Author Topic: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?  (Read 16671 times)

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Offline babybarr

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #150 on: January 27, 2010, 11:38:15 am »
Well after our 50min nap yesterday we appeared to have an ok night - now you know I have to say appeared as I'll often sleep through if he's just awake. 

Sorry you girls are doing it tough.  I decided a while a go just to try to go with it as we have such rough nights regardless and I was going insane - however in the middle of the night very often I find myself going crazy anyway!!

LAURA xx




Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #151 on: January 27, 2010, 12:58:35 pm »
Laura, I am glad you finally had a good night.  You deserve it!!

Grrrrr............ he did not go back to sleep.  So the night before was 10 hours and last night 9.5.  I am so fed up with this.  He did not sleep too much during the day yesterday and there is no reason for him to be waking this early.  We have another class this morning and fortunately it is earlier.  But if he is in the same state of mind as yesterday, it will be horrible.  I seriously don't understand why he won't just sleep.
Kara


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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #152 on: January 27, 2010, 17:07:57 pm »
Sorry Kara, not sure what to say.  We had a 10min nap today if that makes you feel any better!!  He woke himself coughing and wouldn't go back to sleep even after a long car ride too!!  He's also running a low grade fever so really hoping it's not yet another hospital visit.

I would maybe suggest for you an early bedtime...  What was your nap today?
LAURA xx




Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #153 on: January 27, 2010, 17:18:40 pm »
Laura, I am so sorry your LO is ill.  That really stinks.  I hope he feels well soon.

We are in mid nap right now.  He actually did well this morning in the class and didn't start to meltdown until it was time to leave.  I came home, gave him the quickest snack possible, and get him into bed.   He was sleeping by 11:20.  I am tempted to just let him sleep more today because he is so tired. But I am not sure if he will.
Kara


Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #154 on: January 27, 2010, 17:50:47 pm »
The nap today was not good - 1 hour and 10 minutes.  The OT cycle will continue.

Here are the last 10 days:
1/27
wake - 5:30
nap - 11:20 - 12:30

1/26
wake - 5:30
nap - 1:10 - 2:25
bed - 7:50

1/25
wake - 6:40
nap - 1 - 2:10
bed - 7:20

1/24
wake - 6:35
nap - 1 - 2:10
bed - 7:15

1/23
wake - 4:56
nap - 10:50 - 12:30
bed - 5:50

1/22
wake 5:30
nap - 11:30 - 1:40
bed - 7:40
This day doesn't seem right to me.  I will have to go back and re-check that.  He never sleeps that long, nor do I let him.

1/21
wake - 5
nap - fell asleep for 5 minutes in the car and refused a nap
bed - 6 tried for 5:30, but would not sleep
NW - 9:30 - 9:40

1/20
wake - 6
nap - 12:10 - 1:40
bed - 7:05

1/19
wake - 6:30
nap - 1:20 - 2:30
bed - 7:40

1/18
wake - 5:55
nap - 12:10 - 1:40
bed - 7:20
Kara


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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #155 on: January 27, 2010, 21:43:28 pm »
Ok, just quickly - looking at your days it *seems* 7.15pm bedtime is good with a nap of around 1hr 10mins at 12.30-1pm ish, and possibly napping up to 1.5hrs. Would it be worth trying to stick to these set times for say 4/5days and seeing what happens?  Only clutching at straws but maybe a similar time each day will help him settle his bodyclock and that way he'll know what to expect?

LAURA xx




Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #156 on: January 28, 2010, 12:37:59 pm »
Thanks Laura.  I will think about it.  The only thing that concerns me is when we get EW's of 5/5:30 and push until 12:30, the nap is bound to be horrible and then pushing until 7:15 will create more OT.  KWIM?  But it is definitely something to think about, since I have not tried set bedtime and nap times yet.

