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

[binxyboo]

Stacy, have you any more insights now that you've read Ferber's research? We normally just have one nap now, but some days.....I LOVE Dr. Weissbluths book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Well documented research. lots of suggestions throughout.

[corrina01]

Thanks Karen, it is 4pm here and she is busy playing no chance of her going to sleep, but I took her for a walk in the buggy about 3.15pm to have some quiet time, for about 40mins.  Aiming to get her to bed about 6-6.15pm.

I know when she went to 2 naps a day that coincided with her getting 5 teeth all at once, so I think I am in for a rough time trying not to get overtired 

[KellyC]

I've got rid of the 5/5.30am feed over the past couple of days by dilluting it and then doing w2s but this now means Zander is waking at around 6/6.30am instead of 7/8am so one nap is even more difficult to achieve.  It seems his morning A time is around 4.5 hours so this morning after a 6am wake up with only a little dozing until I got him up at 6.30am I let him sleep on me (which was scrummy  ) for 15-20 minutes at 10.30am and this recharged his batteries.  Lunch was at 12.30pm and he was in bed asleep by 1.20pm possibly a bit overtired - it's now 3pm and I just heard him wake but it's all gone quiet again so I'm not sure if that's it or whether he's going to have a little more sleep. 

Is it ok to do 1 nap some days and 2 naps on others?  If Zander wakes at 7am or later then one nap starting at 11.30am would work well but then he'd need to go to bed earlier, would probably wake a little earlier the next day and then need 2 naps!  What a funny stage this is - I don't like it!

Kelly x

[KellyC]

Yes he does wake hungry - but so do I so I can't blame him!  He's still asleep at 3.30pm so I'm about to wake him up and bedtime will be 7.30/8pm so let's see what that does to his wake-up time tomorrow!

Kelly x

[TDR'smom]

Kelly,

When my ds was transitioning to 1 nap, he still occassionally needed 2 naps.  Sometimes one of the naps was a quick cat nap 30-45 minutes.  Even now, every once in a while (once a week or less) he needs 2 naps.

HTH and GOOD LUCK!  Sounds like you and DS are doing great.

[KellyC]

Thanks Judy, I'm sure we'll get there 

Kelly x

[**Clare**]

Sounds soooo familiar Kelly... its so difficult with them being at nursery too.  I don't pick Harvey up till 12.45 so we don't get in till 1, he gets up at 6.30/7 and when just starting to switch to 1 nap I cant expect him to go till 1!! He'd make it till 11.30 but then thats lunch time at nursery and then he'd wake up when I picked him up coz I have to get him in the car etc... its a real pain in the bum!!

I have asked nursery to limit his sleep to half hour there but they don't seem to have listened! They probably don't wanna be mean by waking him which I can understand but I REALLY need them to cooperate because I have to go and get Jake from school at 3 and theres no way I'm letting him sleep at half 3 when we get back in so I REALLY need him to sleep from 1 - 3! (wishful thinking I know!) For him to sleep at 1 I need him to have minimal sleep at nursery.  last week was the first week back to school and spend from 1 - 2 everyday trying to get him to take a nap, he eventually fell asleep at just after 2 only to be woke again at 3 to get Jake!! lol 

P.S Kelly, will reply to your PM tomorow when I have abit more time xxxx

[Mydreamcametrue]

I NEED HELP!!  3 weeks ago, I thought my lo (son) was starting to transition to one nap.  He went down for his morning nap at 9:30, slept until 11:00/11:30 and refused his afternoon nap.  The next week, I tried keeping him up until 12:00 and putting him down.  OMG it was awful.  He was very fussy up to that point, went right to sleep, but only slept one hour.  On top of all that he got strep throat by the end of that week.  So I went back to 2 naps.  For 3 days he was doing great.  Sleeping 9:30 - 11:00 and then about 3:00 - 4:00 and bed at 7:30/8:00.

Well for the past 3 days he does not want either nap.  This morning I tried to lay him down at 9:30 and would not go to sleep, he just wanted to play.  Finally my husband layed him down at 10:15 and he slept until 11:45. 

At 3:00, I tried to lay him down, No luck, 3:30 try again, Nope...  By 4:00 he was so so so fussy.  At dinner at 5:30 and after that it was all down hill.  He was screaming and crying.  I tried giving him a bath and he just screamed.  Tried to lay him down at 6:15, NOPE!  My husband tried to lay him down at 6:30, he went to sleep.  He sleep about 5 minutes and woke up screaming.  Finally he went to sleep at 7:30 (his normal time).

ANYHOW IS HE TRYING TO GO TO ONE NAP?  I don't think he could make it until 12:00 yet.  Maybe 11:00.

Any advice???

Thanks so much
-Wendy

[PeepersMom]

  hee hee = like this guy

Stacy - and all -

You mentioned that you would shorten Kaleb's naps in the am to get a longer pm nap.  How long did you do this and how did you end up with the one nap now?  Did he finally just stop doing that am cat nap?

I think I am starting our transition.......but I think it is going to end up with me pushing back the am nap so much that is just ends up being a midday nap.  I am nearing 3.5 hours awake time. 

Our biggest problem is our inconsistent wake up time.  Can be anywhere from 6 am to 730 am.  I never get him out of his crib till 7 at the earliest, and have done this since he was 5 months old, but still wake up time varies soo greatly.  So it effects our naps tremedously.

Thanks for responding

Meg

[Mydreamcametrue]

Hey Meg:  We are in the same exact situation.  My lo was born 8-8-05, so they are only a week or so apart.

I think my lo still needs 2 naps a day to, but HOW?  He is starting to fight both naps.  He has to have his sleep or he is so cranky.  Today he slept from 10:15 to 11:45 and no afternoon nap.  At 5:00 he was SCREAMING and throwing fits.

