Support Thread for 2-1 Nap Transition cont'd pt 4

[newmama12]

Well, this might come back to nip me in the bud , but J is finally sleeping 'in'!! Today he gave me the best birthday present - slept till 6:45!!!!
He has been sick for the past 4 days (cold) and teething, so I don't know if it's that or a growth spurt or if the short AM/long PM is finally doing what it's suppose to. Either way...I'm not complaining!
Question, though....what do I do about the AM nap now? He had been doing 9:30-10 then PM nap 12:45ish/1 for 1.5-2 hours.

For example, yesterday his day went as follows:

6:30 WU
9:40-10:10 nap
1:10-3:00 nap
7:15 BT
6:45 WU this morning

Should I still keep a 3 hour A and do nap at 9:45-10:15? I don't want to push it out too much b/c I don't want the PM nap out too much. But...he probably can handle more than 3 hours A in the AM. I suppose I could push it out just a tad. Actually, it might work in my favor tonight since dh and I are going to dinner and the kids are going to my parents. We'll have to pick them up on the way back. A later PM nap might benefit him today.

I'm just curious what I do now that he's finally sleeping past 5am?!

[clairebear79]

Woohoo!!!!  So pushing out & cutting back that AM nap looks like it might have helped!!!!

IIWM - if he's sleeping in later & taking a good PM nap - do nothing!!!  I hear you re: 3hrs A being fairly short in the AM, but don't forget he is only doing a short AM nap after it.  If he did say a 4hr A time followed by a 30min nap, then he would probably be OT.

The signs he needs a tweak in routine are if he:
a) starts to resist going down for his AM or PM nap
b) his PM nap starts to be cut short; OR
c) he starts to wake earlier again.

This is exactly the point we are at now.  DS has been resisting settling for his naps a bit & today we had quite a bit of crying.  He woke at 6.30am & finally settled for his AM nap at 10.10am for 45mins.  We usually wake him but today he woke himself.  He then managed another 3h 40 A time & I finally got him down for his PM nap at 2.35pm.  So he will be up around 4pm & so will only have 3hrs A to BT - which I am scared won't be enough!  Aaarrrgggghhh!!!  I think these are all surefire signs he is caught up on whatever OT was lurking & he is ready for a tweak - what do you think ladies?

I think whatever I do - it will be done more slowly this time, as we made too much of a big jump last time.  And I'm hanging onto his AM nap for as long as I can, as long AM definitely wasn't for O.  With all the PM nap refusal he just got way too OT.  I was thinking I'd first cut his AM nap to 30mins so 10-10.30am & then maybe aim for a PM nap starting 1.15/1.30 ish - does that sound about right?  Then aim for him to be up around 3pm & we can keep to a 7pm BT. 

[newmama12]

Claire, I think you're 'right on' with the new schedule! I hope it works out for you guys!!

Thanks for the advice for the AM nap. I got him down a little late this morning and he was, so fussy. I was just trying to hold out a little longer, but maybe he woke earlier than I thought this morning?! I got him down at 9:45 and it took him about 10 minutes to settle. So, I'm not going to let him go more than 30, so we can keep a decent PM nap time, along with decent BT. We'll see how it goes!

[scucci1979]

what a great birthday gift. 

so glad Claire that things are going all for you.  It is so hard, isn't it??

I can't figure out what i have to extend A's nap every day.  I don't know if it is teeth, UT or OT! debating if I should try a shorter A time tomorrow morning.

[clairebear79]

It is hard!  I think maybe O could be saying 'mummy I'm ready for 1 nap now - why do you keep trying to make me go to sleep when I don't want to?!'  I feel I ought to try cutting the nap back first though - rather than taking the plunge as it means a big jump in A times.  Although we are having some later WU's now so it shouldn't be so hard to get to a decent nap time for a 1 nap day (at last!!!) 

Sabs - I do wonder if A's nap is disturbed through OT.  As surely she wouldn't resettle if she was UT   I'd have thought she would more likely be impossible to settle if she was rested enough?  I know our LO's are different, but I found that with a 5hr A, O did 1h 45 naps, occasionally 2hrs but never more, yet one day I PD at 4h 45 & he slept almost 2.5hrs & then went on to do a 12hr night!  So maybe pull it back just by 15mins more & see what happens?  If the nap is a bust, at least you'll know.

