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

[bsparki73]

Hi guys,
I was part of this thread a while back...haven't checked in for a while but I thought I'd let you all know our progress...might give hope! It's now been 4 months since we first started changing to 1 nap....and gee it was rough! We went away for a couple of weeks which was a disaster...his naps were 1 & 1/2 hours if we were lucky which for him just isn't enough so it snow-balled & ended up with a very tired bub! Started affecting night sleeps etc etc. Anyway, when we got back to Sydney, I didn't do anything for a couple of weeks...kept him quiet, really focussed on getting back into a routine etc etc & suddenly he just started to sleep for 2 & 1/2...even a couple of 3 hour sleeps! The norm now is 2 or 2 & 1/2 (which is definately better!) and he sleeps from 6.30pm-6.30am. I put him down at midday yesterday and his sleep wasn't as settled (I think the timing of the nap is all important!). Since he wakes at 6.30am, I think it needs to be a bit earlier at this stage. The day before he was asleep at 11.45am & did 2 & 1/2 hours.

The thing that's crazy with Oscar is if he misses the sleep or it's very short, it TOTALLY throws him out, for a good week or 2!! We went out a few weeks ago & left at 11am, he fell asleep in the car for 15 mins & WOULD NOT go back to sleep for the whole day. Then for the next week, even though I made sure I put him to bed early at night, his day naps reverted back to 1 or 1 & 1/2 hours & he was just out of sorts & cranky etc....it honestly took 2 weeks before he got back to his normal pattern!!!!

So now I'll do anything to make sure he gets his nap (undisturbed at that!!). It's just not worth it for me....especially at the moment being 37 weeks pregnant! I'm hoping to keep him on a good roll with the sleeping now for the arrival of the baby etc! Will be interesting!

But anyway, I NEVER thought he would start sleeping longer and he has but it did take a good few months and a lot of patience! And I now don't have a child losing it at 4-5pm thank goodness!

I'm just relieved that all this is done with before the baby arrives! Imagine dealing with the 2 to 1 nap with a newborn as well?!!!

Good luck

Sophie x

[KellyC]

That's great Sophie 

Stacy - lol at Kaleb, your little man definitely knows what he wants!  I'm sure we'll see you here again soon .. then you'll leave when he gets sick and needs more sleep .. then come back .. then he'll start running around and will get more tired .. then you'll be back - isn't that how it works?!

Zander is actually cutting down on his sleep now he's been walking (running!) for quite a while.  He usually has around 2 hours at nap time (which is now 1pm!) but he's starting to wake earlier in the mornings.  Today he only took 1 hour 40 at nursery and woke singing and shouting and still didn't want to go to bed at 7.10 so I think we'll be cutting back to 1.45 hours and then eventually 1.5 hours in a few months.  Wouldn't it be lovely if things stayed the same a bit longer?!

K x

[sophiems]

Hi ladies, I peeped in here around page 10 or so when I thought Luke was ready to make the switch and he definitely was not, we had a couple more months of 2 naps but now...da da DA...he's ready for 1 (I think...).  So today is day one.  He normally would go at 10 for a nap.  But I had some errands to run, so I kept him up til about 10:50, gave him lots of snacks in the car, etc.  So he's tired but I don't think overtired, no fussing or anything.  I guess I'll let him sleep as long as he wants right?  I would normally get him up after 1 hour.  (but lately he's only been sleeping 1/2 hour anyway) 

So we'll see how it goes...I hope to just do this quickly and not have to be on this board every day frustrated with the process....hmm...what are the chances of that happening?  ;-) 

[Mom to M&M]

Yes, I would let Luke sleep as long as he wants - hopefully it will be at least two hours. Then you can always offer the opportunity for a catnap in the car or stroller if he needs around 4pm or so.

[PeepersMom]

Good luck Luke!

I think I figured out why PJ slept really well the past 2 days for nap - he is teething!  I don't see or feel teeth, but he won't let me near his mouth.  when I just barely touched a gum he burst into tears.  He does tend to sleep a little more when he is teething. albeit fitfully. 

I will take it and hope that these few days of good naps will sort of reteach him how to nap well.  I don't need him napping 2.5 hours everyday, but if he could do at least 1.5 -2.  Those 1hour days were awful.  He was way tired.

Good luck everyone as you are going through the switch.

meg

[sophiems]

Well day 1 didn't go so well....
Put him down at 10:50, he was up at 11:40.  I tried to put him down again at 3:15 and he screamed for 1/2 hour straight, getting so mad every time I did wi/wo, PD.  I gave up after 1/2 hour since he was keeping his brother up from his nap.

