The 2-1 journey continues....

[Joy-filled]

Okay, I'll try 11:30 set nap and 6:00 set BT starting tomorrow and see how it goes.  Or can I do 11:30/45 set nap and 6:30 BT so DH can see Aaron when he gets home from work?  I'd much prefer this.

Should I stop rocking him when he wakes after the 1st sleep cycle (30ish min) or after only 2 sleep cycles (1 hr 10 ish min)?  This would mean I could very well get a day with only one 30 min nap ....  but I fear the rocking to extend his naps is becoming a prop, however maybe it isn't since he does sometimes crash through the 1st sleep cycle into the 2nd but in the past couple of weeks he hasn't been able to make it past that point on his own.  He'll just sit up or stand up and start crying. What do you think?  To rock or not to rock?

[Haribo2012]

Hi, just to say don't worry about daycare, my LO naps are short at nursery but as he is so occupied it doesn't affect him too bad and we do EBT on nursery days! Also I've had a couple of 13 hour night with EBT, it's definitely worth a go and if its an EW then try 2 naps. If it was me I'd definitely stop the rocking, could u try going in and just sitting next to cot and quietly saying its sleep time still with your hand in the cot? We did this a few times and got past the rocking!x

[Eva's Mummy]

I would stop the rocking, for 1 thing it must drive you insane  . if i need to settle i sit next to the cot and stroke her back for a few seconds then say "sleepy time baby" she sometime sticks her hand out and strokes my hair but soon settles and i leave.

[Joy-filled]

Unfortunately if I go in the room with Aaron he will simply stand and scream and scream.  That's why I've done WIWO (even though it doesn't work and he just screams and screams) up until this recent rocking business which I only started to do to keep the OTness from total craziness.  He finds it very infuriating and disrupting for me to be in the room with him and WIWO actually infuriates him even more but I hate to just leave him to cry and that isn't BWing, right?  I sort of think I should keep rocking for another week or so and hope the nap naturally lengthens out once he isn't so OT, is better able to cope and hopefully won't wake up partly through the nap?  But maybe not?

Can I do 6:30 BT instead of 6:00?  I just really want DH to see Aaron....

[Eva's Mummy]

If it was me i would be 6 for a 2-3 days then i'm sure he would be caught up a bit to go for 6:30, he's got to see his daddy 

[ZacsMumme]

Honey, you may find with the earlier nap for a bit that he may not wake at 30 mins as its typically an OT time YK? So maybe rock for a few more days if you need to then see how things are.

[Joy-filled]

Yes, Sara I hope that's right.  I think I'll rock for the next few days, if needed, but hopefully I won't have to.

So....the new plan is 11:30 set nap, 6:00 BT and maybe after a week or so his nap will lengthen and I can bump BT to 6:30 so DH and Aaron can have their male bonding time .  Thanks so much for the input ladies.    I think this plan is the best option but I wouldn't have come up with it on my own, so thank you.  Here's hoping it works out!

[ZacsMumme]

Also Hun, do whatever you can to resettle if you have silly o clock EW ie 4,4.30 treat as a NW etc
Good luck!

[Joy-filled]

Sure thing, Sara!  Oh, and Haribo thanks for the thought about daycare.  Hopefully it will go okay .

Okay, I'm not being indecisive here but I am wondering if I should do another day of short A times today and start the set nap/BT tomorrow instead.  He woke up at 6:15 today wide awake, standing in his crib, calling out and doing sign language for "milk".  He barely took his BT nursing last night as he was too tired so I'm not surprised he woke up hungry this am. I knew there was no chance of him falling asleep if I went in and nursed as he was wide awake - slept 10.75 hrs last night.

A 5.25 hr A time until 11:30 is quite long, especially considering he couldn't even handle 4 hrs A time yesterday (gave a 27 min OT nap which I extended by 1 hr 5 through rocking).  I'm wondering if I should do another 2 nap day with 4 hr A time this am to help him catch up again a bit.  Yesterday it worked well as he got a total of 1.5 hr sleep in the am, had a 3.40 hr A until the CN in the car, barely screamed  and slept 29 min in the car.  Thoughts?  Bite the bullet and just go for 11:30 starting today or give him another day of catch up sleep today and start tomorrow?  I'm prepared to do either, I just could use some help deciding.  Thanks!

