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

[debo620]

Sami, is she in too early and getting a second wind? are you guys playing outside and she is getting overstimulated? or maybe shes not playing enough and burning off energy? thats interesting though about the shorter night habit.

Cindy, I would just leave him and we'll all hope for a 2hr+ nap.

[OliverRowland]

Jeez, i just cannot keep up with you ladies!  I guess with so many having a tough time with this transition plus it takes so darn long that mucho venting happens thru-out the day!

Laura I think that we (coincidentally my ds is Oli too!) are following your path.  We are plugging in 1 nap days only when he has a decent w/u (which hasn't happened much lately!).  Otherwise we have stuck to 30min and longer pm.  I tried 20min but found he still needed longer A time b/w.  Plus he was uber cranky with 20min. 
We did do a 1 nap day yesterday and it went well.  Nap was 2.5 hrs and fell asleep super fast for nap as well as bedtime.  He was a bit cranky the am but refreshed and on the go after his 30min am nap.
Laura, how are you tackling the 1 nap days?  Do you do so many a week then increase from there?  Or do it until he shows OT and then offer 2 naps?

[M and N's Mom]

Deb, Stacy, Sami, and anyone else, I have a BIG favour to ask!

My DH and I are going on a trip next week for our Anniversary and my parents are looking after the kids for the week.  They will not be able to easily contact us where we are and I am concerned about DS's routine.  

My Mom is familiar with his daily schedule as they babysit when I work, but normally I can leave instructions for her on a day-to-day basis depending on how he has been sleeping.  If I show my mom how to post on here, could you guys help her out if she has problems/questions?  

Here is what we have been working on this week:

wake between 6:30-7:30
3.5h A
30 min nap
2.75h A
~1.5h nap
3.5h A
bedtime

BUT, the past few days he has been either refusing or taking forever to fall asleep for his pm nap.  I probably need to go down to 20 mins in the morning, but I am terrified to have her do that when I am away as he gets OT so easily and I don't think she'd know what to do.  He is working on stretching his A times, but doesn't handle longer than 3.5h right now.

Would you guys mind helping if she needs advice?  TIA      

[samijoe]

deb,

i wish i could answer yes to any of those questions.

i have tried putting her in there at 5hrs, 5.5hrs would be too much...and 4.5hrs still too little.  she really only does this whole playing thing if she is extending A times or getting too much sleep.  the last four nights i have put her in there at the same time and we have had bed at 8pm, 802pm, 740pm, and 820pm.  The first three nights, she still slept longer than 11hrs...so ok.  Last night she only slept 10.5hrs....

for her nap, she goes to sleep pretty much right away....sleeps soundly and not at all ot.  before when she was ot on one nap, she would cry out thru every transition.  that is not happening.  also, she is self waking around 2hrs and i have had to wake her then as well.  if she is tired when i wake her, she almost always cries or tries to go back to sleep and completely ignores me.  at the 2hrs mark, she jumps up and smiles and is ready to go.  we have had no issues with her being stinky and grouchy thru the last A time, which she def would be ot.

this is really  the only option i have to try left.  btw, stacy is the one who told me about the nightsleep prob....her and i have been thru everything together and have decided that both are kids are spun!  avery always has had less sleep for her age than others....so i think once she was actually ready to do one nap, this is our case again.

throwing my hands in the air...i give up!

sami


also, i forgot to answer you last night.  i covered dd with a small flannel blanket (baby blanket basically) and she was fine with that.  it still was hot enough last night...so i don't think she needed it at all anyways.

[debo620]

well then Sami, I hope this shortening the nap works. You are right, all you can do is try...

[Mamalou]

so no one has replied so I'm going to ask again 

this is currently:
6 wake
9.15-9.45 nap1
1-2.30 nap 2 (but he's waking from this after 45 now )
6.30 bedtime

should I try this:
6 wake
9.15-9.35 nap 1
12.30-2.30 nap 2
6.30 bedtime

I don't know if I should add sleep time like that-- (nap 2 was 1.5hrs, but if I do that he'd wake at 2 -- or keep it at 1.5 and move up bedtime to 6? )

hope someone can help
Kristi

[samijoe]

kristi,

i think since you have never once done a 20min nap, you are gonna have to wing it my dear.

i think a 3hr A time b/w 20min am nap and pm nap is maybe right...given you said he normally does 3.5/3.75 hr A time on 30mins, however i would expect a 2hr A time for sure and then just watch cues from there.


sorry i missed your question...too many questions of my own today i guess!~

so
915-935 nap 1  expect him not to like it
1135-2hrs???
1205-2.5hrs???   **
1235-235  nap 2....dear god let it be 2hrs!
630 in bed
asleep by 7

hth
sami

**to add...if he needs to go to sleep here, do it.  let him sleep till 205pm, then put down to bed at 6/615pm.  putting him to bed early will be better than holding him off till 630pm.  if he is gonna be awake still at 630pm, let him do it in bed at least.  lol, good luck**

[Ydnic]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!  Well, I did let him sleep, but it was the usual 1 hour and 15 mins.  So, we'll just stick him into bed early! 

