
Hi there Jenn, I thought the same thing when they told me to cut the AM nap back.  I thought no way, it's always been our best nap, it's also when I catch up on sleep from EW/NW.  I was sure the Finn was going to reject that PM nap no matter what.  But lo and behold he just can't get through the day without it and has done a PM nap every day since cutting that AM nap.  I got one OT nap since starting a week ago, and that was because I got the middle A time wrong - and the OT nap was still over an hour so we could make it to bedtime, just.  It's all up to the middle A time.

I would start at the 1 hour AM nap and then move that middle A time accordingly until he's doing a decent PM nap.  But at the same time, I wouldn't be afraid to end that AM nap at whatever he gives you i.e. 35, 40 or 45 mins and just put him down sooner for the PM nap.  I think you'll find that he will take a really good PM nap if you have the right A time.

Finn is a month older than Ethan but has always been on the low end of A times anyway. 
Here is what I have found with A time:
Morning A before nap between 3 - 3.5 hours, no more than this and closer to 3 hours most days.
Middle A after 30 min nap = asleep by 2 hr 45 mins, after 40 min nap = asleep by 3 hrs, 45 mins = asleep by 3 hr 15 - 3 hr 30 (have to watch carefully here).  It may not be the same for Ethan but it's what has worked for us so far.
Final A - can be up to 4 hours on a 2 hour nap but no more, closer to 3.5 hours.  If his PM nap is only 1.5 hours I try to aim for 3 or 3 hr 15.

If he does 1 hour AM nap you will have to wing it and determine what A time will get you 1.5 hours PM nap. 

I know it's hard but try not to go out while you are working this out.  I mean of course you have to go out but just do your best to do it immediately after his AM nap (like be ready to go when he wakes and don't be out more than 1.5 hours) or at that period between second nap and bedtime.  Once he gets used the routine I think you will be able to have a bit more flexibility with your middle A.

He will be grouchy but you just have to use your friend distraction :-)
The tweaking never stops!

Offline Mom to M&M

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 128
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 7655
  • Cool dude!
  • Location: NJ
Re: Long NW's
« Reply #104 on: January 22, 2010, 18:32:01 pm »
ITA with Wendy. Also, if he's OT after a short morning nap, in addition to putting him down sooner for his PM nap, it might help to move the morning nap sooner (as Wendy also has in her routine) - that way he'll be more rested even after a short AM nap.

Of course this is all coming from me -  master of no routine for the most part! I had a great one with DD but it's too hard second time around so I do a mixture of winging it and loosely going with A times when possible. Luckily DS is usually flexible...
Karen: Proud Mama to Marisa (8-11-05) and Matthew (6-5-09) and happily married to my best friend and love of my life since 10-13-01