dropping last nap question...

[katemom]

My 3.5 year old is doing quiet time several times a week now, and we do naptime only when I think she is tired enough to actually fall asleep (usually 3 times a week).  I have to limit the length of her nap to 45 minutes or she will not be tired enough for bedtime.  Her night sleep is short though, and it seems like if I cut out her naps even more, it doesn't help (maybe getting OT?)  So I keep the occasional naps in to combat potential OT, but I also don't want her getting just enough day sleep to keep her from having a longer night.  Does it just take time for the nights to lengthen, or should I continue on as I am?  Sleep total wise, she'll get 10.5 hours at night, sometimes 11.  Some days that is all she gets.  She gets up to 11:15 on a napping day.  Checking the usual sleep totals for her age, that seems a little less than she should be getting...  And suggestions?

thanks, katemom

[babybarr]

Can you post both her napping and non napping wake and bed times.  How is she in herself?

Have you tried earlier bedtime on no nap days and does that make a difference? 

[katemom]

Hi, yes, I'll include example schedules.  She does get more night sleep when I put her down for bed earlier on no nap days, but she still doesn't really sleep in the next morning.  (fyi, she was an early waker for her first 15 months of life, then got to a 7am wakeup for most of her second 2 years of life).  In this new phase, the only time I get a sleep in is if we happened to have an unusual day (maybe once a month) where she's in bed after 9 after an exhausting day trip type of day or something.

no nap days example:

6:15 awake
12:45 quiet time for 1 hr - 1:15.
7-7:20 asleep
6:00 awake the next morning

(sleep total for the 24 hours = 11 hours or less)

nap days example:
6:00 awake
12:45 asleep
1:45 wake her
8:00-8:30 asleep (even though she is in bed a bit before
6:00 awake the next morning

(sleep total for the 24 hours = 11 hours or less)

I welcome any suggestions...

katemom

[katemom]

p.s. lately on napping days, I even try to "wear her out" - with extra playtime at parks, or the swimming pool, etc...and it still takes her ages to fall asleep at night.  (tonight even though she was in bed at 7:35, she still isn't asleep at 8:30, could be a niner tonight!)

[brenda2]

we are going through the same thing here, but dd is a bit younger.  interested to see the advice.

on nap days dd gets about 10 - 10.5 hours at night and an hour to 1.5 hour nap = 11.5 to 12 hours total.  on no nap days she gets about 11.5 to 12 hours night sleep.  so this is slightly more than your dd is getting.

she's had a hard time dropping every nap so this is no different i think but maybe will take longer?!

[babybarr]

I would try an even earlier bt of say 6.30pm, esp. as she wakes around 6am.  At least that would give her chance to settle sooner - that's for no nap days btw!

On nap days I would try a 45min nap just to see if that makes a difference.

[momtonb&ab]

I would try an even earlier bt of say 6.30pm, esp. as she wakes around 6am.  At least that would give her chance to settle sooner - that's for no nap days btw!

i agree with this.  we just finally dropped the nap for good and we discovered that napping actually made nights and next days terrible so we do something like this (ds wakes and falls asleep about 30 minutes prior to dd but they are quiet in and around each other)..

7am wake
12:30-1:45 quiet time - no nap
6:30-6:45 bed time

if we wait until 7pm for bed it is too late yet.... ds misses his window and then we only get a 10.5 hour night meaning OT the next day.  if he is in bed by 6:45 he is asleep by 7:15 at the very latest and he sleeps until 6:15-6:30.  dd needs longer wind down so she will be asleep by 7:15-7:30 and wakes closer to 7am.  so between 11-12 hour nights.   

we struggle a bit with cranky pants around 4-5 but dinner helps us get through it and then we are good on to bed, but no joke, 15 minutes too late and i am still fighting to get them to sleep at 8 or 8:30.