Where is my magic wand?

[Dairy Queen]

Hi there,
The 2-1 switch is really challenging.  DD is 13 months and we’ve noticed wonky behavior… EW, short Naps, NWs and it takes extra long to put her down at bedtime.  We figured it was time to push back and/or shorten the AM nap in hopes of getting a nice long PM nap.  We also hoped the EWs and NWs would disappear, but I must have misplaced my magic wand because we’re far from our goal :-)

Here is what our day looked like yesterday:
5:30 am wake (target: 7:00am)
9:30 nap 1 slept for 1 hour and then woke crying
2:30 nap 2 slept for 1 hour and then woke up cranky
7:00 we went to bed but she didn’t go down until 8 pm after much rocking

The pattern has been going on for a few days +/- 30 minutes for the various times.  
Today, I decided t o try W2S in the am.  I went in, stirred her in her sleep at 4:30 am.  She still woke at 5:30am.  I tried to put her back down until 6:20 and then gave up, changed her and fed her at 7.

Today we had a similar scenario:
5:35 wake
9:40 nap 1 slept for 1 hour
2:55 nap 2 … tried to put her down earlier but she whined and finally, I had to shush-pat her until she feel asleep, but I had to stay in the room
I think I’ll wake her for 3:30, since I want her to go to bed early… makes sense?  If so, then nap 2 will only be for 35 minutes.

What should I change?  Should I continue with W2S tomorrow am?  Is it too early for the 2-1?

I definitely can’t cut to 1 npa right away… she’s waking up way too early to get only 1 nap (either in the am or pm) and make it through the day.  On a side note, she’s rarely ever slept more than 90 minutes after the age of 6 months.

Thanks,
Sherry

[~*Nicole*~]

Definitely not too early for the 2 to 1. Meaning...you'll likely have to do something to help her along the way, even if she isn't taking only one nap until much later...over the next bit of time until she can handle just one nap, she may need her current naps adjusted to get her better rest AND stop those EWs.

Some moms find that cutting the morning nap to 30-45 minutes and then having a longer pm nap of 1.5-2 hours works really well. Others find their LOs are cranky at being woken up and do better the other way. A LONG morning nap and a short catnap later on. Either way is fine. I have found a lot of moms have success with the shorter morning nap once their LO adjusts to being woken b/c it's easier to cut out later AND bedtime goes smoothly as they are not OT from taking a short nap at the end of a long day and are rested enough to make it to bedtime without a meltdown.

Here are some links:

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=163278.0  (Says 10-12 but has a lot of 2 to 1 info)

Early Waking info:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=163926.0

Sample Routines while going through the 2 to 1
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164033.0

Hope you find these helpful!

[*lexie*]

How much figuring out does it take eh? The key i found is getting that exact timming 5mins either side lo can go from a 2hr nap down 2 45mins
We were doing gr8 with our 2-1 for almost a week We found am and pm naps began 2 merge in2 1 Then throw a bit teething  and teething cold along with a cough in2 the mix and it turns in2 a nitemare
Sorry cant be much more help sending you hugs and hope you find your wand soon ill continue looking for mine lol

[Dairy Queen]

Hi there,
Thanks.  We tried cutting the AM nap to 45min and then to 30min when she turned 1, but the PM nap was always 1 hr.  At the time, we had frequent NWs, but she'd actually sleep until at least 6:30am.  Then, at about 13 months, NWs decreased and almost disappeared, but EWs took over... Since she was getting up at 5:30am, then I'd let her sleep as much as she wanted in the AM, but that almost never went over 1hr.  This is what is happening now... I keep telling myself that tomorrow will be easier and she'll get up at 7am and then we can do the 10:30 - 11:00 AM nap 1 followed but a nap 2 at 2:00pm until 3:30... but she just gets up so early and throws me off.  I think DD forgot to read Tracy's book :-)  
So... what next?  Do I cut nap 1 to 30-45 minutes despite the EWs?

Lexie - really? 5 minutes??? That's so precise!  I always thought that +/- 15 minutes was OK?  Let me know if you find the wand ;-)

Thanks!
Sherry

[Dairy Queen]

Oh... do I keep up with the W2S or is that not really going to solve anything here until we fix the daytime naps?

[~*Nicole*~]

The +/- time frame for getting good naps depends on the LO. As my LO got older we had more leeway. We can probably do +/- 30/45 mins. now and be OK, but when younger 10/15 was alright. Some LOs really can't handle more than 5 mins. different. They tend to be touchy/grumpy types.

I'd skip the w2s until after you've tweaked the naps as that may help resolve it and you won't have to wake up at 4am something. !!

If you do a short morning nap, move the pm nap up a lot earlier. Try 10:00-10:30 and maybe 1:30 for a pm nap.

