can anybody out there tell success story of beating 20/30 min naps?????

[lilapple]

Hi!  we've regressed to 20/30--thing is they were actually the norm with an occasional 40 and rare hour and 15 but I REALLY NEED ENCOURAGEMENT----can you tell your success story on stretching 20 or 30 min naps??

[allyson]

read my post on " CAn someone help me out here" My DD always takes 20-30 min naps. now I am in transition to something new. check it out. I feel you pain...

I have given her set nap times and put her in her crib and leave her to fall asleep on her own and leave. I don't take her out until I think nap time is over. If she cryes I just console her with reassurance. I do not pick her up. I have tried everything!!!!! and this has worked already and I am only on day 2. I am sure there will be some regression, but as long as she knows it is naptime she can sleep or just have quiet time in her crib to get the message.

now she just fusses for 10 min or so and falls asleep and has been sleeping for 1.25 hours now.... that is unheard of for her. but she is 8 months and should be doing.

also I have been putting her to bed earlier. I bring her up at 6 and she is asleep by 6:20ish. that has helped a lot!!
I have read that in many books if they are having nap problems to put them to bed 1/2 hour earlier and they are rested and can settle for naps better. not overtired. esp when going from 3-2 naps which is where we are now.\

hang in there

[lilapple]

Bless you, Allyson!!! It's great news!  Granted it may be the age that is allowing your lo to sleep this way and mine may not have that success, but it might be worth a try.  I did try the earlier bedtime---I had been putting her down at 6:30 and these days she was going to sleep at 6:45 or 7 so I put her down at 6 last night and she got to sleep at 6:30  but woke up at 5:40 as opposed to 6 or 6:30     Her wake up time has been so inconsistent.   I have been giving her 2 hour wake time at someone else's advice from this board becasue she is overtired     I just don't know ----Aaaaaaagh!   

[allyson]

How old is she? did you  try feeding her at 5:40 and seeing if she would fall back to sleep? I bring Avary (my daughter) into my bed in the morning and feed her there. I keep it very quiet and don't even turn on a light or talk to her. then I feed her and sometimes she'll fall asleep for another 20 min or more and sometimes she won't. I'd try it if I were you.  see if she is still tired. If you move the bedtime up you have to keep it at that same time for 4 days to see if it works.
let me know how old she is and I'll tell you what Avary did at that age, because they sound similar with sleep paterns.

[Lucysmom]

Allyson - Great to hear of your success!  I wanted to find out what times were your set nap times for Avary. Since our babies are the same age and I am still unsure about Lucy's awake time, I wanted to see what you were doing.  TIA!   

[lilapple]

Hi Allyson  I, too, would like to know what are Avary's nap times.  Also, I did read your posts from back then and I would like to know how long ago you started this (putting Avary down at a set nap time and then just letting her be and also putting her to sleep earlier)  just to know how long it's been working for you.  Yes, I have tried putting her down after feeding her when she gets up in the 5ish time but she is already awake and will not go back down.  My Gabriela is 7 mos on, well, yesterday!  WHen I first was doing the EASY routine I was following what Tracy said in the book as strictly as I could--putting her down so she would sleep at 7 and for a few times she actually slept until 7 but then there were a few 6:30's and other things mixed in.  You know, I am not the best when it comes to schedules and I admit that the bedtime crept a little bit later sometimes because of feeding solids--it would take so much longer!!! SO maybe part or most of her problem comes from her MOMMY not having her act together!

[Matka]

I too battled the 45 min nap monster, but we finally won!!  When ds was about 41/2 months, we started solids and that seemed to do the trick for us!  I will give him his breakfast at 7:30, A-time until 9:30, finish whatever was left of his 8oz bottle, and he sleeps until 11:30 or 12:00!  Then it's time for lunch, and I do the same thing.  He wakes up around 5:00, has dinner, plays with dad, has his bottle at 7:00, then goes to bed!  I'm still doing a dreamfeed at 10:00, but he sleeps until 7:00-7:30 each morning!  Sending long napping vibes your way...when they finally get there it is simply blissful.

[allyson]

we have been all over the map for about a month. now sure why it started at 7mths but I am sure it has a lot to do with being more aware of the world and wanting to keep playing and not leave me for naps. So what I do now is

awake at 6-6:30ish she never slept until 7 and I don't care because she goes to bed earlier and so do I
bottle and if she wakes early see if she'll go back to sleep can take 20-30 min or so to get her back
Activity
solids at 8ish
first nap bring up at 2.75 hours and leave in crib 9 ish if up at 6:15 (fell asleep at 9:15) gives her wind down time first
today lasted 1.25 hours
awake 10:15
bottle at 10:45
activity (got out of the house for a bit)
solids at noon
read books in her room 1:15
just put her down at 1:30
she is still awake just hanging out in her crib
so hopefully she'll fall asleep soon
then whatever time she gets up we will do A time
bath
baby einstein- in swing (helps to chill her out at the end of the day)
bring up at 5:45-6pm
book
bottle
bed
usually asleep at 6:15 ish.
or even 6 if up from afternoon nap early

I read somewhere that the mom not the baby decides when naptime is and the mom not the baby decides when it ends. and That is what is helping me. My husband and I run the house not the baby even though we love her more than life. I was letting her control sleep times and she was not sleeping enough. and she needs this to help her grow and be healthy. it is hard hearing her wine in there (not cry, but wine) but it will all help her learn. hope it helps. I am keeping my fingers crossed it will help us, bus so far it is the only thing that has.

also I do not give her bottles before naps anymore. which I used to do.

[allyson]

she did it again. just fell asleep for her afternoon nap. I don't even care how long it is. the fact that she is sticking to this routine is great to me and her morning nap was long so I don't mind this nap. she was in ther for about 10 minutes just hanging out in her crib banging her legs on the mattress and making some noise and fell fast asleep. I guess I was the one disrupting her naps by rocking, feeding, or going in ther prematurely.