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

[bsparki73]

Hi all, (I posted this on another thread '2 to 1 nap - extending the nap' but I'm not sure where it's gone & this seems to be where all the chat is about this so I'll copy it here!!)

Well we've been going through this pain for a couple of months now but I'm now committed to the 1 nap but it's still a pretty rough ride. Oscar's morning waking has now moved a bit earlier to 6am. This just means he's in bed asleep by 6pm as he definately needs his 12 hours sleep at night! I'm happy with the 6pm-6am thing that's fine & his night sleeping is good.

BUT, I am still having trouble with the length of his 1 nap (ie only 1 & 1/2 hours). I know it could be all he needs but he doesn't wake up THAT happy & he's just awful to be around by 4-5pm and in general he's become more clingy & whining etc etc and just seems generally tired! I can't imagine how wonderful he would be if he could sleep for 2 & 1/2 or 3 hours!!!

I tried wake to sleep once & it worked well (2 & 1/2 hours) but the next time I tried it it woke him (after only 45 mins!!!) and I've been too scared to try it since.

I will try to get more food into him thanks for that advice Zandersmum!.....he's usually tired by 11am so he doesn't eat that well so maybe that would help. Even if it means sitting him in front of his favourite Baby Einstein DVD so he'll eat more (BAD BAD BAD i know! But the only way I can get him to eat if he's crabby!).

I'm thinking of trying wake to sleep again but it's a bit scary! It worked well for us when he was a newborn with the 45min naps so I am a believer in it. I guess I could try going in just before 1 & 1/2 hours (which is how long he's slept today & yesterday) & try & help settle him back to sleep but I really don't think this would work for Oscar!!???

How's anyone else going with this problem (extending the nap)?

I'm just thankful it's 3 months until our next baby is due I'm hoping he'll be in a good/happy routine by then!

Oh, and I've been putting him down for his 1 nap at around 11.30am. Does anyone think I should stretch him further & that would make him sleep longer?? Oscar is the type to get overtired & if he is overtired doesn't seem to sleep as well but......any advice would be great!

 :)Thanks

[PeepersMom]

Hi Bsparki!  I think 1130 am sounds perfect for a baby that gets into overtired states which result in lost sleep.  PJ will do that, too.  I made a rule that 1130 is the earliest I would put PJ down, but I did break that rule yesterday after an early wake up - he was down at 11 and did a nice nap to catch up.  But anyway - I think 1130 is fine at first.  I hear over time they will slowly get a little later in the day.

I also find that 10 am was a rough time of day at first - that has stopped being so rough - but also 4 pm.  You could try a few things to get him through that time - If he goes to sleep early at 6pm maybe he needs his dinner at 4-430?  then a cup of milk around 530?  Also maybe just a short walk in the stroller might help.  Or he might respond well to a little low key activity like sitting on your lap and looking at a book or photographs with you for a few minutes to recharge his battery?

I personally feel 1.5 hours isn't enough I like 2 hours......but some babies are ok with 1.5.  I haven't got the nerve to really do anything about lengthening a nap except work on adjusting awake times.  Maybe a tad shorter or a tad longer.  You never know, he might sleep better if you put him down at 1115 or 1145?    Also, how old is he?  Maybe 12 hours at night and 3hours in the day is too much sleep and he doesnt need it?  what about putting him down at 630pm instead and getting 11.5 at night.  He might tack on that 30 min to naps?


***Now about ME***  LOL

I took some advice from Kelly and Stacy and decided to just work with a shorter eve awake time yesterday and also getting him in his room a little earlier than the exact moment I want him asleep by.  I know that sounds silly, but I hadn't done that before.  DUH  So I decided on 7pm when I had initally thought he would need to get to 7:30 pm to fall asleep - and I was done routine at 650 went in the room and he was asleep at 7:03!  Now I dont know if he was just still tired or what, but it was a great night.  He slept till 640 - lovely!  So I don't know if I am missing something about his awake times or if things are just different now that he is on one nap.  I do know that it was unusual for a kiddo to need more awake time in the eve from what i have read.. OH my head hurts.

How did Kaleb do yesterday?

Good luck

Meg

[KellyC]

That's fantastic Meg 

I actually believe that there are sleep windows and if you miss them your LO gets a second wind.  I know Zander can do a 7.30/8 bedtime (because we've done it many times!) but if he's in bed ready for sleep at 6.45 and he plays before going to sleep at 7 he sleeps later the next day!

Kelly x

[PeepersMom]

we just went down for nap - I really would like nap time to be 1130-130/2 so with these earlier wake up times I think we can do 1130.  I dont think we will be able to make it to 12. 

I just will be kicking myself if he wakes up at 12:45.  But putting him down at 1130 (with a 6:40am wake up time) is my best chance of getting a longer nap I think.  And 12:45 means an early bedtime which we all know I love anyway.  Hee hee

I guess the thing is I was just surprised that he was ready for sleep that soon last night, but he was showing signs and I have been resisting putting him down at his 'bed time' but more when I think he will actually fall asleep.  That came from when we were still on 2 naps and he would wake from the second one 3/3:30 and he had a hard time falling asleep at 7 so we kept pushing it back till it was almost 7:45 by the time he fell asleep.  But that was pre-transition and it was much different.  I need to rethink that.  Especially b/c when we switched he never quite got to the full amount of day time sleep he was once getting. (3hours total)  he seems to have dropped an awful lot of day time sleep.  Anyway

We'll see what today brings us.  It is just such a long afternoon with the short naps!