[scucci1979]

thanks Claire. Good points! I am going to try that tomorrow. She slept from 12:20-about 3pm. I had to settle her a few times of course. Normally she is asleep by 7:30pm, but tonight it was moved to 8pm. She is so UT ATM. I can hear her chatting through the monitor. I guess her nap needs to end at 2:30pm for a 7:30pm bt
Now that I think of it, she was pretty hyper before bed-playing with her sister. Oh Oh!! i hope she is not OS.

[clairebear79]

Sabs - hope nap went ok today. 

O's naps have been pretty awful today but I am keeping my cool & not getting worried about it!  He was at his grandparents for the day & they got major nap resistance for both naps.

Wake:  6.30
Nap:    10.30 - 11.15  (I asked MIL to PD at 10am & he didn't settle til 10.30.  She woke him from nap at 45mins)
Nap:    3.30 - 4.00    (I asked MIL to PD at 3.25hrs after WU from AM nap.  She tried to PD for 2.30 but he was having none of it so she got him back up & tried again after a while.  he finally settled at 3.30 & of course did an OT nap.  Woke grumpy)
BT:     6.45              (PD at 6.35pm)

Siigh.  So it looks like even the plan to cut his AM nap to 30mins might not work as he'd NEED to go down for it at 10am in order to have enough A time & a decent PM nap after it.  I know they never settle as well while out as they do at home, but he's been fighting his AM nap at home too.  And his PM nap too, even though he only did a 45min AM nap!  So do you think its time to bite the bullet & just do 1 nap?

[newmama12]

Well, I knew it was going to come back and bite me when I decided to post how good J was sleeping.   Yesterday, he didn't have the greatest nap day and this morning super early WU. He woke at 4:30 am and kind of slept on/off till 5:15/5:30. Got him up at 6, as he was not having it anymore. Not sure where we went wrong.

Yesterday, his schedule was this:

6:45 WU
9:45-10:15 (woke on his own)
1:00 put him down, but he didn't fall asleep till closer to 1:15. Woke at 2:30. (woke on his own. only about 1.25 nap after 30 minute AM nap).
6:45 BT. Took longer to settle than normal.
5:15 WU

He took longer to fall asleep/settle for both naps and BT yesterday. Very odd for him as he's usually out in minutes. Not sure what all that means. Can anyone see where we went wrong yesterday? We've had such a good week and I'm not sure what's happened now.   Maybe just a weird day and then overnight for him? I hope so b/c I was really really liking the 6:30 WUs!

[clairebear79]

Hmmm..... sounds a bit like the day we had a couple of days ago!!!!  O did a short AM nap & woke on his own & then took ages to settle for PM nap too.

I know 30min naps are usually OT, but I really wouldn't think that after waking at 6.45am & doing a 3hr A time J would be OT.  That seems too unlikely don't you think?  Do you think he could be getting to a point where he may be UT?

What if you eek out that AM nap a touch more towards 10am?  & then aim for PM nap at 1.30pm?  See if that helps.

Well ladies, we have had a more successful 2 nap day today b/c he is tired out after yesterday's bad naps.  O was up at 5.50am today, napped 9.45-10.30am & then 2.05-3.35pm (I'll wake him in a few mins if he doesn't wake himself).  But TBH I think I'll be back to nap resistance again tomorrow if he gives us a decent night tonight!  If we do then I will definitely be cutting the AM nap back to make sure there's enough time to fit a decent PM nap in.

[scucci1979]

That also seems unlikely to me.  I think slightly UT. These los change so quickly. I have noticed that if A has a long night she can handle a longer am A.

Claire, I am so proud of you. You are doing a fantastic job.

I have reduced Alyssa's A time for the last three days and the first two days, I had to extend her nap at the 1hr and 20min mark. Naps on those days were 2-2.5hours. Then today, she napped for 1hr and 25min and didn't want to go back down.  I have no idea what that meant. Going to stick with the A for a few more days. Anyhow, gave her a 10min CN at 5pm and that just threw her bt way off. She wasn't tired at all. She finally fell asleep at 7:45pm, from a 7:15bt. I don't think I may try another 2 nap day unless her am nap is 1hr.

