Nap Questions

[shawneam]

Hello! I posted this on another string, but thought I would post it on its own to see if anyone has any advice:

DD is 17 mos - lots of nightwakings/trouble going down (we're working on it!). If she wakes up after an hour long nap, I've tried to get her back down, but no success. Do I put her down for another nap a little later to try and "catch up" and get more daytime sleep?  She has been on one nap for a while now.

I've heard all kinds of "time frames" for being awake (anywhere from 4-6 hours before a nap/bedtime)  We have been putting DD down for a nap (trying to be consistant with the times) approx. 6 hours after she wakes up in the morning is when she goes down for a nap. It is about 5 hours from the time she wakes up from a nap to when we are putting her down to bed:

Day is like this:

6:00 AM - wake up (this isn't consistant though, due to early wake up/nightwakings, etc - some I'm trying to fix this with naps)
12:00 PM - Nap
1 - 1:30 PM - Wakes up (most of the time)
6:15 PM - start bedtime routine
6:30 - 6:45 PM in bed
6:45 - 7:15 PM - asleep (sometimes earlier)

Am I waiting too long to put her down each time? What is a good time frame??  Am I making her overtired?

Thanks!
shawnea

[Diegos Mama]

How does she sleep at night?

[shawneam]

Like I said, she isn't sleeping that well yet:) We've been doing the BW methods - on day 26 now!  PU/PD. She is now successfully going to sleep in her room/in her bed (was in our bed most of the time before this). She has lots of nightwakings (which I heard can be fixed - or fixed somewhat with naps!)  DH and I are trading off sleeping on the floor in her room.  She is getting better and better.  Has a lot of times when she wakes up at 4ish and is up for an hour or so.  We are being consistant with not talking, laying her back down and saying that it is still nighttime.  It's working - but very slowly.

With naptime before this - we "accidental parented her" and she slept wherever she "crashed" - most of the time, she was in the car, or I laid down with her.

Now, she goes down very easily. I'm rocking her for naptime only (suggested on the board) and then put her down in her crib.

[imsmum]

Your schedule looks a lot like mine lo's!  We're having trouble with that 1 1/2 nap too  we were having some success by moving the nap back gradually to 12:30 although last night was a 3 oclock wake up for us as well.  By pushing the nap back she was napping closer to 2 hours which seemed to have a major impact on night waking plus gave a consistent wakeup time.

It looks like from your original post you are having inconsitent wakeups because of the night waking.  Just thinking out loud, I'm wondering if that has an impact on your lo not lengthening the nap--since the catch up is during night sleep not napping.  What I'm considering trying with my lo is having a consistent wake up regardless of any night wakings although I'm nervous this will just make her overtired and not able to take a good nap.

Don't know if either of those might help since I'm in the same position but those are just my thoughts.