Meg

[PeepersMom]

Well Stacy the good thing is he did make up a little lost sleep during the night time.  And that extra time in the morning is WONDERFUL isn't it?  We had it for about 3 weeks.

I hope Kaleb is just adjusting to later - it seems to work well for a lot of little ones.

i also give a big lunch before bed and (I know Kaleb is young for PB) but he seems to sleep the longest with a big peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Could you give Kaleb a grilled cheese?  what about philly cream cheese and jelly?  PJ has almost always been a big eater - easily eats as much as me at meals plus he gets snacks!  so I am surprised when those full fat/protein meals make a big difference.  You would think he eats enough that food wouldn't be an issue, but maybe these boys just need more food???

we are going just over 2 hours now.   this kid always keeps me guessing.

I want to be one of the 'normals' and not worry about sleep.  I really really do.  I just can't.  LOL

[lucmom]

bspark73,
It's true that some babies don't need that longer nap...mine generally goes around 1.5 average (with some days a bit shorter, and some a bit longer), but I think that it also takes some time for some of them before the single nap starts to lengthen -- it's like their bodies need to learn that this is all there is going to be until bedtime.

I agree with Meg that you might want to try a slightly later bedtime -- at his age, he might not need both the 12 hours of night sleep and the big nap in the day. 

How did it work out, Stacy?  I can't remember if you've mentioned...do you think it could be teething?

PJ sounds like he's doing great!  Enjoy!

And as for us, I'm jealous of all of you with the post 7 am wake times -- I'm happy with post 6 am!  LO woke at 6 this morning, and I was ecstatic!  We'll try 11:30/12:00 for nap and hopefully get 1.5 hours.  If he gets 11 hours at night, he's just not ready before 5 hours, but I think 6 hours is really stretching it, so as long as he's waking so early, we're stuck at the 11:30 mark, hoping for a nap long enough to make it to bedtime.  If you all have any suggestions, I'd welcome them!  I'm getting nervous about the time change.....

[KellyC]

Oh no, I hadn't thought about the time change 

[KellyC]

Long sleep vibes coming over the ocean to you Stacy and Kaleb!

[BabyBsMommy]

Ok, so how do you know your lo is ready to start going to one nap?  Ds is only 9 months and really needs that morning nap (I have to cut it off at an hour, he is up from 7am-930am first off) but now his A time is getting so long after that, that he isn't falling asleep for his nap until between 2:30 and 3:00 so there is no way he can have a long nap without waking up for a feed!  Is this just part of the progression of naps that I have to deal with for the next few months?

[lucmom]

Stacy, maybe the long night sleep shortened the nap?  Is the overall sleep still on track?

BabyBsMommy -- I agree with Stacy...if you are doing EASY, it kind of goes off a bit at this time because of the napping, but it seems to be ok if they don't eat at exactly the same intervals as they get older.  Don't even think about one nap for awhile!

Mine did 1.5 hour nap today, from 12:10-1:40.  I want that extra sleep until 2:00, but I'm very happy with this.  How much total sleep is every one else's doing? 

[PeepersMom]

We are usually at 13.5 hours sleep in 24 h on the nose here.  Give or take an hour either way.  It is enough to make you crazy - I would kill for something to plan my day on.  Hum

Well hum, pj is pretty close to RARING to go here at 630 pm.  But who knows - I am still going to aim for 7 pm sleep. That will be 5.5 of awake time this afternoon. Certainly sounds like plenty to me!!!

[bsparki73]

Thanks for your advice Meg & everyone!

Well, today I did my best to get as much food into him as I could around 11am. He was still pretty good...not too unbearable and he probably went to sleep at 11.45am and has just woken 20mins ago at 1.30pm (he's still in his cot though...not much noise but I can hear him playing...sometimes I sit in hope that he'll doze back off but I've gotten over that dream now!  .

So that means he slept 1 hour & 45mins which is a 15 minute improvement!!

I'll do my best tonight to push his bedtime later (I'll try 6.30-7pm) and see if that helps too.

I'd much rather his bedtime be 7pm (awake time 6am) and have 2-2.5 hour nap during the day. Longer break for me & he would get to see his dad in the evenings!

We have been doing the 1 nap for a while now and he has had several where he's gone down at 11.45am......I wonder should I try midday??

I'm so happy I found this thread!

Sophie 

PS Gee.....I haven't heard a noise for a while.....I don't dare go in or near his room! Could it be??......will keep you posted!

[KellyC]

What happened Sophie, did he go back to sleep?!

I would be careful about pushing his bedtime on if he's awake from his only nap at 1.30pm as that's a long afternoon to cope with and if he goes to bed overtired he might have an early morning waking.

Kelly x

[Mom to M&M]

Hi again guys - looks like I may be back. Last two days we've done one nap and it's gone pretty well and last night DD slept 11.5 straight hours (until 6:50 am) for the first time in ages! Right now I've been putting her down around 11:30/11:45 and she's been sleeping 2-2.5 hours - I have to do a split lunch with as much as she'll take (which isn't much) before the nap and more after instead of an afternoon snack, but that's OK. I hope we can continue doing this as I much prefer it to having to wake her after 45 minutes or less in the morning (only way to still get an afternoon nap) as that makes us both so unhappy!

[KellyC]

Sounds fab Karen