Feel free to PM me and maybe we can think of a plan that will work for both of us.  Like you, Zach wakes up between 6:00 and 7:00,  but has been 7:00 normally. 

-Wendy

[lucmom]

Meg,
We are having the same problem with wake times that vary from 5:00-6:30 (7 sounds like heaven to me!).  We transitioned (succesfully, I thought) to one nap a couple months ago.  Things were great for about 3 weeks, then LO got sick and started waking up early and length of nap would go from 35 min to 2 hours.  Right now, we're doing two naps on days where he wakes up at 5:30 or earlier (limiting am nap to 45 minutes), and going for single nap on other days.  We've done this for about a week and it seems to be working, but I'd love suggestions from anyone who's gotten stuck in the same place.  It seems like it's impossible to do only one nap if the wake ups are so inconsistent.

[PeepersMom]

with these crazy wake up times it does seem impossible!  Unless you put them to bed at 5 pm and let me tell you somedays I think that would work!!

Funny thing about those with 1 nap one days 2 naps the others......my ped. told me that is how I would be sure he was ready.  It would be like 1 1/2 naps and eventually I would get sick of it and just give him lunch at 11 but him down at 1130 and get him up at 230.........sounds like heaven, right?  If it were all that simple.  But anyway, I find it interesting that he said that when I just thought PJ would drop the morning nap and that would be that. 

Here is a little wrench to throw in.......it is now 752 am my my son is still asleep!!  OMG!  sounds like I need to take the plunge and put him down around noon today.  I think....  with my luck he is getting sick.

he was up from 520-540am making his "I'm falling asleep now" noises and I was really nervous b/c sometimes they turn into "I'm waking up now" noises!! but I dodged that bullet today.

I think that if I can keep him up 3.5 hours then give a snack then nap........well we will see.  He has had short naps for a week so I don't know if he remembers how to nap longer than 40.  But if he naps well we hopefully won't need a cat nap in the late afternoon.  That really seems to screw him up for bedtime

Oh and in the past week of short naps he has also been up for 4.5-5 hours in the eve b/f bed!  So I was wondering if this was overtired OR ready to transition.  Maybe he is trying to tell me something?

This is way too hard to figure out.  Why?  I swear I don't remember my mother ever saying things like this or my sister, or my sister in  law....

M

[KellyC]

Just think ladies it should only be a couple more months before they're able to stay awake longer and we can stop trying to figure it all out 

Zander needs 4.5 hours A time so if he woke at 7am or later we could probably achieve one nap but the past few days it's been closer to 6am    If Zander sleeps longer than 15 minutes in the morning it's almost dinner time before he'll take another nap.  He's had a shortened am nap for quite a few months now, starting at 35 minutes and gradually reducing.  Now if he goes into a deep sleep cycle (after 20 minutes) we're stuffed!

Today I took him for a walk after 4.5 hours and he kind of shut his eyes for no longer than 5 or 10 minutes, though he wasn't really asleep.  An hour later he was really tired (which confirms he didn't sleep earlier!) but I had to take him from his pushchair to the car and then back in the house so I disrupted him.  He probably had no more than 10-20 minutes snoozing all morning and seemed tired during lunch but I put him down at 12.30pm and he played until 1.10pm and now at last he's asleep! 

Kelly x

[PeepersMom]

now my next worry is Are we doomed to short naps when we make the switch?  He was a short napper for a very long time.  Didn't start extending his naps until about 9 months (despite months of trying every technique out there) and nothing predictable till about 11 months.  So will our transition result in short naps for a while?  uggggg  I am so not looking forward to this.

He got up at 8 am, though.  Couldn't be happier.  So no way will there be time for 2 naps today unless they are short.  So I am going to shoot for a noon sleep time.  I will let you know. 

[corrina01]

Need urgent help

From Friday I have been giving DD 1 nap.  She slept okay for 2 hrs, from 11.45am till 1.45pm bedtime was 6.30pm she didn't go to sleep until 7.20pm she was crying on and off but not a I need you mummy cry, although I was standing outside the door. 

Saturday she got up at 6.30am nap at 11.30am but only for 1hr. Bedtime was at 6.15pm she slept soundly. Didn't fuss.

Sunday she woke at 6.25am, nap again, was at 11.30am she slept for 2hrs. Bedtime was at 6.30pm, but it was terrible, she cried and cried for until 7.30pm and she wouldn't let me leave the room. I thought she was asleep, when I left the room, but she cried but I stood outside the door. she went quiet after about 1 minute.

Today she woke 6.20am my DP put her to bed at 11.30am like I said (as I am working 3 days this week) she only slept for 1 hour again, I have told him to put her to bed at 3.30pm for 30mins, if she is able to sleep.  If she doesn't the inlaws are going to take her for a walk. I am going to put her to bed at 6pm.

She is getting her top molar through so I think it is this.

Background info.

I have to get her up at 6.30am every morning as I go to work and my mum looks after her so no later wake up. 

1st nap of the day is at 11.30am but is a hit and miss for how long she sleeps for.  She is quite happy when she goes to bed, but if she sleeps for 1 hr, DP and me can't get her back off to sleep, we have tried PU/PD but still no joy. I mainly do this when I am at home, until 1.30pm.

She was a brilliant sleeper from birth making the transition to 4 naps then to 3 naps  then to 2 naps without any trouble.

I wanted to put her onto 1 nap as she was going 4+ hours, and she would only have a catnap of 30mins, then pm nap of 1hr 15mins but I don't think this is enough.  Her bedtime is at 7pm any later than this she cries to when I put her to bed.

Should I perserve with 1 nap or try 2 naps again for a couple of weeks until her molar comes through?

I am so worried as I don't think my DD is getting enough sleep since we transitioned.