Please advise on 2 to 1 transition for 15 month old

[mom2william]

Thanks, Sarah, for your advice (which is always on the money!   

I will just try and keep the 11:00am timeframe like you said, then.  I figured I was waffling too much and it was confusing him!  As for what time I put him to bed, usually around 6:00-6:30pm.  Last night I put him to sleep around 6:10pm but he didn't fall asleep until about 7:15!  (He got up from his nap around 1:15pm but had only slept about 1hour 20min. due to a poop and wouldn't go back to sleep even though I tried.  He just talked.)  I will keep putting him down early until he adjusts better and the nap lengthens like you said.

Suzanne
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William born 3/23/05

[Layla]

Hi Suzanne, I am sorry to hear that you are having a hard time with your lo and this whole transition thing. I hate the thought of going through it again with my dd2. But did the 30 min catnaps in the am work? That was the thing that did it for us and the earlier bedtimes. For Bella a 6.30 bedtime is her usual bedtime (has been for ages) so we took her to bed at around 5ish during the transition days. Maybe the vacation blew things off as well.....

But even now that she is on 1 nap she will only take a 1.5 hr nap... I guess maybe that is all her body needs since she has always gone to bed so early. I hear of children having a 3 hr nap during the day but I guess that will never be the case for us  ..... I've also noted that taking her out of the house in the am helped...get her distracted so that I guess she "forgets"about being tired...

Good luck
Layla

[mom2william]

Thanks for your reply, Layla.  Your advice has really helped me out immensely and not just on this post but other places I've seen your insight so...Thanks! 

The 30-45min. catnap has worked some so that has helped.  However, lately he's not asleep sometimes by 10:30am so at that point I think it's too late for 2 naps so I just get him to at least 11:00am for one nap.  Today he actually slept from 11:15am to 1:30pm!  But that hasn't happened a lot, believe me!  He still seems tired in the afternoon, though, even after having a 2 hour nap.  If we go anywhere in the car in the afternoon, he's always yawning but never actually goes to sleep.

I want to get him in bed earlier but as I said previously, lately he's not been dropping off until later even if I put him in bed early.  But I'm still going to try for an earlier bedtime as I feel he needs it.  Tonight he didn't get to sleep until around 7:00pm.  It's hard to get him to bed early because I want DH to be able to see him briefly and he doesn't usually get home 'til 6:30pm.  But tomorrow night I am going to shoot for 6:00pm at least to help him catch up and not need that AM nap so much.  But I think he's getting there.  It's just been a long, frustrating process!!

Suzanne
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William born 3/23/05