[lulunut]

Clairbear-that is what I did.  I just one day gave him one nap.  He went for it!  He slept about 2hrs.  Then I did Early BT.  I worked 1 and 2 nap days around what his day was like i.e. busy, wake time that day, how he slept at night etc.  So I bounced back and forth for a bit until I just felt he was ready to do more and more days on one nap.  Great job!

I am still getting lots of EW!. I have decided to push his BT to 8pm to hopefully get later wake.  Today was 5:45.  Which is better.  I am hoping the naps will extend themselves after all this!  Today was 1hr and 15 min nap.  Not good enough!!

[clairebear79]

today, she napped for 1hr and 25min and didn't want to go back down.

I guess that is maybe your answer - not tired enough.  What do you think?  Sorry that was my suggestion - I was just thinking about the fact she was waking mid nap needing resettling & that she DID go back to sleep maybe meaning she was well tired.  Perhaps not.  But at least you know eh?  So as for the nap extending - I'm out of ideas?!

Ladies, did a 1 nap day yesterday.  For some reason we got a later WU so I knew he wouldn't be ready for his nap at 10am.  Day went
Wake:  7.20am    (he did have a short wu at 5.45/6 to 6.15am though)
Nap:    12.00 - 2.40  ( stir/cry out at 40mins into nap, then was woken at 2h 15 by a passing car but back to sleep.  Woke himself)
BT:     7.00    (wasn't sure if this was late enough given his WU today & the length of his nap, but 7pm is BT here so I stuck to it)

Today he woke briefly at 5.30 then back to sleep until 6.30am.  Which is a great night's sleep, but means I won't be able to do a 12 midday nap as 5.5hrs would be a touch too much I reckon.  So I'm going to aim for 11.15/30 & try a 1 nap day again, UNLESS he shows me he is really tired before that.

Lulunut - thanks for that - I suspect we will be alternating between the two a bit unless I can get on a roll now there is no OT involved.  Did you stick with a set amount of A time or a set nap time when you did it?  I don't know which is the better option?

ETA: Ladies, on 1 nap days do your LO's ever sort of stir/cry out at the 40min mark?  O has done this the past 2 days & I don't know if it means anything.  He's immediately going back to sleep so I don't know if its just him moving through sleep cycles or if its a hint of OT or even UT still.  Any thoughts?

[lulunut]

Clairebear-I stuck with set times.  That seemed to work for me after a bit!  Mine used to stir at 45 min, I thought sleep cycle.  That is when I think you stand there and shh them through it or just gently touch them in order to make sure they stay asleep.  I recall doing that often!!

[clairebear79]

Thanks!  We did 1 nap again yest & it went:

Wake: 6.30
Nap:   11.30 - 1.30
BT:   6.45

Today Wake 6.10am - I guess maybe we needed to stick with our 7pm BT.  I'm a little unsure when to do nap today as 4.75hrs A seems to give the best nap but if he did 2hrs with 4.75 or 5hrs A his nap will start at 11ish, end at 1ish & then we've 6hrs to go til BT.  If I do EBT he will sleep max 11.5hrs (we've had 12hrs only once) so I will then end up in an early bet early wake situation which I really dont want to get into.  But if I keep nap to 11.30 or 12 that's a really long A for him to do which I think will just cause OT.  Its so difficult to know which way to go.

He's looking pretty tired already & its 10.30am here - we've missed the boat for a 2 nap day so I've got to hold him til 11 & hope for the best.

[scucci1979]

looks good Claire.
Good luck for today.

I don't know what happened but here is the last two days(still extending her nap) I am hoping she will grow into her nap.

Thursday
wu 6:40
nap 12-1:25pm no nap extension
nap 5-5:10pm
sleep 7:45pm
yesterday
wake 7am(I had to wake her)
nap 12:15-2:10pm
bed 7:30pm but didn't fall asleep until 8pm(thinking OS)
woke up this morning at6:15am. We haven't had that wu in a long time.

don't know what to do today. was going to move nap to 11:45am.