The 2-1 journey continues....

[Shiv52]

Yeah he's caught us out with that before Sara! You think he's bound to still be wrecked yet nope, an UT nap!!  Least we know now for sure. He is a wee trooper. I think maybe we panicked with the rocking and that has been causing more issues than we realised because we just wanted him to sleep.

I'd go for 6.30 bedtime. We also have to bear in mind he only tacks on every so often so can't take that for granted either!! 

[jcsmom]

Hello my friend! Been thinking so much of you. I hope A's nap is starting to lengthen out for you. Fingers crossed things are going really, really well. Hugs xx

[Joy-filled]

Well, all in all I'd say things have definitely improved.  Still progress to be made but I'm quite pleased with things thus far :

Sat
WU 7:00
A 4 hr 50
S 11:50-1:00 (1 hr 10), tried to fall asleep for next 45 min but couldn't quite get there
BT 6:45
Night - brief NWs at 3:15, 5:25, 5:40 am but then asleep until 6:50 (almost 12 hr night sleep )

Sunday
WU 6:50
A 5 hr
S 11:50-12:40 (50 min), 12:50-1:10 (20 min), tried very hard to fall asleep until 1:35 but couldn't so then crying
BT 6:35
Night - 5-10 min NWs in early evening and at 5 am, 5:10 am then NW 5:35-6:15, but then asleep until 7:10 (total night sleep 11 hrs 20?)

Today
WU 7:10
A 5 hr 10
S 12:20-12:52 (32 min), 12:55-1:40 (45), 1:45-1:55 (10) - total of 1 hr 27 min sleep

So....he's definitely learning to put himself back to sleep or to at least try.  He doesn't angry cry anymore until he's given up on the nap which is usually 1.5-1.75 hrs after he has initially fallen asleep so I think that's huge progress!  It seems I've abandoned the 11:30 set nap the last few days since his WU has been later and I really think he needs at least 5 hrs to get a decent nap.  Anything you'd suggest I do different?

[Shiv52]

That is greats progress! Yes I think you're right to stick to 5 hours A time rather than 11.30. Hopefully things will even out and you can have a 12pm ish nap and a later bedtime for once you are back to work. His naps are gradually getting longer which is great! 

[Joy-filled]

Well the naps still aren't lengthening  .  Here's the last few days:

Tues
WU 6:50
A 5 hr
S 11:50-12:37 (47), screamed for 20 min, eventually asleep 1:10-1:45 (35 min)
BT 6:40
Night - brief NWs at 4:45 then asleep on and off until 6:15 (just over 11 hr night sleep )

Wednesday
WU 6:15
A 5 hr 15
S 11:30-12:06 (35 min), screamed for 5 min asleep 12:15-12:20, 12:21-1:06 (5+45 min)
BT 6:30
Night - a few brief NWs, awake 6:15 (tried to fall back asleep but couldn't quite get there, 11.5 hrs night sleep)

Today
WU 6:15
A 5 hr 20
S 11:35-12:37 ( 1 hr 2 min) screamed for 30 min until I got him up

  Will have to do EBT at 6:00 today as nap was only 1 hr and it ended just after 12:30  . Should I just carry on and keep hoping the nap improves?

[Eva's Mummy]

Maybe you've pushed a wee bit to far again as your over the 5hr A time. Have you tried just sticking to 5hrs for a few days x

[Shiv52]

It took us three weeks for the nap to lengthen. How many days are you at now? 

I wondered the same about going over 5 hours. Is it just taking him longer to settle?

[Joy-filled]

No, he falls asleep in 5-10 min.  The reason the A time is sometimes more than 5 hrs is if he woke before 6:30 in which case it's more than 5 hrs until the 11:30 set nap.

