Support for Dropping the Nap age 2-3 Part 4!

[consmummy]

Hi Grants, I have a little boy, the youngest of 2 and he'll be 27mths at the weekend. His nap used to be between 1hr and 1hr15, from about 1pm.

Sabs, how did the night go?

[scucci1979]

Barbara, what if you capped the nap to 1.5hours?

OMG ladies, we got a 12hour night. she woke up at 6:30am, on the dot.    So now, what do I do today?

[koe2moe]

Well done Sabs!  So the early bed worked well.  Try another no nap and same bt??

[barbaraz78]

I'll try to cap it at 1.5 h. But I will wait that he's adjusted to the new nursery routine, otherwise I am afraid it is too much for him, especially if he becomes OT.

BTW Sabs, you really had a great night!!! I also would not change the no nap routine for now, until it works.

[Grants]

Wow!! Great news Sabs!! I would also try to keep the same routine for a while if it's possible.

[scucci1979]

I just don't know how to do this. Keep offering a nap every day and if she doesn't sleep do an early bt, or try to keep her up?  Won't it just eventually catch up? 

[Grants]

TBH I think most Los can't just cut the nap cold turkey. Perhaps offer a nap every other day. She will probably be really tired anyway after a few days without a nap.

I have a rant about nap dropping... How on earth non-BWers do this? How do they managed their day when their Los are cutting the nap ? I have never heard anybody who is a non-BWer complain about nap dropping? Are they all lying to me saying that their Los have no problem with sleep and/or nap dropping?

[Tweakster]

Yes I do think it will eventually catch up.  But it's part of the transition really.  If you feel good enough about it just plow through it.  But I think in this case it's likely going to be an alternating nap or nap every few days when her nights start to shave again.

(((hugs)))  But wow what a great night!  I knew Madi wouldn't let me down, atta girl!

[scucci1979]

let me get this straight. Do i offer one today or tomorrow or wait until her nights get shorter again.  God this is confusing.  I think she can go today without a nap, but am not sure if I should just leave it up to her to decide.  I do enforce quiet time on the sofa.
ATM, she is wrapped in her blankie on the floor. I know she is a strange girl. 
The funny thing is was up since 5am waiting for her to wake up. I couldn't go back to sleep. sigh.

About the rant. I totally agree. I don't ever hear other moms talking about it and when I do hear about it, they make is seem it was/is a breeze.

[Tweakster]

I think you wait until she is shortening her nights.  So last night was 12 hrs, probably enough to carry her through another day.  But as the wake ups creep earlier, so 11.75, then 11.5 then 11 and backwards, you will likely need to offer a nap on those days. 

I'm sure those other people just had seriously tired and cranky kids and lived with it.  They didn't know there was a gentler, kinder way to do it.  Or they have kids that don't have tricky sleep needs.

Case in point, I was out recently with a kid just turned 3 and kid's parents.  We'll call him G.  So G and F and all of us went to a large park/playground.  G was melting down and losing his mind on no nap because he hadn't napped for a few days.  Turns out they had been letting him nap and then he wouldn't go to sleep until 10 at night and then sleep until 7 only.  He was getting seriously OT.  But they thought that just not letting him nap was the solution.  So we walked home with a screaming 3yo and F just happily in his stroller (F didn't have a nap that day either, his was in the car on the way home).  So yeah, I think sometimes these 'other people' aren't always telling the truth or they really just don't know what else to do.

[scucci1979]

thanks Wendy.

Oh boy! That must of been a fulfilled afternoon.

[Tweakster]

It was BRUTAL lol  We went to High Park and G brought his bike and he wanted to ride it and the handle fell off and it was all a big mess and they had to take turns carrying him screaming.  And then they were arguing over whether he should have had a nap or not lol  And my friend was like 'Well Finn hasn't had a nap and he's fine!' and there was F just humming in his stroller eating his snack saying 'why is G crying' lol  And I'm thinking 'yes F is fine because his sleep is top priority for us' but it's not the same for everyone. 

Mind you G is also the same kid who passed out on a picnic table in the middle of a patio with live music and also falls asleep in the bike seat.  So you know, I don't feel that sorry for them lol

[Grants]

G was probably so exhausted with short nights and no naps that he took any opportunity to have a nap. Lol

[scucci1979]

OMG Wendy! Poor kid. I feel bad for him but at the same time I had a little laugh.
How is Finn doing?
Grants, how's it going?
Well ladies, she fell asleep on the sofa at 12:45pm.  I swear she did not look tired. Should I have kept her busy? It was during her rest time.
I have no idea how long to let her sleep. I was thinking of waking her up at 2pm followed by an 8pm bt. What do you think? 
I hate the fact that bt is no longer at the same time. Now we have two bed times. It makes it really difficult to plan things in the afternoons. YKWIM?

[Tweakster]

Finn is driving me nuts by waking before 6 a.m.  But with the longer nap he's in a much better mood.  He's a dream.  His sleep totals are better 11-12 overall with a longer nap and short night.  But I suspect it's going to bite us in the a$$ very soon. 

Sabs, it's hard to say.  I honestly don't know.  I'd probably let her sleep and see what she does.  If she's going to take a longer nap then do a later bedtime.  I probably wouldn't wake her just because she's had no nap yesterday and she's likely so so tired.