Cold turkey to 1 nap - OT disaster - & now resisting 2 naps aarrrgggghhhh!!!

[clairebear79]

Thanks Shiv.  We are trying to keep to nap 11.30 & BT at 7pm give or take 15mins.  Obviously if we have to throw in a 2 nap day the BT goes a bit later.  The last few days has gone:

Mon:  WU 5.30  A = 6h     Nap: 11.30-1.35   A = 5h 5   BT:   6.40   (he was knackered due to very long AM A time)
Tue:   WU:5.40 A = 5h 55 Nap: 11.35-2.10   A=  5h 10 BT:   7.20   
Wed:  WU:5.10 A = 4h 5   Nap:  9.15-9.30   A = 3h 5  Nap: 12.35-2.30  A = 4h 30  BT:  7.00


Today we were up at 5.40am again.  10h 40 night sleep.  I had high hopes that the 2 naps would help recover our EW situation & its helped a little but not enough.  So, what to do today?  This is the 5th day in a row that will be 13.5hrs+ in length & the 3rd day this week where he's had to do 6hrs A to nap.  This can't be good.  I know for sure that the 2.5hr nap on Tues caused the EW on Wed so I know I need to cap his nap, but aside from that I can't see what else I need to do.  Do you think he needs the nap pushing later???  Or just a longer A to BT, maybe 5.5hrs, even if he does 6hrs A to nap in the AM???  Or do I just need to accept he's not even going to do 11hrs night sleep while on 1 nap?

[Shiv52]

I think i would stick to 7pm bedtime and no give or take to see does that help.  because there is such a variation between bed at 6.40 and bed at 7.20 across 2 nights.  Plus after a good 2 hour nap he should be able to manage 5.5 A time no bother. 

[clairebear79]

Thanks Shiv.  So you think it all rests on that A time to BT then?  I guess that makes sense since the nap is already fixed.   
I've done that tonight, even before seeing your reply b/c I thought that was maybe what I needed to do, so day went:

WU: 5.40    A = 5h 50    Nap: 11.25-1.40 (2h 15)  A = 5.5hrs   BT: 7.10pm.  Am hoping this gives us a better night.

Here's a Q for you - I've read other posts where folks suggest that you need to take the A time for the whole day into account so if they do a longer A in the morning they might not handle so long in the PM & vice versa.  I've been keeping this in mind & hence why I haven't pushed him so far in the PM when he's woken early & had a 6hr A time to his nap.  So do you think I need to disregard that & push him the correct amount of A after a 2hr nap i.e. 5.5hrs, regardless of how long he's already been awake in the morning

[Shiv52]

I guess for me I feel if you base bedtime based on overall A time and don't have a kiddo who consistently tacks on to night sleep then I think it will perpetuate the EW.  Or not EW I guess but just wake up 11 hours or so later.  I think you've given it a good go and he's still not tacking on so I think setting bedtime is the way to go.  I also think that even if he does have a 5.5-6 hour A time in the morning, if he has a good 2 hour nap then he should be fine to last to a reasonable set bedtime. 

HOw is he at bedtime these last few days?  Is he totally exhausted or do you think he will manage it ok?  What wake up are you aiming for ?  are you thinking 7pm bedtime?

[clairebear79]

Yea that does make sense.  I do think we have given it a pretty good go & we are still only getting around 11hrs, sometimes a little more or less.  I know we're never going to get 12hr nights but I did hope for 11.5 once we got on the 1 nap, but I think even that's a pipe dream!!!

He's ok at bedtime TBH.  Not crying or anything, and sometimes not even rubbing his eyes.  And since his nap moved later & he's been doing less than 6hrs A to BT we're not getting all the ENW's like we were having when his nap was at 10am.   

WRT WU, anything post 6am would be good, but 6.30am ish would be even better.  I realise as I type this though that I'm probably not going to get it unless we do a 7.30pm BT are we?  In which case I suppose I need to shift the nap later than 11.30,b/c I already know that 6hrs A to BT is too much for him.

I think to start with I'll try the consistent 7pm BT & try & avoid the 2 nap days.  If no improvement in another week or so then I'll have to think about working on shifting the nap & BT later by 30mins.  Does that sound like a plan?

[Shiv52]

I think to start with I'll try the consistent 7pm BT & try & avoid the 2 nap days.  If no improvement in another week or so then I'll have to think about working on shifting the nap & BT later by 30mins.  Does that sound like a plan?

Yes that sounds great.  I would start with 7pm set bedtime and give that a week and see how wake up goes and then yes you'll need to move the nap up a bit.    I think though when he settles into it you will hopefully get an 11.5 hour night though and can stick to a 7pm bedtime with a 6.30am wake up.    Hope for the best!!

[clairebear79]

Shiv I could cry this morning.

Yesterday went WU 5.40am    A = 5h 45    Nap 11.25-1.40 (2h 15)    A = 5h 30    BT 7.10pm

This morning he was up at 5.20am so only 10h 10 sleep.  It seems that the more I push him to comply with set times, the worse his sleep gets.

Was 5.5hrs too long after having already done the 6hrs A time in the AM???

Is 2h 15 too much day sleep???  Last week he did a 2h 15 nap & slept 11.5hrs.  I don't know what's changed.  Nap is at the same time as last week & so is BT.

The only thing I can see is that his A to naptime is too long.  But how can I shorten it when his nap is already early at 11.30am???  Or do I actually need to do this for a while?  Pull the nap early & go with some EBT's?

I really don't know anymore.

[Shiv52]

{{{hugs hun}}}}

I wouldn't think 2.15 is too much day sleep.   I think with O it seems things are cumulative and its not one day leading to the next days wake up etc.   

Could you pull the nap a bit early and let him sleep as long as he will and judge bedtime from there?   

[clairebear79]

Hiya

We had another 5.40am WU today so 10.5hrs sleep.  After a week of 10ish hrs sleep he is now getting rather OT & has been very irritable, whiny & bursting into tears a lot today.  We did nap at 11.15, he woke at 1pm, resettled at 1.10pm & slept til 1.30pm so 2h 5mins total sleep.  BT was 6.30 & so far, so OT WU's.  Am hoping an earlier night/shorter day might give us a longer night.  FX'd

[Shiv52]

Fingers and toes crossed for you xx

[clairebear79]

Thanks.  He had 2 crying NW's at 9.15 & 11pm ish & then was up for the day at 5.30am.  Still early, but 11h sleep so an improvement on the last week.  Seems like some earlier naps & EBT's are in order!