Short(ish) nap for 18 month old??

[eogan0622]

Hi All,

At 17 months, we were 100% transitioned to 1 nap and were embracing the change.  It was a long, slow transition for us, but I am so glad we did it that way because we seemed to avoid a lot of OT and it went well!  Initially, we were getting 2-3 hour naps, which was great.  However the past week or so, DD has mostly been waking up after 1.5 hours and is AWAKE.  We'll have an occasional day with a 2-3 hour nap, but most days it's 1.5 hours.  We have been sticking to 5 hrs A time between WU and nap, but wondering if i need to stretch it?  or is 1.5 hours normal? Seems short to me!  Most days go like this:

645/7: WU
12-1:30ish: nap
7:00: sleep

She has been sleeping through the night since 11 months with the occasional WU due to teething and illness.  Maybe once/week she'll wake at 5:30, take a bottle, and go back to sleep until 7:30/8. 

Any suggestions?

Thank you!

[Scottishmummy]

I think it's normal for the nap to start long after transitioning to 1 nap then shorten again as the LO gets used to only having one nap...however if she is starts showing signs of OT with the longer A time to bed,  or if you start getting EW or nap refusal, you could start experimenting with pushing it out to start a bit later.

[Martini~]

Agree - we were having ups and downs but generally we transitioned to 1nap around 12mo, started from 2h, than 1.45, 1.30, 1.15 even and than around 16mo we had a jump to 2h naps until 18mo when sleep regression hit us and I had to cap to 1.5h to preserve nights. After around 6-8weeks he needed more sleep again and being honest could do 2h nap even when he was 2yo+. Right now he is 2y8m and we need to cap to 45min once again as he is fighting nights. So definitely it's not something which progressively goes down, it can vary and fluctuate.

[eogan0622]

OK- thanks for the reassurance.  Now, it seems like we've been getting EWs the past few mornings! Wondering if this is just par for the course?  My concern is that she has an EW, so goes down a little earlier for naps- if I push her to her regular nap time (noonish), she's OT and has a crappy nap!  But then it's an early BT, and EW!  For example-

WU: 6 (was waking up 7)
Nap: 11:30-1
BT: 630

Does that schedule sound normal?  Should I try to push her out to 12 so she can go down to bed closer to 7?

[Scottishmummy]

At this age a set nap and BT works well, so if you get EW try to keep nap and BT at usual time rather than bringing it earlier. Bringing both earlier keeps the EW going for longer as whole day shifts earlier.

As she only recently went to 1 nap it is probably her adjusting to it (with some OT).I m'd try to keep nap at 12 regardless of Wu time and BT around 6.30-7ish,unless nap is really really short (under an hour) in which case she might need an earlier BT to compensate.

[eogan0622]

Hi- back again!

We've been doing a set nap time at noon and set BT between 630-7...but haven't really noticed any improvement on wakings...and now her naps seem to be getting shorter...

She's been getting up 545-615 regardless of BT...so our days have been

545-615: WU/bottle (when she gets up this early, we usually give her a bottle and try putting her back down...90% of the time she doesn't go back to sleep, but once in a blue moon she'll do another 30 or so.  Wondering if this is a bad habit though- is she waking up for a bottle??

12-1/130: Nap-  this has gotten shorter    I *wish* this could be 2 hrs as she seems so much happier after a 2hr nap...yesterday woke up after 55 mins and I ended up being able to eventually calm her (wakes up HYSTERICALLY CRYING) and got her to sleep on me another 20-25 mins...

645/7: Sleep- luckily goes down super easy and STTN....

I'm just wondering if

a) she's getting enough sleep total during the day? 11 hrs at night and 1-1.5 during the day (shes 18mons)...it seems short to me?

b) if i should bring the nap earlier?

Thanks

[Scottishmummy]

Total sleep needs can really vary.  I think it's easier to judge whether she seems OT e.g. From her behaviour eother obviously tired or more emotional/fragile/on a short fuse? If she seems content however, then she's getting enough sleep.

There is a sleep regression around 18mo, coinciding with a big developmental keep, which could be affecting her naps and nights and, from what I understand from other posters here, it's just a case of riding out unfortunately.

If you felt she slept better with an earlier nap however, then try going back to that & see what happens. Some LOs prefer a shorter morning and a longer time awake before bed.

[eogan0622]

Hi,

Back again(sigh). Our naps really never lengthened from 1.5 hrs but now hey are getting even shorter and her wake ups earlier. It would be one thing if she woke happily but she wakes in the morning and from naps crying her little soul out. I've tried to wait 5-10 mins to see if she'll fall back asleep but she doesn't. A couple times I've gone in, held her on the chair while she screams, -!: she has eventually fallen back asleep for 20-30 mins. But what is going on? 8 think she is teething but it seems like clockwork that she's waking up from naps. She's not
A fussy or particularly cranky baby when she's up but I can tell she's tired and she looks sleepy. Any suggestions? I'm wondering if I need to move any time frames around,  like try a nap later? How long is a good time to be Awake? I've been doing "sett nap time" -6 12 but open to suggestions. Maybe I need to try 1230 or 1? The times I've tried earlier I've had the exact same results. She goes down without a fight and falls asleep quickly.
The days she has napped longer she's suchhhhh a happier girl!
Our current schedule
6-615:awake
12-1: nap
7 bedtime (STTN)

[Scottishmummy]

Sorry you've not seen any improvement yet.

LOs vary in their sleep needs and nap times but from my experience with DS and his friends, most napped starting around 12.30/1 by 18mo.  So if earlier/noon nap hasn't worked then you could try a later one. My DS only went to one nap consistently at 18mo but went straight to napping 1-3pm (with a 6/6.30 Wu and 7pm BT)

 Set naps & BT  work well at this age & you usually need to stick with any change for at least a week to see if it makes a difference.