Too much nap time?

[Gobolinosmum]

Hi lovely people!

Just after a little advice please! Im not sure whether a routine tweak or sleep training is the way forward here.

Ottilie is now 14 months. As some of you know, she's had pretty bad reflux so sleep training hasn't been possible before. I'm posting on here rather than the reflux board as we've taken her off the losec (it just happened by accident on holiday as we were out of routine and missed a couple of doses. She's been fine without it apart from a couple of nights after having spicy food. Avoiding that now.) so I think this is more of a normal toddler sleep issue!

So basically her normal routine at home is (roughly):

Morning nap 1.5-2hrs
Afternoon nap 1.5-2hrs
bed at 7.
Up repeatedly any random time from 11 onwards.
Wake up anytime between 5-7am
Be really energetic and demanding to help poor mummy get over her sleep deprivation. 😉

She's been on this routine for a while now. It can vary a bit due to fitting in around her busy big brother. She settles herself in her own cot quite well, I don't need to stay with her.

She has been in her cot by our bed since birth but we just went away for 3 weeks road tripping in the states. During the trip she had two much shorter naps in the car every day. Usually less than an hour each nap. She was then going to bed much later (sometimes 9pm!) every night due to being in strange places and the distraction of having her big brother in the room too! She sleep through every single night on holiday, with just a short feed at 5am then back to sleep til 8.

When we got home 10 days ago I put her straight into her own room as she was already used to sleeping in strange places. She's over the jet lag now but back to her old routine and waking up all night like the pre-holiday days. I'm still feeding her at night which obviously doesn't help. She's ending up in our bed a lot in the early hours as I can't stick any more hours sitting in her room trying to get her settled again.

I was all set to do some sleep training and stop the night feeds is week but then yesterday we did a food fair with our business and she stayed awake all day. She finally crashed at 5pm but I only let her have a little catnap of 20 mins as didn't want to spoil bedtime. After dinner she fell asleep in the buggy at 8:30 ish as we were out and slept through (with a couple of transfers into car and cot) she is still asleep now at 8:30am.

So now I'm wondering if the secret sleep recipe on holiday was the shorter naps? Do you think I should try this first before sleep training? on the short nap days she didn't even want night feeds so could I save us both the trauma of stopping them cold turkey with just a routine tweak?

I really don't want to shorten her naps as I have so much work on, we have two businesses and I get it all done during nap time! If I shorten her naps I might have to think about nursery and I don't want her away from me just yet.  I'm used to our big boy who at 3.5 still likes a 2-3 hr nap and a full nights sleep!!

What does everyone think? Sorry for the long essay! Xx 

[michaeljacknnugg]

Generally if you think it's too much day sleep, it usually is! Would you have more energy for the businesses on a full night's sleep yourself, too?

She would likely be on one nap by now, so bear in mind that you'll be heading in that direction soon. Maybe her sleep needs are just a lot lower than her brother's?

[anna*]

Yeh, she is getting a LOT of daytime sleep for her age - I think you have been spoiled by a high sleep needs DS!
Most at 14 months are well on the way to transitioning to 1 nap, so having one long (1.5-2hrs) nap plus a short catnap (~30 mins) - if not solidly on one nap already.

So I would definitely consider cutting one of those naps back. The only other alternative I can see is making bedtime quite a lot later.

[*Ali*]

Yes I agree. Your DS is definitely the exception rather than the rule.
At this age my DS1 who is HSN was on a 3hr nap and 12hr night. The long A times either side made him more tired than if the 3hrs of sleep had been over 2 naps with 3 shorter A times. My DS1's night went up from 10.5 to 12hrs when he jumped to one nap at 12mo.
My DS2 who is LSN (or maybe lower side of average) was on a 1.5hr nap, a 30 min nap and an 11hr night.

If you want long naps then I would make BT later. Or you could try to get one long 3hr nap and see if that helps. the naps will shorten very soon whether you like it or not I expect.

[Gobolinosmum]

Nononono! I want to have my cake and eat it!  why can't I have kids that go to bed early so I can spend time with hubby, sleep all night and nap for hours so I can also work and have me-time? Something went badly wrong with the plan....   

I'd really like to try one nap but it's not going to work on nursery days as I have to pick little man up at 1:30. He then has his nap around 2pm. She tends to ask me for a nap about 2hrs after waking up in the morning so i don't think I can push her until after lunch. I don't think we could fit one long nap in before 1:30 as the afternoon would be too long.

What do you think would be typical times for 2 naps at this age? Say 10 and 2ish? Or is that too close together? I think on holiday she had two naps of less than an hour each (i'm guessing one sleep cycle). I could try that but it would be the death of my work time. I think we need at least one long nap in the day, which I suppose should be the morning. The trouble is, Arthur sleeps most of the afternoon so I will never leave the house again! I'll have to have people post food (quietly) through the letterbox for me! 

 

[anna*]

You could give her a 30-45 mins nap in the morning and a long nap at the same time as Arthur and see how that goes?

[*Ali*]

That's what i was going to suggest.

[Gobolinosmum]

Thanks, yes perhaps i'll try it that way round. has anyone had any success with switching it round on some days, i.e. some days long nap in morning and some in afternoon? Or am I being unreasonable? I suppose she would never get into any kind of rhythm...?

[anna*]

You're probably best off sticking with a routine tbh.

[*Ali*]

Sometimes ours switched but it was child-led. We did the long nap in the morning though so if she short napped I could just let her sleep longer in the pm.