12 month old having lots of different issues

[babybarr]

I agree not to push that morning nap too much yet.  Try what you did today again, but you may be able to do a longer am nap (if she does it) and then just a 20min catnap to see you through till bed.  But I guess you could just also cut the am nap and do it that way - really the choice is yours.

Keep us posted.

[~*Nicole*~]

Sounds like a good plan. Pushing it slowly later and hoping it gets longer and if the catnap gets phased out, you'll eventually land on one midday nap. If you notice that anything over an hour gets you nap refusal in the afternoon, you can try the other way, and cut the morning. But do this for awhile if she is STTN and bed/wake up are at good times, which yesterday they were!

[Brock~Tahlia~Mummy]

We also did it the other way around. I pushed his am nap to 11 and now 11.30 am, DS has a small lunch at around 10.45/11am he generally sleeps from 11.15/.30 to 2pm has another small lunch when he wakes. By pushing the morning A time and allowing DS to sleep it phased out the pm nap. We have days where DS needs a pm catnap at 4.30 for 20/25 mins just to see him through till BT. So we are nearly on 1 nap. So the typical 2-1 naps didn't really work for DS but this way worked really well.
Hope this helps xx 

[danacarrie]

Update for today-

7:30 wake up
went to daycare- they report bad mood, very clingy. Seemed to get tired about 10am but by 10:30 was doing ok again.
11am sleep (fell asleep almost before even got to the bed)
12pm woke on her own
lunch
I picked her up.  Mood was ok.
2pm started to get crabby
3:15 sleep (would have gone down sooner but we were out doing errands)
4:05pm woke on her own- bad mood for about an hour.
Dinner
Bath
7:05pm sleep.  I just couldn't keep her up anymore!

Now I am starting to wonder if she isn't ready for 2-1, but rather we just needed to tweak her nap times in order to continue to get 2 out of her.  She used to go down at 10:30 or so and 2:30 or so, but started refusing the afternoon.  By moving them forward 30 min, we are getting them again.

Tomorrow she is at daycare all day.  I am going to suggest that they do this schedule again (11am and about 3pm) and see what happens.  If her 11am nap stretches past noon, I bet she'll refuse the afternoon, but I think I will let it go tomorrow and just see what happens.  I am wondering if her wonky sleep over the last weeks has been because of other things.  Who knows.

Advice welcome.  I hope we have a good night tonight and no EW!  (I LOVE LOVE LOVE that my child has almost never woken before 7am!!!)

Thanks again,
Dana

[~*Nicole*~]

I think if she is going to give you two good one hour naps consistently on this routine....I'd leave it for now, but at least now you know some options for the next stages.

[babybarr]

I agree with Nicole.  I would stick with the 2 but just be aware if she starts refusing the 2nd nap again.  Good luck

[danacarrie]

Hi again,
Things are going well.  Generally, our day is back to what it used to be, and we're not getting PM nap refusal (for now).

7:15ish wake
8amish breakfast
10:30-11:30 or 11:45 nap
12 lunch
2:30-3:30 or 3:45 nap
4:30 snack
6pm dinner
7:30 or so sleep

We have been getting a NW around 10:30pm occasionally that is very unhappy, loud crying which doesn't cease when we go in.  Sometime LO will wake like that, we go in, lie her back down, and she's out again, but not lately.  Any thoughts?  Maybe she isn't feeling well or teeth are bugging her?

Also, occasionally going to bed at night is a struggle.  I've heard that's often OT but I am wondering if its UT due to the late-ish nap with 3 hours or so of daytime sleep.  Any ideas there?

Finally, we have had an interesting experience lately where LO will say "na na" and rub her eyes, as if she asking to go to sleep (she does seem tired).  But, its early, like 6:45pm.  One night we just honored it and put her to bed, lights were out by 7:05 and she fell asleep immediately, but then woke up at 7:45 WAILING and didn't fall back asleep until 8:30pm.  I am thinking she took a little catnap.  What to do when sweet girl is asking to go to sleep but its not time yet?