Today I'm going to try giving him lunch at 11 first and putting him down right away after that.  Maybe if he's full....
We'll see. 
Sophie

[Mom to M&M]

Sophie - I would definitely offer a small early lunch before the nap - works a treat for us and then a healthy snack (usually fruit and milk) after!

Stacy - teething can wreck havoc on naps - so very good idea to follow Kaleb's lead and let him take one nap or two as he will/needs.

[sophiems]

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

That's about all I have to say about this switch.   

so yesterday, Luke again slept 40 min, even after a hefty lunch. 

Today I put him down again after a smallish lunch (he'd been snacking all morning at an outing).  Then he was quiet for 15 min (asleep? not sure) then I heard him talking to himself.  After about 20 min, he was crying.  Go in and he had a poopy diaper.  Yep, after lunch is his normal time to do that.  So I changed his daiper, tried to be real low key, not make eye contact, etc.  Just snuggled a bit with his blanket in my lap and put him back to bed.  No go.  He cried for 1/2 hour when I just decided to get him up (did wi/wo) because he was so upset by that time.  He's been happy as a squirt now...playing with everything as usual.  So I guess I'll try to put him back down around 2. 

I know I'm being whiney, it's just that every other transition for him has really only taken about 3 days.  He usually gets it immediately.  Not this time...

[PeepersMom]

I hope Luke gets it soon.  This seems to be a pretty rough transition even for the most pliable babies. LOL  PJ was never a good napper.  he didn't nap well consistently for 2 naps until about 10months, then at 13 months started to transition!  now we are at 16 months and are still all over the place.

PJ is napping anywhere from 1h20min-2.5 hours.  I haven't got a clue what exactly happens on the good days versus the bad days....I wish I could figure it out.

I just am glad that some of the days are longer.  When we did this the first time we were going a long pretty well at 2 hour naps.  Now we don't have any consistency at all.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! is right

[sophiems]

I won't repeat my Ahhh, because I wasn't home with Luke today, DH was, but he took 20 min to go to sleep (very unusual even when overtired) and then slept 50 minutes, no catnap this afternoon, seemed tired and very ready for bed but not overtired.  Ok, so maybe a small improvement since the last 3 days the nap has only been 40 minutes. 

Also the strange thing is that even though his naps have been so short these last 3 days he's been sleeping later in the a.m.  Used to sleep until 6:30, now just waking at 7am.  Whatever. 

[nathansmum]

I have a quick question:

What's up with putting him down for a nap around 12pm and him only sleeping for 1,5 hours when he has been up since 7:45am??? Is it because he needs to adjust from 2 naps to one?

thanks!

[sophiems]

Hey guess what?  I think we are making progress.  I decided that we would stick to a plan and not do the thing where some days are 2 naps, some are 1.  He is really hard to read now because if he's tired, he can easily be distracted into playing happily.  And, knowing Luke, he doesn't like change but give him 3 days and he can adjust to just about anything. 
So here we are, today, day 5 and I gave him lunch at 11:00 started wind down at 11:20 and he was in bed at 11:30.  At 12:30 he gave 2 cries and I thought he would get up (naps have been 40-50 mins long).  But now it's 12;40 and he's still asleep!  I think we are making progress...for now.  I'm just going to stick with this schedule for 3 more days and as long as he continues to improve I'll start pushing it back 15 min every 3 days to hopefully have him going down at 12:30 or later by Christmas. 
Oh boy, I'm so happy he's getting better at this. 

[Mom to M&M]

Sounds great Sophie! Just be careful about pushing the nap back too fast - Marisa has been on one nap for almost 2 months now and is 15.5 months and still tends to start her nap no later than 12 - she naps better/longer that way for the most part.

[sophiems]

Update...Luke slept a total of 1 hour 20 mins      I'm not so much happy about the length as I am about the fact that he woke up and cried at transition and was able to settle himself back to sleep again. 

Thanks Marisa's Mama, yeah, I know I have to be careful with that.  It's just that I'm so anxious to have both my kids napping at the same time again...  Dominic doesn't go down until 1:30 at the earliest.  But maybe I could get him up a little earlier in the a.m. and then he'd be more likely to nap when Luke does. 
Hope I'm not being selfish, I just need a little ME time everyday or I get grizzly.  :-) 

[PeepersMom]

well I think I finally figured out a key for us.  He needs 5.5 hours awake time.  which frankly shocks me, but the closer i get to 5.5 hours the more likely I am to get 2+hours out of him.  That in turn leads to a bit of a later bedtime than we have been doing, but that is fine.  He was barely making it to 630 (which didn't bother me too much...) now we should be able to make it to 7.  If he keeps it up.

I do also advise caution. It took us almost 3 months to get to this point

Meg