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

[*Kimberly*]

I think am going to attempt the book's suggestion; having the longer morning nap and then the short afternoon nap.     I figure what I am doing isn't working so I will try something new.  It just means that lunch is all messed up until he is able to push the nap late enough that it is after lunch.  Guess that means I will have to do a morning snack.  What's all the new research say anyways...6 little meals are better than 3 big ones?  ::shrug::

[UNCMomma]

Let us know how that goes, Tink.  It seems like that plan would suit my LO better since she takes WAY better AM naps than PM (usually) when we "go with her flow", but the few times I tried it, we rarely got a PM nap, no matter how long A time was.    

[gracerocca]

Hey Ladies-

Thanks for the advice earlier. I am trying to figure out what to do next.
7-8am- wake
AM nap 3 1.2- 4 hours later.b/t 11-11:30
Sleep 30 min.
Wake up- usually very grumpy.
2-2:30pm- Afternoon nap, Time varies: one day 2 hours, 1.5 hour or 1 hour.
7:45-8- bed time

So now I am guessing my next move is to shorten AM nap to 20 min?

What do you think should be the goal time to get him down for his afternoon nap? 1:30?
Do I move his morning nap time up anymore? From what TBWSAYP says I should just keep moving his AM nap time up by 1/2 hr every three days but it doesn't say when to cut out the short AM nap.

My DS was up for over an hour @2 am & the woke up 30 min. early this morning. He is having a rough day also with the teething. So i am gonna try to let him sleep long in the AM today. It's funny how we try to keep this schedule and get some sort of consistency but the beautiful little babies have other things in mind!!!

Thanks!!!

[debo620]

Gracerocca, the BWSAYP book is a sligthly different method---more of a push out the morning nap 1/2hr later and let it go as long as possible and then tiny catnap in afternoon until long nap(am nap) is more in the middle of the day---so actually you are eliminating the afternoon nap.

the method of short morning--long afternoon is what most on this thread are doing. you say he was grumpy after 30min which means he probably needed more from too long of morning awake time.

so actually I would do 30min 3hrs after waking
wake 7:30
nap 10:30-11
nap 2.5-3hr later
so maybe 2-3:30

[BabyBsMommy]

Tink, for meals around the longer AM nap, give a good sized snack before and then a light lunch after so it's kind of like you're doing half lunch before and half after.  If DS could have had his way, he would have done a long AM one and short PM one (like we let him do in Mexico) - problem was, he wouldn't go down for the catnap until 4pm and with a bedtime shortly after 7, that didn't work for us. 

I agree with the suggestions for those of you asking about going down to 20 min AM naps.  We stopped short at 30min naps because that was the point he started refusing an AM nap altogether.   When he was taking the 30 min nap, we put him down between 9:45-10:00am depending on when he woke up (usually wake up time was 7am then) and whenever he fell asleep (rarely was it quickly!) we would wake him up after 30 min BUT even if he didn't fall asleep until 10:45, we never let him sleep past 11 because then he wouldn't go down in the afternoon.

[UNCMomma]

so actually I would do 30min 3hrs after waking
wake 7:30
nap 10:30-11
nap 2.5-3hr later
so maybe 2-3:30

Sounds like a good plan to me!!

[gracerocca]

Debo620-
Thanks for the clarity!!! I knew that something didn't add up. So basically I jsut keep doing this until he refuses to take a morning nap all together? I guess I just am having a hard time figuring this one out!! I will try the 3 hour A time and we'll see how it works.

[M and N's Mom]

Oh my goodness!  I only let DS have a 25 min nap (I was too chicken to jump right to 20 mins) and then put him down at 2.5h A time.  He took 10 mins to fall asleep and he has been sleeping for 2h    !!!  We haven't had a 2h nap since he was about 6 months old!

We'll see what tomorrow brings, but it sure worked today!  I'm actually going to have to wake him!

Thanks for the guidance again!

[BabyBsMommy]

M and Ns mom - Way to go!  Hopefully you've stumbled upon the right nap routine for now!  My only additional advice is even if it doesn't work tomorrow, stick with it for a few days because it may have a few bumps in the road to stick (though I hope it doesn't for you!) - DS always had a few bumps when we changed a routine and a few times when he was really little, I gave up on things too soon.  Now I always (on the advice of another BW friend) stick it out for 3-5 days before I decide to change things up.

[debo620]

Gracerocca,
don't worry---I'm not sure where to go from a 30min am /90min pm plan either.  20min am will bring the pm nap forward but not necessarily make the pm one any longer (1hr45 for example). I keep on going back and forth.
I think that if Noah starts consistently refusing to nap in the pm for a decent length by 2pm---then I will shorten the am one.
the other side of me thinks that I should just put him down at 10 and get him up at 10:30----he will probably have about 2omin of rest and 10min of actual sleep, this won't count for much but maybe then nap 12:30-2:30, bed 7:30.

today,
he was in crib for 10 and slept 10:15-10:40 this am---I woke him at 25 min b/c we had GYMBOREE class at 11
came home and we played alot and I've just layed him down at 1:45---but he still seemed very happy and energized---not looking very tired at all....we'll see if and how long he'll sleep..

[UNCMomma]

YAY M&N!!!!! AWESOME!!  Hope you've found the key, for now!!!!!

We had 2 1/2 hours this AM and 1 hr 45 min this PM, so much for our 2-1 transition, it was out the window today!  This was after a 5:30 wake up though...  Hopefully we'll be back on track tomorrow!!! 

[M and N's Mom]

Ya, we had a great nap day yesterday (25 min am, 2h pm and I woke him) but he woke up 30-40 mins early this morning.  Does that mean too much day time sleep yesterday?  I can't imagine it means overtired as that was more sleep than usual during the day.  Not sure what time I'll offer naps today as I don't want him overtired (he is very prone to overtired wakings).

Wow UNCMomma...over 4h day sleep!  That's a lot, is she sick?

[UNCMomma]

Nope not sick, just tired from several screwy days I think.  I HOPE! 

Did the 2 good naps move bedtime later for some reason M & N?  If so, that could have resulted in early wake up... who knows, success is always relative with these babies!! 

[M and N's Mom]

Yes, bedtime was a bit later (only 7:00 though) because of the good naps.  I thought that was a good thing though because his bedtime is earlier than I'd like.

He woke earlier, but stayed in his bed playing until regular wake-up time, but he has been REALLY cranky all morning.  I tried to put him down for his nap 3h from when I first heard him awake talking in his crib and just spent 45 mins doing wi/wo so we are now back at regular nap time (which is good, but I don't want him to be overtired).  Arghgh!

He has never had just 1 nap...still crying after 45 mins...do I get him up and try again later?  Help!

[UNCMomma]

I would get him up, give him some lunch, and put him back down to try 1 nap.    What time is it where you are?  If it's 11 or after that's what I'd do... if it's not yet 11 I'd wait til then to put him down for his 1 nap.  See what happens!!  I hate that... you have such a good day then a bad one the next.  So sorry!!!