Thanks,
Dana

[babybarr]

but I am wondering if its UT due to the late-ish nap with 3 hours or so of daytime sleep.  Any ideas there?

I would say it is this one.  I think you need to do a later bedtime OR cut one of the naps and alter the routine accordingly.

LO will say "na na" and rub her eyes, as if she asking to go to sleep

Is this happening at her "old" sleep times?  Very often LOs will still feel tired at their original times when they have started a new routine.

I wonder if she is just programmed for a slightly earlier bedtime but after having 2 good naps and not a massive A time before bed on that day she just wasn't tired enough.

[danacarrie]

Well, my LO seems to have made the shift to one nap but we are now in the funky middle-space.  We don't really have a typical day but here's a general idea.

7am wake
8:30am breakfast
11:45 lunch
12:15-1:30 nap
4:30 snack
6pm dinner
7pm bedtime

That's a "clockwork" day. 

Other times its like this:

6:45am wake
8:30 breakfast
11:30-12:45 nap
12:45 lunch
3pm quiet time in crib (acting tired but never naps, just is quiet or talks to herself for 20 min or so)
4pm snack
6:00 dinner
6:45 bedtime (this may result in a 13 hour night, waking at 7:45 the next day)

Are we doing ok?  How can we elongate that nap?  She seems great most of the day but is often very cranky/irritable from about 4:30 until bedtime.  One night I put her down at 6:30 and she slept 13 hours.  I am afraid to put her down too early because I don't want an EW.  Also, she is in daycare so there's not a ton I can do, but I thought I would just check in.

Thanks!
Dana

[babybarr]

I think that you're doing great.  It's brilliant that's making up for the sleep at night, after a 13hr nighter though I would maybe push that nap back a bit and see if she'll sleep a little later, so make it nearer 5.5hrs and just see if that helps.

[danacarrie]

Hi again, its not going as well now.  At least to me.  But perhaps LO is fine and I am overreacting?

Yesterday:
7am wake
8am breakfast
10:55-11:25 nap.  That was it for the whole day
12 lunch
3pm attempt nap- 10 min quiet
3:45 attempt nap- 15 min quiet
6pm dinner
7:10pm bedtime

Today:
7:30am wake
8:45am breakfast
10:45-11:30 nap.  That was it.
12 lunch
3:30 attempt nap.  10 min quiet
5pm fell asleep in car.  I woke her at 5:15 (we are always in the car at this time but she hasn't fallen asleep before).
great mood!
6:15pm dinner
7:15pm bedtime

What do to about these short naps?  Tomorrow our plan is to keep her up longer in the am. 

Thanks,
Dana

[babybarr]

Def push that nap back - after a 12hr + night I would aim more for something like

Wake 7.30am
Nap 12 noon (you may even be able to go to 12.15pm - so your call!)
Bed 7pm

If she does a short nap put her to bed even earlier otherwise you may end up with an OT bub.  She is good at making up lost sleep so I expect she'll wake at her usual sort of time.

I think it sounds ok - you'll get there!  Keep me posted.

[danacarrie]

Hi, yes, I know those naps were too early.  They were at daycare, so I don't have any control over them, unfortunately... here was today (when LO was home with me).  By the way, I know the subject of these posts is 12 month old, but my LO is now almost 14 months old.

7:45am wake
very cranky, tired around 10am (this was her old nap time).
12:15 sleep- woke at 1pm.  I tried to get her to go back down and it seemed like she might, but it didn't happen.
3:45-4:45 nap (I woke her at 4:45, she was very cranky and cried a lot for the next hour).
7:30pm sleep for the night.

So, it was a two nap day, which is totally fine with me.  Its just hard to know how to plan anything! I think tomorrow, assuming she wakes about 7:30am, I will try for a similar day as today, or, if on the offchance she gives me a better midday nap, that'd be great!

Any advice welcome!

Dana

[babybarr]

How did she wake at the 45min mark after that first nap?  If she seemed ok then you may be able to push that nap back a bit further, so maybe try an A time of 5hrs.  Otherwise you did a great job getting another nap into her and asleep at bed at a reasonable time too!