Help with 2:1 transition please

[Mum2lucy]

It was a disaster 

I had to go out this afternoon as a friend was over from oz and it was the only chance I could get to see her so I arranged for her grand parents to watch her so that I didn't mess her routine up.

Wu 6.30
S 9.45 - 10.05 ( put her down at 9.30 but wouldn't settle herself, had to go in and shhhh her)
E
A
S 13.35 - 14.10 (asked them to get her down for half 1 and she was a little late, cried for 10mins before sleep and woke screaming at 35mins in and they couldn't get her back to sleep)
Bt 5.45 (tried to get her down for half 5 but she took a wee while to settle)

Guess she was overtired again? I had thought because she was up an hour later today the timings might have been ok but maybe need to pull it forward to 13.15 for nap?

I took her a walk in the pram from 3-4 to see if I could get another Cn for her but she wasn't having it

So all in all, a bit of a disaster and I've no idea if she will pick up the sleep in night sleep. Hopefully or else I'm going to be up super early! 

[Scottishmummy]

Oh no! I hope she does a long night for you.

It sounds like she's a baby who needs a mix of 1 & 2 nap days to get through this transition. So if you get EW, she will probably need a 2 nap day (short am/long pm) to get through but if you get a good night and wu later than 6 then a one nap day, letting her sleep as long as she will, at your longest possible A time (was it 4hr20 that was working for her?) and EBT.

It makes it a real juggle and hard to predict your days but you could also gradually increase her A time on one nap days and eventually it will be enough to do one good nap a day.

*hugs* sorry you've had a bad day today xxx

[Mum2lucy]

Thanks! I'm fine thanks. I've been known to get a bit uptight when she won't sleep but today I just accepted it for what it was.

Yeah it was 4 hours 20 mins in the morning when she was doing ok but then she got overtired so I'm not sure what she can do now. A Friday is the only morning I go out so tomorrow will be a short am long pm day and hopefully it'll go better. I might try going down at 13.15?

Thanks for your help with all of this! it's a hard slog with a baby who shows no tired signs. Suppose that's a bonus today though... Shattered baby but still no real tears!

[Mum2lucy]

She was up for the day at 5.15 so 5.45pm - 5.15am. Not too bad but she didn't really add any sleep on I guess

[Scottishmummy]

Oh no! I'd try to keep her going as close to 9.30 as you can, then do a 2 nap day as you planned and hope for better naps today & a better night tonight.

If she does good naps and night sleep today, maybe try a 1 nap day tomorrow?

Good luck xxx

[Mum2lucy]

Ok thanks

Just one question, will it not be confusing for her to one day do a long am (if one nap day) then the next day a short am / long pm (2 nap day) like I'm confusing her body as she doesn't know when she's to sleep?

xxx

[Scottishmummy]

When going through a nap transition, they sometimes need some 2 nap days still to counteract OT..like she did a couple of days ago. They catch up on sleep and are OK on one nap again. As she doesn't show clear tired signs it makes it hard to follow her lead though so I'd try to judge based on wake up time.  It might not even be alternate days..it will be a bit of trial and error to work out what works best for her until she can push her A time long enough for 1 nap consistently.

[Mum2lucy]

An update on today:

Wu 5.15
E
A
S 9.30 - 9.50 (cried a little going down but asleep after 2 mins of being put down, grumpy when woken)
E
A
S 13.15 - 14.50 (sleep cried at 30mins and woke at 40mins crying, went in immediately, APOP with dummy and back to sleep, then I took dummy out)
Bt 6.50 (into cot 6.45 so 5 mins to settle, barely a tear)

I'm not sure if the nap timing is quite right that she keeps waking? I had started the nap earlier at 13.15 rather than 13.30 but got a wake up at 40 mins rather than 30 mins! x

[Mum2lucy]

She's woken at 5.30am though 

[Mum2lucy]

I had another disaster day... I'm not sure short am long pm is working? However the timings might still not be correct

Wu: 5.30
E
A
S 9.10 - 9.45 (I'm ill so my dh put her down. Screamed when she went to sleep, had to go in and shhhh) let her sleep on to 35mins as he put her down early)
E
A
S 14.10 - 14.45 (tried to get her asleep for 13.45 but she screamed like mad, had to APOP with dummy and shhhh, woke at 35mins and wouldn't go back to sleep. Tried to get her back to sleep for 45mins. Even tried to bf back to sleep, she wasn't having it at all)
Bt 18.22 (tried to get her down for 18.00 but she was screaming again so took me until 18.20 with shhhh to get her off)

It hasn't been a fun day unfortunately. I'm wondering if I could try to get her to try one nap or if right now with the state we are in if it would be a bad idea?

[Scottishmummy]

I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time.  I have just re-read all your posts from the start.

I think you might be right to go back to one nap but also back to going by Atimes.  I looked at your very first post and you did a 10am nap after a 5.30 Wu, EBT and got a long night.  I wonder if that would be worth going back to trying again? But let her sleep as long as possible for naps and in the morning?

I think she now needs an A time of more than 4hr20, as this had started to give you 45 min naps. I'd try at least 4hr30.

At worst it might shift your whole day earlier so maintain EW...but then you can try shifting nap gradually & bedtime forward.

[Mum2lucy]

My gut is also telling me to try the long am again and sebt or Cn if it seems a possibility. I did 4hours 30 A this morning and unfortunately got a 47 min nap but she didn't really cry going to sleep which was nice after yesterday. We also went to sleep without shhhhh. When I got her she had done a poo too so it's hard to know if the A was correct or not. x

[Bella89]

Yeah, I was re-reading your whole history, and I think she needs long am nap and short pm. I'm sorry I might be recommending this too strongly, but it's just a similar history to ours. Hope you don't mind. When you said your gut is telling you the same, I was sure

I agree, that when she wakes up early I would do 2 naps and 1 nap when the WU is close to 7. I think extending A time could be good for her now. How old is she now?

[Mum2lucy]

She's 11.5 months Bella.

Do you think I should push the 4hrs 30mins in the am awake time to 4hrs 40mins? xx

[Scottishmummy]

Thanks Bella, having re-read everything, I agree with everything you said too!