Thanks!
Cindy

[samijoe]

hmmmm....cindy

what's his last A time of the day usually??

im thinking you should try a pm catnap......

how bout everyone else?



sami

[Gippie]

Mamalou - Kristi - Your DS is about 14m...or so right?   When our DD needed to make the switch, we were sweating trying to get that AM catnap in there and then a longer nap - like you are...and she was all over the place.   I think it all looked good on apper - but reality is another thing.   Anyway - here is what we did.    

We had a 6am wake - like you.  We were trying for a catnap at about 9 - when her last nap was - but instead we gave her one nap EARLY at about 11 and progressively moved THAT nap back every few days as she could handle it.    She used to nap 11-1 and be in bed by 6:30/7pm (I hated that - but it did not last long) and now at 19 m she is in bed at 12:30/1 and sleeps about 3-3.5 hours and is in bed about 8pm...falls asleep by 8:30.    

Hope that provides another perspective.

Stacey

[Mamalou]

Thanks Sami and Stacey
so, if I try this:

so
915-935 nap 1  expect him not to like it
1135-2hrs???
1205-2.5hrs???   **
1235-235  nap 2....dear god let it be 2hrs!
630 in bed
asleep by 7

when should I do lunch?  before nap or after? We usually do a sippy of milk and a snack after each nap, so I could make it a bigger snack after am nap, and then after pm nap make it lunch instead of a snack?

thanks so much

oh btw, Stacey-- when you say you did the 1 nap at 11-- did you just switch to that overnight, or gradually move the am nap later?? I was thinking of trying to move the am later, but somedays he's tired at 9- and somedays he's already looking a bit tired at 8! so not sure how much we'd be able to stretch him iykwim
Thanks, though for that different perspective

Kristi

[babyre33]

Oooh, a 3 hr nap... HEAVEN!!!

will we ever get there?

[samijoe]

personally, i won't ever get there.

i won't because it wouldn't work for dd or myself.

she would die on such a short night from a 3hr nap and so would i!!

my babes nights need to be long....or she ain't happy, then momma isn't happy.  

only me
sami

[Gippie]

"oh btw, Stacey-- when you say you did the 1 nap at 11-- did you just switch to that overnight, or gradually move the am nap later?? I was thinking of trying to move the am later, but somedays he's tired at 9- and somedays he's already looking a bit tired at 8! so not sure how much we'd be able to stretch him iykwim
Thanks, though for that different perspective"

Well we TRIED the AM catnap and she wasnt taking it, or would take 30 mins getting to sleep and by then - we decided to stretch it, distract her, put a show on for her, read...anything.   

I guess we probably had some days where she was in her bed at 10:30am and we had 2 hours....and she was up by 12:30...and on those days I recall heading out for a drive when I got home from work, where she would catnap - in fact I distinctly recall that "phase".   Eventually we got to the 11am nap and then we went 11:30am here at home (DH is home with her in the day - he works nights).   We knew she would be at her school for naps 3 days per week (he was in the police academy - still is - I am a teacher home for the summer FWIW) and they nap from 12:30 -3....so we started going to nap at 12 - to get her ready and then it was 12:30 and she was FINE with that.    During the school year, when I work, espessially before daylight savings, it was easy to get her in bed by 7:30 - 8.   Now she is up a little later.   Her average nights are 8pm-6 - total of 10 at night and 3/3.5 in the day.    When she was at school - her naps were anywhere from 2-3 hours. She gets 13.5 hours of sleep each day and is perfectly fine with it.  I see others get 12 at night and 2 in the day....and that schedule works for all of us INCLUDING her!   

Lunch - we did it whenever.  I used to stress more than I do now.  NOW, with her nap at 12:30 - lunch is about 11:45.   If she was napping at 10:30, I'd have milk or a snack before nap and lunch when she woke.   Lunch will pall into place after the nap has established itself.

Hope that helps.

Looking at your proposed schedule - this is JUST me....I know someone will have another perspective......if he is fighting the AM catnap - skip it.     
-- Go as long as he can and then do the one nap for the day.   
-- If it is 2 hours, see if he can make the night, if not, take a drive or a catnap - if he will do it.  My DD would not take a catnap - but the car could get her to do it  . 
-- Every few days, TRY ad push back the  - what WILL be the  - afternoon nap by 5-15 mins.  Eventually it will land where you want it. 

I personally think  the PM catnap in the car was easier to steal than an AM nap that is refused....

Let me know!

Stacey

[Mamalou]

thanks Stacey!
How interesting, my dh is also home during the day (works nights) and I'm a teacher on summer holidays! (although I just started back up again 1 month ago)

actually Kubko isn't fighting the am nap at all-- he'd probably sleep 2 hrs if we let him that early- we've hardly ever had a problem getting him down for this one.. there was one day when I was working that he refused it for dh-- but I think he had offered it too late (he'd had a v early waking) and I think it was Monday he giggled a bit before hand (which is unusual for am nap-he's usually out right away pretty much) but then slept, and today after 15 minutes he let out a cry but then slept on..

thanks
Kristi