Shorten naps or 2/1 transition?

[Khowzer]

Hello,

My LO is 9.5 months, and has two good 1.5 - 2 hour naps a day. His AT is about 3.5 to 4 hours so bed time has been creeping later, however he still wakes at 5am.

He has CMPA and we've only had about a week free of reactions and screaming for an hour+ every night in pain, so I'm just trying to figure out where to start with him.

My first thought was shorten his morning nap, however then read about nap transition 2 to 1 and wasn't sure if this was it. He went to 3 hours AT very early (I can't remember when but from here and another forum it was a while before others) and he can do 4 hours AT easily, if it's earlier it's because I'm trying to get the nap in or we won't fit everything into the day.

I don't want to/don't think he would manage only 1 nap a day but  don't know if this is the start of it and if so, how to move on from here.

TIA! 😊

Here's a rough day for us

0500 - Wake, bf
0600 - Solids
0900 - Nap
1030 - Wake, bf
1130 - Solids
1400 - Nap
1530/1600 - Wake, bf
1630/1700 - Solids
(Originally 6/6.30 bedtime when AT 3 hrs)
1900/1930 - Bf, bed.

[Khowzer]

His first nap was nearly 3 hours today, I just left him to see how long he'd go for. Think that's where I'll start, his usual 1.5 is too long!

Any thoughts?

[Scottishmummy]

Hi & welcome to BW.

A 3hr nap today, wow. How did rest of day and night go?

When I saw your first post, my first thought is that the 9.00 nap is too early in the day so giving up the EW at 5.  I.e. He needs 4hrs first A so is waking at 5 to get it!It does sound like start of 2-1 where LO takes 2 good naps but needs a long day to fit them both in. It doesn't mean he is ready to go straight to one nap yet but is starting the gradual process. There are 2 options:

1 - pushing the first nap gradually later but still waking at 10.30 so the first nap is shorter (2nd nap might start earlier or same time, then 7/7.30 BT)

2 or still pushing first nap later but letting him sleep as long as he wants at first nap & then starting 2nd nap later but cutting it shorter to keep BT around 7/7.30

Hope that makes sense! Have a read of this link and come back if you want to ask anything more:

From 2 to 1 nap transition (10-12m and older)

[Khowzer]

Thanks! He had a 15 min cat nap in the afternoon in the car  (about 1630)then bed at 1830. However he was then up most of the time between 0300 and 0500, before wanting to get up for the day.I unfortunately resorted to boobing him to sleep (haven't done this in months since sleep regression hit!) as he had only really had a maximum of 9 hours sleep and it wasn't going to end well.

We've started afresh today, limited his first nap to 1 hour, unfortunately we were out in the afternoon so he had about 45 mins sleep in the car about 1700, and bed at 1930 which he fought for the first time in ages. Wasn't a good day - tomorrow DH is off and we're going to really focus on it so hopefully the next few days I can continue it and hopefully we get back into a routine.

THEN I can see what to do about the 2 or 3 wakes during the night! 🙈

[Scottishmummy]

There are always days which don't go to plan! And nights too!

Good luck with trying out a new routine, let me know how it goes. Maybe the routine change will help the NWs too?...Although we're getting more NWs now too and I think there's developmental stuff and some separation anxiety too at this age...& the 9mo sleep regression to boot!

[Khowzer]

Haha thanks! Textbook day so fingers crossed...

I thought regression but the only difference is the length of time he's up sometimes, we've had 2+ NW most of his little life. I think we had 3 nights with one night feed when he was little.

Hopefully the next few days go well..😊

[Khowzer]

Well, it's just been getting worse 

I've limited all naps except 1 to about an hour, but he's still waking up about 5am. He's only been going back to sleep in my bed, which I've been doing just to try and get back on track and achieve this miraculous 7-7 I've been aiming for!

I realise bringing in with me isn't helping but he will literally not sleep any longer in his cot. He gets hysterical when I try to get him up.

We had ONE good night, with one wake up, and a feed about 5 then in with me and slept til 7.30. I know I shouldn't bring him in, I know that's the first thing I should stop but I can PUPD for an hour, take him out the cot and change of scenery and back again and it can take 2 hours to get him back to sleep and completely defeats the purpose. He just wants to get up and play, and gets hysterical when I try to stop him.

I've been trying magnesium spray too as a FB group I'm on have been raving about its benefits and how lots of babies are now sleeping through, but it's not made any difference. I didn't have high hopes but thought it couldn't do any harm.

Now I just feel defeated as nothing I'm doing makes a difference and I'm just tired and grumpy most mornings. He's just started his typical 'leap' behaviour and I think this is just making it worse. The NW I can handle tbh, that makes sense with his age and I am happy doing that until I go back to work at least then I might think differently!

However the EMW isn't manageable and he's not getting a full sleep, even including NW. Last night was about 2000 (fought it from 1930) to 0500.

[Scottishmummy]

Huge hugs, the EWs are brutal, aren't they. My DD is a similar age and we're getting BT refusal and awful nights so think it might be an age/leap thing too.

She was EW for a while and we had to push first nap later to fix that. Have you tried a first nap later than 9? Hard when wu is 5am but even pushing it 15mins later every couple of days might help.

I understand doing whatever you need to do to get your LO back to sleep at 5. I'm the same. It's too close to morning to try and get IS for ages when you only want another hour or so of sleep.

[Khowzer]

Yep, 6 would even be fine! It's hard to get him to bed earlier too because he's aware for so long.

Today he went for a nap at 9, and woke up hysterical at half past. No idea why! He's had a 15 min snooze in the car so I'll see if he can go til 6 or 6.30 and at least if he gets up at 5 he will have had a decent sleep!

I think you're right, it just makes it difficult as we've had the EW for so long! But now he's doing so many new things during the day it's definitely affecting him.

Had to go out for a walk for a few hours as the screaming was driving me mad! Very unhappy which isn't like him, teething with a mix of separation anxiety I think- goes hysterical when I leave the room to nip to the toilet etc! VERY unlike him, I've been lucky that he's always been laid back and content. Until now lol.

Early night for me tonight. Using magnesium flakes in his bed later too, clutching at straws!