Today is day 11 on "set" nap at 11:30.  My concern with doing A time of 5 hrs is that if he wakes at 6:15, for example, and naps at 11:15 but only pulls off a 30+45 min nap or a 1 hr nap (as that tends to be his 2 patterns right now), then the nap could end at 12:15. A 6:00 EBT is a long time from that  .  Do you think I should abandon the 11:30 set nap and go back to A times?  I'd really prefer to not do that as I think I'll get stuck again in an EWU, earlier short nap, long A until EBT and repeat the next day rut.  I'd prefer to stick with set nap so his body clock sets.  Do you recommend otherwise, though?

[ZacsMumme]

Hun, have you been in the room when he stirs and screams? - I'm wondering what's going on in there YK? I wonder if it's worth sneaking in at 27 mins or so and just seeing how/what he does when he stirs.

I only say this to rule out anything silly, like if say he has a paci, stirs and cant find it, or wakes screaming with eyes shut which may indicate teething pain

[Joy-filled]

I have a video monitor and I always watch him.  He either repositions after the 1st sleep cycle and goes right back to sleep (between 30-36 min) or he immediately sits up, looks around, lies back down, then sits up and starts crying.  He then cries for 5-30 min (it's varied a fair bit this past week) and falls back asleep for 1 more sleep cycle.  He then wakes up immediately, sits up and starts crying.  If he does manage to crash through the 1st sleep cycle he will never sleep past the 2nd sleep cycle which is why I can't get him to sleep longer than 1 hr 10 min.  No teething pain - not a single sign of teething .

[jcsmom]

Aw, poor you and poor wee A. He sounds so OT. So sorry Char this is still going on. What about trying a super short AM catnap, like 10-20 mins to get him to his nap without so much OTness? APOP one around 10-10:10 and then a long nap around 12:30? I have read about this on here working for some to push the nap later but to take the edge off the OTness.

Is it at all possible that he needs even more A time? Like a 12:30 nap with a 6:30 wu? I wonder if the 11:30 nap is causing his EW? I doubt it but could it be worth trialling a later nap (12:30)again if you get a 6:30 wu? I wonder if you just haven't found his sweet spot yet? Just brainstorming here. My DS was the king of 70-75 minute naps on one nap but once I pushed him to 6 hours A he napped like a champ. It will happen, I promise. I just wish I had the answer for you.  HUGS xx

[Joy-filled]

I wonder if you just haven't found his sweet spot yet?

Yeah....it's been a year and I've never found his sweet spot.  The same A will give what seem like UT naps one day and OT naps the other day.  That's why I'm hoping he'll settle into something by doing a set nap.  I think the last 2 days he was clearly OT but he almost seemed UT today?  I just don't know.....but perhaps I'll just continue on with the set nap at 11:30 (or later using a 5 hr A time if WU is later) for another week and hope the nap lengthens. I really don't want to do a 10-20 min am CN.  Aaron is famous for then giving a 2nd short nap.

[Haribo2012]

Sometimes don't you just think it will be great to be done with the worry of naps ;-)

[Loafie]

Hi again CharK!!

It's amazing, I couldn't written your last post myself! Except that I don't get the resettle and more often than not , it's a weird time nap I get ie 70 mins or 37 mins or 50 mins... ?And same when he wakes and won't resettle.  Sits up crying almost straight away..

16.5 months old and I'm yet to find the 'sweet spot' too and tbh, I'm not so sure its about ut, ot or A times or inability to resettle etc etc anymore since some days , I repeat the routine down to the second and I get varying nap lengths.

I think it's just him ... So tired of trying to figure him out and I've never met any other mums with LOs that have this nap prob at his age so it's nice to know I'm not alone

And yes, haribo 2012 , unlike some mums that dread nap dropping , I can't wait until the constant trying to figure his naps is all over!

[Shiv52]

I think things are going ok. I see BT slipping though so it may be an idea to AP a CN and do a later bedtime to see can you get that wake up pushed up a bit.  Because after a 6.50 wake up you then had 6.15 two days running. And it's not an EW given what bedtime has been. 6/6.30 is becoming his BT as opposed to an EBT and he's not tacking on.