Daycare late naps make 2-1 transition difficult

[PuppyLuf]

Hello! I'm a working single mother and my son is in daycare 3 days a week and with my mother 2 days a week.  It's currently summer andI'm a teacher, so he's with me all week now save for one day in daycare so he doesn't forget the routine.  He is 18 months and I am trying to transition him to one nap. 

The problem I am facing is that due to my work schedule, he gets up at 6:30.  Naptime at daycare is 1:00. My daycare owner will put him down at 12:30, but anything earlier than that cuts into their lunch and play time.  It seems to me that 7 hours is a VERY long time to go without sleep for a little one this age.  He is the youngest in the daycare.

Current schedule:
6:30 - wake and take Prevacid for reflux
7:00 - drink milk
7:15 - leave for daycare
7:45 - eat breakfast at daycare
9:20-10:00 - nap (Daycare morning nap is at 9:15, pretty rigid about that)
10:30 - snack
12:30 - lunch
1:00-3:00 nap
6:00 - Prevacid
6:30 - dinner and bottle
6:45 bedtime

Any thoughts on how I should handle this?  He is starting to wake at 5:30 because he no longer needs two naps, but he can't make it till 1:00 without one. 

My thoughts is he could be on a different schedule with me and my mom 4 days a week and be a little more tired in his three days at daycare (Monday, Thurs, Fri).  At any rate, I have till August to figure it out!

Thanks!

[lauradj]

I remember this bind but my guy was a year old.  For what it's worth, it really wasn't a challenge for my DS, and he was getting up at 7am.  I did move him to one nap just prior to beginning day care but I think they just get so busy with everything that's happening around them, they push through with everyone else without even noticing the time.  Go with your gut but I'm willing to bet he'll be just fine.

[jessmum46]

Will daycare wake him from his morning nap after say 15-20 mins instead of 40?  That could be a good first step.  Then once you make the jump I would bet at 18/19 months he could handle 6.30-12.30 then an early bedtime if needed while he adjusts.  You could offer an earlier nap at home if needs be.  You have my sympathy though, we are struggling with very similar right now (although younger here) and daycare really does complicate the whole routine thing.  ((Hugs))

[becj86]

Any chance you could wake him a little later, give reflux meds before you leave for daycare and have her feed him his morning milk? That may make the A time a little more manageable?

[PuppyLuf]

Laura - I figured this was how he would do.  He seems to have no problems staying that late for one day, but two days in a row and he's a cranky mess. Luckily, the longest he is in daycare is two days.

BECJ86, I've thought about that, but then he doesn't eat anything for 13.5 hours.  That seems like it would be a really long time and he is quite cranky and hungry then.  That was my reasoning for giving him at least his milk before he leaves. Do you think this is a reasonable amount of time?

Jessmum46, yes they would do that.  He's been taking longer and longer to fall asleep, though, so I think he's really only actually getting 20 minutes.

Today I woke up bound and determined to keep him up till 10 a.m., and then he was so cranky and having meltdown after meltdown since the minute I walked in his room this morning.  I put him down right now (9:00) and he's out like a light.  But then he's up at 5:30.  Grumble.  Last night he was awake in his bed until 8:45 (two hours after his bedtime).  This nap change thing is exhausting...

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas!

[becj86]

If he slept later in the morning, BT bottle would be later too, it would shift the whole day later so shouldn't make much difference to the time without eating.

That catnap is ping to start being a major issue, I think.

[jessmum46]

Puppyluf both my LOs have tea, maybe a small drink of milk at around 5pm then nothing at all until 6.30am breakfast the next day.  Hope that's some reassurance x

[lauradj]

If it helps, when I transitioned my DS1 to one nap, I did it quite slowly at first.  I did a long am nap and a short pm, and I just moved the morning nap later by 15 mins every week.  Then one week, we were just doing something and he was still zipping around at 11:30am, so I fed him lunch and he was asleep by noon.  After that, it was no problem getting him to stay awake for another 30 minutes, then 45.  The one thing that REALLY messed our LO, but works for others, was moving his BT around.  We tried to put him to bed early on days when he had a short mid-day nap but that just messed him up because my children like their routines. Once we stuck with his usual bedtime, come hell or high water, he was totally fine.