anyone want to chat about the 2-1 nap switch?

[M and N's Mom]

EsMum - Unfortunately, I don't have any advice for you, but I just wanted to agree how hard naps were for us between about 9-11mos.

Does she fall asleep independently?  How much A time are you giving between naps?  When you have played with the times, have you kept them the same for at least a couple of days for her body to try to adjust to a new routine?  Maybe if you are changing them every day it is too unpredictable for her.  I really don't know, just trying to throw out ideas for you.

[EsMum]

Ella does fall asleep independantly, we've fought very hard to get her to that stage, that's part of why I'm feeling so frustrated now. 

For the longest time Ella would always sleep til 7am, now it varies between 6am and 7am.  I always put her down for her first nap at 9:15 and most days she is asleep by 9:30.  I haven't made huge changes to this, I've just gradually moved it to 9:30.

Her pm nap was always at 2pm.  I've tried putting her down anywhere from 1:30 to 2 and I find that if I put her down at 1:30 she doesn't fall asleep til 2:15ish so I've stuck with the 2pm nap time.

I have made any changes gradually and over time. 

I'm ok with chalking this up to milestones/age, but I just need to know the best way to get through this!

Thanks for the note,
Michelle.

[M and N's Mom]

I'm ok with chalking this up to milestones/age, but I just need to know the best way to get through this!

Keep trying and do what you can to survive and not go in sane    LOL

[EsMum]

I have to admit im not up to date on how short you did go with the am nap and then timing of pm nap.  What have you done, or are doing? 

Hi Stacy,

I started out by shortening the am nap to 1 hr, then 45 mins.  Some days she will wake up herself, other days I have to do it.  So say I put her down at 9:15, she is asleep by 9:30.  I wake her at 10:15 then I put her back down at 2pm.  Like I said I tried putting her down at 1:30 and 1:45 but it took forever for her to go to sleep.

I'm ok with chalking this up to milestones/age, but I just need to know the best way to get through this!

Keep trying and do what you can to survive and not go in sane    LOL

AP it is then!!!

Thanks ladies.

[Carmela's Mom]

This is what I've done with my DS the past few days and it worked (he'll be 1 on Wed):

6:20-7:00 awake
10:30-11:00 nap (doesn't fall asleep until closer to 10:40 but I wake him at 10:40)
1:00 bottle then nap for 2 hours (he wakes on his own)
7:30 bedtime

I realized that he needs more "A" time now.  Since we lengthened it, its helped him a lot.  If we have errands or stuff with DD to do in the morning and he skips the nap, he goes in at noon and generally sleeps a long nap, but we try not to do it everyday.

[EsMum]

So you never went less then 45 mins?  Some have to go lower then that. If it was me, you have nothing to lose so i would try 30 mins

like nap
9:30-10:15
1-3
probably 7 bedtime

There are days she has woken at 35/40 minutes - those are the days she falls asleep sitting up slumped over in her crib...I don't recall it making a difference.  But I'll try the routine you suggested.  Most pm naps she sleep for 1.10mins - 1.30 mins, 2hrs is a rarity.  If she wakes early would I just bring her bedtime earlier?

Thanks Stacy!

[EsMum]

I didn't get to try this today but will start religiously tomorrow and see how we go.  She cried and screamed for nap 2 again today but it didn't take her long to fall asleep - thank goodness!

Thanks again!!!

[Isabella's Mummy (Lilab4)]

I didn't intend it, but we had our first 30 minute nap today and the day worked out much like Stacy suggested:

6.15 wake
9.30-10.00 nap (the phone woke her - this nap seems to be very light lately)
1ish - 3 nap (I woke her)
7.00 alseep

We will see if I pay for the long nap this afternoon, but we were going to a BBQ and I wanted her to be well rested in case we got home late.

If everyday were like today I would be a very happy lady! I'm afraid that I am a planner and I loved knowing more or less when she would sleep and for how long. Now everyday is so different!! We seemed so far from the 2-1 and then suddenly it started to happen, we are still very early days and already it's making me question my parenting skills  

[EsMum]

Yeah, the constant change is hard to deal with, isn't it???  I'm sure there is no reason to question your parenting skills! 

[Isabella's Mummy (Lilab4)]

It's just that there is more to it than reading her signs now (that was hard enough to get to grips with), now I have to worry about when to wake her and I hate waking her, but I don't want to make the transition worse for her.....

Plus, I odn't know about you, but I find signs are harder to read when teething and poor bub is suffering with her molars at the moment

[EsMum]

I've been going by the clock and not sleep signs for a while now, but when it gets difficult I start to wonder what is going on, like teething!  Ella doesn't show any teething symptoms but she had 3 come through in 2 days...not molars though!  I hate waking her too, but I find if I just open her door and let light in, as well as lift her blind up she wakes on her own within seconds and she is usually happy. 

Hope your LO gets her molars through quickly! 

[Isabella's Mummy (Lilab4)]

Thank you  xxx

[texasmom]

Hi there...  I have been reading the posts b/c DS's naps have gotten crazy.  I am glad to see that I'm not the only one with a LO in this age range making nap changes.  I thought everyone here would have LOs 15 months or so. 

Have you noticed that your LO has been crankier?  DS is such a sweetie and doesn't cry much (very thankful for that), but lately he has started to cry more and wants to be picked up a lot.  I thought it must be b/c he is not well rested and his biorhythms are off.  He does so much better on a routine. 

Do you know if it's a bad idea to just try to get one nap instead of 2 and all the guessing?  I wondered if we toughed it out for a little bit, maybe his body would get back into a rhythm, and he would do better.  This is my first day reading much about the 2-1 switch, so really it's just a thought, and my biggest concern is that he's not ready, and it'd be too much for him. 

I posted in Naps. 

Just wanted to get thoughts and ideas...

Thanks.   

[OliverRowland]

Layla, I have a question for you...
my ds is on a 30 min am nap.  he has been an early riser forever.  but there have been days that he wakes as late as 6:30am (9:30am nap, 1pm nap and 7pm bedtime) which is fabulous!  When he does wake later, the am naps a tough.  How long would you wait before giving up on the am nap and if I were to skip it what time would you plan for next nap?
Thanks,
Sophie
ps welcome Brooke...it's been awhile!

[M and N's Mom]

We kinda keep each other sane here.....

Sane??  I don't feel sane!     DS is 15 mos and I feel like we are a LONG way from one nap, but I guess we'll all survive