Advice on 2-1 transition for 11 month old?

[Confused New Mom]

Hi,
I'm posting this here because it looks like there's not much activity on the 2-1 transition thread.
My 11 month old has been transitioning to one nap for a long time.  I'm vigilant about her sleep, but she almost never sleeps more than 10.5 hours at night.  She does almost always sleep at least 10 hours without any waking, though.
Her morning awake times have been getting longer and longer.  I go by signs and put her down if she seems tired, but she goes 4.5 hours if she's had a good night's sleep.  If I put her down earlier, I get a half hour nap and still don't get a good afternoon nap.  For a long time now I've been trying to sneak in a catnap in the afternoon, but those have been getting later and later because of her awake times and she only sleeps for 20-30 minutes before she wakes up.  Worse, she's now started waking earlier and earlier in the morning as well.  So I think I really need to move to one nap. 

Her usual schedule is something like this:
5:30/6 - awake
10/10:30 - nap (usually 2-2.5 hours)
12/12:30 awake
4pm - 20 minute catnap (usually doesn't fall asleep until 4:30, then wakes at 5)
7/7:30 bedtime (can't push earlier because not really rested from catnap, and gets angry and over tired.)

I am reluctant to skip the last nap and put her to bed at 5:30 or 6, even though I know everyone says to do it.  It just seems soooo early.  Plus, that way she wouldn't get to see her dad at all, and that's hard on him.  If I could get her to wake up at 7, we'd be almost there. 

Yesterday she woke up at 5 am, got overtired and only took a 1.5 hour nap, took an hour nap from 3-4, and went to bed easily and happily at 8.  Terrible beginning but great end.

[creations]

Hi sorry to see you didn't get any replies yet.

Honestly, if you drop to one nap daily I don't see another option but to put LO to bed earlier than usual. I know it may seem super early but the OT can really kick in when the second nap goes, maybe not in only one or two days of one nap but over the weeks ahead.

How about you shift her first nap later each day over a number of days and continue with the short late CN for a little while until WU time moves later, then when you drop the CN and put in EBT it won't seem quite so early and she will have an opportunity to see Daddy?

If you shift the nap 15 mins later each day you will have moved the whole day on by 1hr in 4 days.  Another 2-4 days and you will have moved everything 1.5 - 2hrs.  You would need to move all feeds, meals, the CN and BT the same amount every day too.  Shifting by 15 mins should be gentle enough to keep the process going but you'd also need to prepare for some OT naps which could happen (resettle or stay with her if needed especially her long nap as you really need that to stay long).  Then, hopefully you'd be at an 7.30/8am WU 12pm nap, 6pm CN and 9pm BT.
When you drop the CN the EBT I'd plan for would be 7pm.

What do you think?

[ZanesOTmom]

My 11 month old has been transitioning to one nap for a long time.  I'm vigilant about her sleep, but she almost never sleeps more than 10.5 hours at night.  She does almost always sleep at least 10 hours without any waking, though.
Her morning awake times have been getting longer and longer.

This is my son on his 10th-11th month. He turns 1 in a week. He’s currently on almost 6H AT before first nap and I thought it was so crazy extending his AT so much in a short span of time. I’m pretty sure he was at 4h in December. We did 3 days of 1 nap this past week and playing it by ear. Just letting you know you’re not alone. These babies definitely keep us on our toes!

[Confused New Mom]

Thanks to you both!
I'm okay with a late CN, but how long should I wait between CN and bed?  It seems like when I do a late CN she is up super early.  Maybe I'm not keeping her up late enough after the CN?
Last week I did a 4:30-5pm CN and bed at 7:40 because she seemed tired, and she was up at 5am.  But two nights ago I did a 5-5:20 CN and bed at 8 and she slept till 6:30...

[Confused New Mom]

...sorry! I see you answered that.  I'll try it.

[ZanesOTmom]

Thanks to you both!
I'm okay with a late CN, but how long should I wait between CN and bed?  It seems like when I do a late CN she is up super early.  Maybe I'm not keeping her up late enough after the CN?
Last week I did a 4:30-5pm CN and bed at 7:40 because she seemed tired, and she was up at 5am.  But two nights ago I did a 5-5:20 CN and bed at 8 and she slept till 6:30...

Hi. I’m not sure if this would help but I’ve been making notes on how long it takes him to sleep for every micronap and this is the rough guidelines I’ve been following based on my notes:
10min CN - 1.40-45 AT
15min CN - 2-2.15 AT
20min CN - 2.40 AT
30min CN - 3.20
I would of course decide how long of a CN he’ll take based on the length of his day and when I want BT to be, aiming for roughly 12.5hrs (used to be 13h when we consistently had a CN). Your LO would of course have her own ‘routine’ or guideline, if you may. He’s surprised me a few times with an almost 12h sleep with EBT, fingers crossed yours would too when you do one nap days.

[creations]

but how long should I wait between CN and bed?

...sorry! I see you answered that.

So,just to clarify. You begin with the routine you posted at the start of the thread this is day 0. Although we usually watch our LOs for signals and cues during a change of routine you watch the clock.  The routine begins with the times you have given.
Day 1 you move everything 15 mins later, breakfast (if possible, not if screaming for it), snacks, milk, nap, meals, CN and BT. *everything* moves that 15 mins (regardless of morning WU time, watch the clock)
Day 2 you move everything by another 15 mins, do not go on what time she woke go on the clock, all meals all sleeps
Day 3 again
Day 4 you are now 1hr later than your original posted EASY
continue each day.

It can sometimes go smoothly and it can sometimes seem like everything falls apart, keep going to get to the goal and trust that she will catch up with it over the days.
If it was me I'd write it all down so that I knew what time to do what each day and cross it off as I went.  I had to do that with clock changes twice per year and my DS was particularly difficult to shift in his routine but we got there.

[creations]

I’ve been making notes on how long it takes him to sleep for every micronap

Your notes are interesting.  do you really find they work with those times? It's amazing how you've worked out the A time based on CN length.
Have you also looked at how much extra night sleep links to the reduced CN length?? I heard once that for an adult a 20 min day nap is worth 1hr night sleep and a few threads I've seen LOs do a similar timing of dropping 20 min CN and gaining 1hr overnight but I'm not sure this is something we can really go on - more research data needed I think   It's very interesting.

[ZanesOTmom]

I’ve been making notes on how long it takes him to sleep for every micronap

Your notes are interesting.  do you really find they work with those times? It's amazing how you've worked out the A time based on CN length.
Have you also looked at how much extra night sleep links to the reduced CN length?? I heard once that for an adult a 20 min day nap is worth 1hr night sleep and a few threads I've seen LOs do a similar timing of dropping 20 min CN and gaining 1hr overnight but I'm not sure this is something we can really go on - more research data needed I think   It's very interesting.

Oh wow. That’s interesting... could very well be true as when we dropped a nap, he slept close to 14hrs total if not more in 24hrs which has never happened since I started my sleep diary. I’m more of a proponent of one nap then! Night sleep quality is better for us I noticed. Of course we still need a micronap here and there especially when we know we’ll be out late. Thanks for that creation! I do hope you find this helpful OP. I didn’t mean to highjack your thread...