My LO slept from 6:15 - 6:40 this morning.  But he was babbling at 3 am.  I am not sure for how long, since I turned down the monitor.  It could have been 5 minute or 1 hour.  Who knows.  Either way, still more rested than usual.  So at least we aren't totally OT today.
Kara


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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #157 on: January 28, 2010, 14:55:05 pm »
Glad you had a good night.  Hopefully you'll be able to get back on track.


Well we had another 45min nap today even after a horrible night and the 10mins yesterday BUT he wakes up happy so I can only assume we need to push the nap regardless.  He went down early today to compensate for the bad night but now all I have is a short nap and even longer till bed!!  Oh well, we plod on!

LAURA xx




Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #158 on: January 28, 2010, 18:17:41 pm »
Ughhh Laura - so sorry.

Another crib party today.  He has been in there for 55 minutes.  So far he has thrown everything out of his crib, managed to get into his hamper that is next to his crib and pulled out dirty clothes and then got a dirty sheet stuck and wrapped around him, so that I had to go in and get it off.  It doesn't look like a nap is going to happen today.  As I write this, he is running back and forth from 1 side to the next.  Meanwhile, his momma had a horrible night of sleep and was hoping to catch a couple of zzz's.  Doesn't look like it is going to happen.
Kara


Offline Mashi

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #159 on: January 28, 2010, 18:41:36 pm »
I do agree. Looking at the past days Kara there is a lot more consistency than I thought there would be.  You recovered VERY well from that 4:56am waking with a 12+ hour night, which means that he CAN catch up on sleep if he really needs to.

What my gut tells me by looking at this pattern is that he wakes early because he CAN.  If he wakes up early, he is allowed to go to sleep earlier that day, and at this stage in the game I think he has realised that (consciously or subconsciously!)  While I do think that for younger LOs and touchy LOs, you do have to move the nap earlier when you have an EW, I am starting to wonder if setting it will really help to set a body clock for him.  It may take a couple of weeks, but he will start to realise that night is for sleep, and naps are for after lunch. Don't sleep in the night, gonna be tired all morning! I would not push it on him too harshly at first, though.

Generally, it looks like he's waking 6/630ish and napping at 1ish?  I think I would move that a wee bit earlier, as it looks like earlier was getting you some better naps. I know the A time will be mucked up, but I am starting to suspect that A times are NOT the way to go here. I think you need to use some clock times for at least a few weeks and see.  We've not gone that route yet and it is very effective for so many people (works well for us!) and my own opinion is that there is nothing to lose anymore -- you might disagree with that one of course!

So try a 1230ish "set" nap time. "Set" in quotes because to me that can sway 10 minutes either way, depending on the day.  But I do find that once we get into a good routine, it is not totally uncommon for my DS to fall asleep at bang-on the minute every day (lately has been 12:03pm, waking at 1:33. Weird, eh?)  I would then adjust that "set" time to 1200 or 100 after a few days of seeing when he seems to fall asleep easiest.

I'd do the same with bedtime -- between 700 and 730 looks like where you are having the most luck. I would start with putting him into his cot at 700 and seeing what time he falls asleep, and then adjust. If he is regularly taking until 8ish to fall asleep then I would say that means 700 is too LATE and instead have him in bed for 630.  And except on days when he totally does not nap or naps less than one hour, I would not move bedtime earlier.  If he naps less than an hour I would only move bedtime 30 minutes earlier max, unless you're reaching meltdown. But I wouldn't routinely do it -- I think he is learning the same with naps "doesn't matter if I don't nap, I can just go to bed early...."

I don't think that you can get out of this totally OT-free. Not if he EWs on you. That's the tough part.  But I think that if you implement it GENTLY and slowly, it shouldn't take too long, and i think that one good nap or good night's sleep at any point should be able to catch him up from any OT that you do get.

So if he EWs, all I would do is whatever you can to get him back to sleep. Use some teething gel, some tylenol, lie on his floor and hold his hand through the cot bars or whatever. But do not get him up, nothing until your accepted, desired wake up time -- 6? or 630?  Either way I would choose your wake up time now and stick with it, and then once things are starting to look a little bit consistent, I would start waking him up at that time so that a sleep in does not get you off track.