[Eva's Mummy]

I'd give another day to catch up and hopefully get a later WU then start. Also when you do start if you think 11:30 is too much you could always do 11am nap and hope for a 2hr nap then 5hr to BT at 6?

Then push to 11:15 after a 3 days then 11:30 3 days later again.

[Joy-filled]

The last 2 days have certainly been better - I'm really glad I pulled back on the A times and did 2 naps.  Today:

WU 6:15 GU 6:35
A 4 hr 10 (was very fussy before his nap cried very hard when PD but fell asleep in 5 min, clearly OT I think)
S 10:35-12:01 (woke up and sat up after 1 hr 5 but put self back to sleep for another 20  )
A 3 hr 34
S 3:35-4:09 (34 min in car - almost no screaming again )
A 3 hr 41
BT 6:50

For the first time in weeks he also didn't wake up crying 30 min after BT and actually last night he STTN (for 10.75 hrs) for the 1st time in his life .  I'll see how tonight goes and hopefully he'll have a better WU tomorrow and perhaps I can try the 11:30 set nap?  Not sure, though as I'm wondering if he needs yet another day or 2 of catch up with lower A times and 2 naps?  I can't believe he's seeming to struggle to manage 4 hrs of A time when he was doing 5.5-5.75 hrs on the set 12:00 nap!  At least I think he was OT again for his am nap today...

Perhaps if WU is 6:30 or earlier I do 2 naps again but if it's after 6:30 (which would shock me as he doesn't tack on) then I do 1 nap at 11:30?  Or should I just move on to 1 nap and do 11:15 nap if he wakes early, but otherwise do 11:30?  Some guidance would be appreciated!  Thanks!

[ZacsMumme]

Char, Z was super touchy too and at this age we did A times because OT just hit to hard for set naps. Once he was consistently napping well ie 2hrs and the CN was pretty much gone THEN we set the nap. He was about 12/13 mths then. I do think in the second year (1-2 yrs) set naps become easier for them and us, but in the first one and sometimes into the second sometimes LOs can't handle the OT (touchies in particular)

We had 2 plans. WU and nap length determined if 1 or 2 naps.
If early WU and short nap meant a CN.
Early WU and long nap past 1 pm meant EBT and 1 nap day
Later WU and good nap meant 1 nap day and
Later WU with bust nap meant CN and usual BT.

Given your having success here I would leave things another day. Then maybe try to push that am A time 10/15 mins and hold. Given he just couldn't cope on the set nap before, I suspect maybe he won't again until he is another month or so older YK?

Just my two cents

[Joy-filled]

You know, Sara, I think Aaron must be very similar to Z.   I think WU and nap length do need to determine if it's a 1 nap or 2 nap day.  I don't like the unpredictability and it would be much easier if he was on one set nap in prep for daycare, but I think you're right - he's not ready for it and can't handle the OTness.  I didn't think 2 naps was an option as I thought his A time needs were too high to fit 2 naps into a day, but he is clearly showing they were not as high as we thought.  I'm going to stick with 4 hrs and a 2 nap day again today.  Perhaps I'll only bump that up in a day or two by 10/15 min and then stay there until he UT naps.  What would be considered an UT nap, though....I'm a bit confused about that.

By the way - fabulous night last night!  He slept 6:50 pm -6:35 this am with only a 5 min crying NW at 5:25  . 

[Haribo2012]

Fantastic night :-) better than my rubbish 4.55am start!!! Arghh teeth, only 1 molar and 4 canines to go lol x

[Eva's Mummy]

Well done you, the poor wee soul has been shattered. If i were you i would stick 4hrs first A if its working. For us anything under 1hr 20mins is a UT nap. But like you adding 10-15 mins can give us an extra 40min nap. We are only a month older than you and in that 1 month i can see Eva coping much better with 4.5 - 5hrs A time.

Dont worry about daycare he will be fine, just offer EBT on those days and let him lie in if he needs it. I was so stressed but now she sleeps 2hrs 15mins every day with the CM and when she is there she naps at 12:20 after a 6am WU, she would never ever manage that at home. But all the excitment and the other kids keeps her going while she is there x

So so happy things are going better for you and Aaron xx