[*lexie*]

I had a look through others routines and think none would work for us DS wakes around 6.30 7 and its a screaming match trying 2 put him down at 9ish and if he could cry so hard hed be sick With his cold i was up2 him 6 times last nite so he did fall asleep in car 4 20mins at 10 and ended up ssh/pat at 1.30 for  20mins but he was so upset then again at 3 when he got up at 4.30 i though hed still be ok going down at 7ish but had 2 ssh/pat 4 45mins and he eventually nodded off at half 8
I always feel sorting out days is first hehe that will be me 2mor If ds gets the rite day sleep he sleeps better at nite
Have you tried w2s on am nap? LO wakes crying when he is still tired Or maybe she aint tired enough 2 go down then

[~*Nicole*~]

lexie-How old is he? Why are you putting him down at 9am if he's just woken up at 6:30 or 7:00??? And if he got up at 4:30 I imagine 7 is too early for bedtime. Tell me his age and type out your routine. Why would none work for you?

[*lexie*]

I was looking at others routines for just over 12 months and they have babies going down at 9 having got up at 7 and i know this wouldnt work for us
His routine b4 was Awake 6.30/7 sleep 11-12 sleep 3-4 then bed 7, but then he was fighting morning nap till 11.45ish then even if he did go down at 11 i woke him 4 12 Afternoon naps started getting later 4-5 had 2 wake him then bed was 8pm As time got on he was waking anytime from 5 then back 2 sleep up at 7 and sleeps got even later
So tried early lunch 11/11.30 Sleep 12ish-2/3 then bed 7 and he slept settled till 6.30/7 again Then he started teething again and coughing so thought it would be a good idea 2 let him have 2 naps as he always seems sleepy but after having an am nap was really upset going down pm and nite

[Dairy Queen]

Lexie - did you try shortening the am nap?

That's what we're going to try today.  DD woke at 6:40, and I think she'll go down at around 10 or maybe even as late as 10:30 (never 9! I'd be doing wi/wo for an hour!) and then we'll try for only 30 minutes. 

Thanks for the tip Nicole about putting DD to bed earlier for nap 2 - only about 3hrs of A time between am and pm naps?

PS: If she wakes past 4, then bedtime becomes a huge struggle (which DD ends up winning!) and she ends up sleeping at 8, so I always wake her at 3:30 no matter what.

[~*Nicole*~]

lexie-We had that problem with DD. We could never get a nap early in the am...so we did our am nap around 10 or 10:30 and only for 30 mins. We woke her and then had her pm nap around 1:30 or 2:00 and let her sleep until 3:30 or 4:00 (after awhile 4:00 was too late so we had to have her up by 3:30 as Dairy Queen said b/c of bedtime resistance).

If you don't think your LO will nap at 10:00am....then have you tried doing the long am nap and short pm nap? There are examples of how to go about your day this way in those links. You push the morning nap later and later until your LO can handle making it to 12:00ish. But until then, when the nap is around 11:00 or so, you let them sleep as long as they want (or about 2 hours) and then try to get a catnap in later. We couldn't do this routine b/c DD would fight ANY catnaps and refused to take them and then was miserable by dinner time. BUT other moms have had success this way.

[*lexie*]

Well looks like i found my magic wand! Dairy Queen hows your search going?
DS went down with a little resistance last nite but asleep by 745 He woke with dh alarm at 630 as usual He seemed alot happier 2day cold seems 2 be lifting So thought we would do lunch first then wait for signs of tierdness Short am nap wasnt working as earliest he would go was 11.15 then next sleep was half 3 then bed around 8ish Which was 2 late when waking at 630 So he was ready for bed at 12.15 after some quiet time He is just stirring now with happy songs of upsa "Daisy" and "pickle pickle"

[~*Nicole*~]

yay!

[*lexie*]

And yey again as he went down at 7.30 and after going in 2 lay him back down first 3 times - nite nite sweetheart sleepy time mwah- then no 4 no talking and by 745 sleepy baby! Glad 2 be getting back on track

[Dairy Queen]

That’s great news.  Can’t say we’ve had much luck on our side.

Yesterday:
6:40am wake (target : 7:00pm… but we had a 1 NW the previous night at 4:15am)
10:45-11:15 nap 1  I woke her.
2:15 – 3:30 nap 2  She woke on her own
7:15 sleep

We had 3 NWs: 11pm, 11:45 and 4:30am    Each time, it took under 20 minutes to put her back down.  DH and I took turns doing shh-pat.

Today
5:30 am wake... I tried for 30min to put her back but by then, my 4-year old got up so I stopped.
9:20-9:50 nap 1 I woke her
1:00-2:40 nap 2 She woke on her own
I haven’t put her to sleep yet but the target is 7pm.

I am crossing my fingers and toes… I really hope she’ll STTN.  Last night was really hard; when I’d come back to bed, I couldn’t go back to sleep and woke up this morning with a brutal headache!

Any ideas? 
Thanks
Sherry