It just really looks to me like A times are NOT the way to go here and that setting a body clock and letting him know when sleep time is, is probably the best way to go.

Any thoughts on that plan...do you think I am off my rocker? ! LOL, you know me, I don't care if you write back to tall me I'm dead wrong and have got it all totally misunderstood so don't worry!!

Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #160 on: January 28, 2010, 20:07:39 pm »
First before I respond to your post Mashi, my LO fell asleep at 1:45.  (He was in his crib from 12:20 having a field day.)  I woke him at 2:45 - probably should have woken him at 2:30 right?  He is having 1 meltdown after another - doesn't like the cup I gave him, doesn't like the way I am sitting.  Big  fun over here.  Bed time should be what?

OK, so the only thing I can say right off about my LO's EW's is that I have done nothing to make him want to continue them. (I am not saying that you think I have - just putting this out there.)  Many mornings I don't even get him until 7.  If I can say anything positive about my LO, he will stay in there for ages most mornings.  

If I am going to go with a set nap time, I am wondering if 12 is too early.  The only reason I say that is because of the class I have with him during the week that isn't over until 12:15.  Does that matter?  Plus, if that nap is short, that is a long time until 7.  

I see both of your points about how A times are not working with my LO.  I am just so afraid we will have never ending days of EW's and meltdowns.  The mornings he wakes early and goes even until 11:30 are horrible, especially when we have to go places.  But that being said, this is something we haven't tried yet.

So then 12:30/7?  Or are you thinking I should still go with 12?  Would I then wake from a nap if he is actually sleeping from 12:30 - 2?  
Kara


Offline babybarr

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #161 on: January 28, 2010, 20:56:04 pm »
I think 12.30pm and 7pm.  We're going to (if my mum will stick to it!!) 12noon (with a view to pushing to 12.30) and 6.30pm.  So I would say start with the 12.30 (or in bed just before).  I would definitely do no more than till 2pm and part of me wonders if it should actually be less but I'd say start with that.

Good luck hun.
LAURA xx




Offline Mashi

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #162 on: January 28, 2010, 21:03:19 pm »
Well, 1130, 1200, 1230....I think that the details of the time are really easier for YOU to decide, you know his mood!  I would pick the time that you think seems to be his "natural" sleepy time in the day, yes I know that's hard with the EWs which is why I say you might have to struggle around some OT for the first week. But whatever you choose I would stick to that time within a reasonable time frame.  For instance, our time is 1200. But there are days when I put him in his cot at 1130 because he's really tired and he's asleep by 1140, 1150.  But some days I take him in at 1155 for his 1200 nap and he's not asleep until 1230.  But if asked, I still say "nap time is noon" KWIM?  I stick to that noon within a reasonable window -- 11 is too early, 1 is too late.  So it's a flexible set nap time, but it's still 5/7 days, 1200 and not much earlier or later on any other day.

So while I may not be good at helping you pick a time, I think you will have to judge that, but whatever you pick I would do your best to stick as close to it as you can for a good week or so, get him used to the idea that nap is right after lunch, bed is 2hours after dinner, etc.

Does that help, LOL, I doubt it!

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #163 on: January 28, 2010, 21:07:12 pm »
Good plan!  We do at the moment 11.45am give or take 15min but know that we need to push it back currently.
LAURA xx




Offline mmom

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Re: 17.5 months - how much do I cut the nap?
« Reply #164 on: January 28, 2010, 21:20:46 pm »
OK, that makes sense.  Thanks girls.  Laura, I know you have been going with set nap/bedtimes for a while now.  I was just so afraid because of the crankiness I endure all morning. But I can suck it up.

What time do I aim for bed tonight with a nap from 1:45- 2:45.  Is 7 too early to put him down and then hope he is sleeping by 7:30?  He did have a 7 hour A this morning, so maybe he will go down more easy than I think.
Kara