13mo 2-1 transition questions

[MamaBergs]

Hello wise ones! I have a almost 13 month old who was mostly fighting her afternoon naps so ive been transitioning her to 1 nap. She mostly sleeps 7pm- 7am. We are on day 9 of the transition and have her going down now at 12noon. I know its meant to be a bit rocky but she seems to be waking after 1hr or 1hr 30m. I can sometimes resettle but not always. She just quietly occupies herself in her cot but obviously id prefer her to sleep longer. Basically after some reassurance, after such a success on day 1 im feeling a bit unsure how far to push it. What ive done so far... previously napped 10am -11.30pm & 3-4pm.

Day1- nap 10.15am- 12.40pm (2hr 25m)
Day2- nap 10.45am - 12.15 (1hr 30m)
Day3- nap 10.45am- 1pm (2hr 15m)
Day4- nap 11.15am - 12.45pm (1hr 30m)
Day5- nap 11am - 12.20pm (1hr 20m)
Day6- nap 11am - 1pm?? (2hr??)
Day7- nap 11.30am- 12.40pm (1hr)
Day8- nap 12noon -1.40pm (1hr 40m)
Day9- nap 12noon - 1.20pm(1hr 20m)

She eats breakfast at 8.30am & a snack 1hr 30mins before nap time (started on day 4).

Any guidance? So far putting her down later hasnt effected her mood so happy to keep stretching it out. Also what would the ideal afternoon naptime be? She has always been very by the book as she doesnt display tired signs.

Thank you!!

[becj86]

Hi MamaBergs, I've split your topic off the 2-1 chat thread as you'll probably get more assistance on the Toddler Sleep board.

Looks like things are going pretty well so far. Ideal PM nap time is very individual at this age and it looks like you might be able to mostly do one nap and just do a CN if LO falls asleep if you know what I mean. How have the nights been so far?

[MamaBergs]

I just wonder how late she should sleep in the afternoon before its too close to bedtime?

BT is 7pm regardless, and i get her up at 7am, sometimes shes just in her cot quietly awake til i go in. I have noticed the last couple weeks she will wake up crying/unhappy around 8.30pm and need a quick resettle but goes back to sleep easily. We were unsure if its nightmares?? or as a result of OT from during the day. Before we dropped the 2nd nap she was waking alot during the night so its improved.

regarding a CN shes not a fall asleep anywhere kind of kid, she will only sleep in her cot & doesn't give off any consistent tired signs. So haven't done any CNs.

Today she went down at 12.30pm and woke at 1.40pm .... Just feeling a little lost with what i should be doing? Should i try to go back to 2 naps by cutting the morning one shorter??? Im really not sure anymore. She was having max 1.5hr in morning and maybe 40mins in afternoon but was pretty much not sleeping at all.

[becj86]

I have noticed the last couple weeks she will wake up crying/unhappy around 8.30pm and need a quick resettle but goes back to sleep easily. We were unsure if its nightmares?? or as a result of OT from during the day.

Probably OT at BT. Sometimes you just have to roll with this for a little while as the lesser of the potential issues with this transition.

It is possible to do a super short CN (eg. 15-20min) in the morning and cross fingers for a long PM nap. If you have strong enoguh sleep cues and she'll go to sleep when she's put in her crib, that might work though its tricky to get the right timing as children this age are so variable in what's good for them.

I'm of the opinion that a good solid night sleep which you're now achieving is much better than 2 naps if you've got to choose between the two.

Have you had any luck resettling the 1hr naps in the last few days? They can be OT naps at this stage of the game. I wonder have you considered alternating one and two nap days?

[MamaBergs]

Thank you so much for the reply.

No luck with the resettling. Shes happy as pie and will contently play in her cot until i go in to get her. Some days i'll leave her for like up to an hour just so i get a little longer to myself.... I thought perhaps shes waking due to hunger so i started a larger snack but makes me wonder should i be giving her lunch before or after her nap?

Do you think she needs a CN to help with the OT at BT? or will she adjust?

I noticed she was rubbing her eyes at 11.30am today and i put her down at 12.30pm (because noon yesterday didnt work so thought id push it)... however ... rubbing her eyes is NEVER a consistent sleep cue for her..

[becj86]

I thought perhaps shes waking due to hunger so i started a larger snack but makes me wonder should i be giving her lunch before or after her nap?

You can give her lunch before, or after. I know some people split the lunch either side of the nap. I found DS would eat every 2hr or so at this age, either a snack or meal and there wasn't much difference in quantity so I just made sure snacks were healthy too.

Do you think she needs a CN to help with the OT at BT? or will she adjust?

She'll grow out of it eventually. You could try an earlier BT and see if that helps - she might tack some sleep onto the end of the night. I think its just worth trying one nap and know you can always go back if she gets too OT. It seems she's coping ok so far.

[MamaBergs]

Update. Its been 3 weeks and this has been our consistent day for the last week:

A. 7am (i go in shes usually been happy awake & snoozing for a little bit)
E. 7.30am breakfast
E. 11am lunch
S. 12noon
A 1.20pm (usually happy sometimes upset, rarely get her back to sleep but she will contently stay in cot for max another hr awake)
E. 3.30pm snack
E. 5.30pm dinner
E. 6.30pm bottle
S. 7pm bed (usually wakes up crying at 8pm or 8.45pm like clockwork, quick resettle & back to sleep. May need another quick resettle around 5am)

So basically, im really wanting/ expecting her to sleep longer during her day nap. I only keep her in her cot past her waking up if shes content & im in need of a bit longer time to myself as im 30weeks pregnant. Am i expecting too much? Should i put her down later? or is 1hr 20 the norm cos i feel like it should be longer since her night time sleep hasnt increased since dropping the 2nd nap. Ive attempted a CN and it always fails. Shes never given tired cues but always falls asleep within 10mins of putting down to SS in cot. Would love some guidance!

Thank you!!!

[becj86]

Has she always been at the higher end of A time? If she's coping well, it could well be all she needs.

[MamaBergs]

Before she started skipping her afternoon nap i was putting her down at 10am and she would sleep 1hr20 easy. Ive just stretched it til 12noon to balance out bedtime. Should i keep trying for later? She does sometimes seem a little tired around 5pm but wont CN. The resettling though the night is out of character for her so thats why im thinking the 1hr 20min day nap isnt enough.

[becj86]

S. 7pm bed (usually wakes up crying at 8pm or 8.45pm like clockwork, quick resettle & back to sleep. May need another quick resettle around 5am)

Sorry, yes - these are probably OT but given its not escalating and its classic of short-term OT, I think the night length is probably getting her through.

You can certainly try making her nap a little later or you could try wake to sleep for the nap to see if she will sleep a bit longer.