help needed with extending nap

[PeepersMom]

Some of you know our saga - but it is getting more quirky as the weeks go on, IMHO

PJ transitioned to 1 nap a couple months ago.  He at first did great with his one nap, but then had night wakings.  Then the night waking stopped and most of his naps were 2 hours, occ 1.5 and occ 2.5.  Then he got very sick and was up all night coughing and exhausted so we did 2 naps for about 10 days.  Once in a while he did one nice one, but mostly we did 2 good naps.  These naps were great, but it did effect his bedtime.  He had a hardtime falling asleep until 8-830pm when he did those 2 naps. And because he fell asleep so late, he was waking earlier than ever - getting barely 10h at night.  During this time he did over 2 hours of good daytime sleep, sometimes I would have to wake him.  Now that his illness is over I am once again transitioning him to 1 nap, because his bedtime was so disrupted by the 2 naps.   BUT we are stuck at 1h15min naps.  I tried a cat nap in the am (of less than 30min) and it didn't work.  He still only took a 1 hour nap and woke screaming. 

Right now his bedtime is once again VERY early because of his short nap.  Our schedule is this

7 wake (today it was 715)
12noon nap (woke screaming at 1:15)
which will lead to a 6:30/45 bedtime

I am considering w2s but I don't really know when to go in.  See, he has also had a few 45min naps and I can get him back to sleep for those by rocking him, but not if he has gone over an hour.  The few times I rocked him back to sleep he only slept another 40min.

Do you think I should have pushed him later than noon?  I don't want to disrupt bedtime too much.  If he sleeps much later in the day than 230 he usually has a hard time falling to sleep on time, but that is in the case of 2 naps - maybe not with one?

thanks for any thoughts and please let me know if this saga sounds familiar to anyone and how you got out of it!

Meg

[imsmum]

I would not be concerned too much about the nap going past 2:30--as you thought it probably will not interfere with his bedtime on the one nap--but he may need more than 5 hours of A time in the morning to get his full nap.  he's going to bed super early--assuming he falls asleep around 7 that's a 12 hour night.  If you think he needs a 2 hour nap he probably only needs about 11 hours at night at his age.  so slowly try pushing the nap back 15 minutes per week and see if that helps lengthen it.  You may find bedtime is slightly later--ie. closer to 7:30 or so, giving him about an 11 hour night sleep,but I think that is more typical of the sleep pattern of lo's of your son's age than the shorter nap, very long night sleep. 

[PeepersMom]

Thanks, I agree.  I know he would do longer nap on less night sleep = we've been there.  But we are in a bit of a cycle here, with short nap he needs to sleep early!   

Ok, well you are right, I need to take the plunge.  Probably tomorrow. 

Watch tomorrow he'll be up at 6 just to mess with me.

thanks for your great advice, this time and the last time!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

I don't have any better advice than imsmum has given you, I just wanted to add it took a few months for Ella to extend her nap when we transitioned to one. We had a grumpy girl for awhile but it did lengthen out! Good luck and sleep vibes for you! 

[PeepersMom]

It was hard, but I put him down a little later today.  I looked at the clock the minute I was sure he was up - 7:14 (a 12 hour night) and decided he would go to nap at exactly 5 hours later.  At about noon he started up the stairs.  We usually go up for a little wind down!  he started his winddown himself...so we did he routine and at 1210 we went in the room.  He was asleep in 2 minutes!

i guess that is what confuses me.  He is very sleepy in the sense that he falls right to sleep at almost anytime I want him to about 3 hours after his wake up.  Of course, now  on 1 nap I know to extend him.  But it is hard to do that when he is bascially begging me for a nap by starting up the stairs to the nursery!! 

Anyway - he cried out at 40 min and I cringed, but he put himself back to sleep. woo hoo.

Thanks for your help.

[imsmum]

Way to go PJ!  I hope that he had a bit longer nap.

My dd also was ready to fall asleep pretty much the instant that I wanted to put her down for her nap (I'm remembering those days fondly now, since it took dd 45 minutes to go down for her nap on Sunday).  I think the crying out at 40-45 minutes is usually from overtiredness, so I would definitely move slowly in pushing the nap back to allow time for him to adjust.   

[PeepersMom]

It definitely seems to be dependent on amount of night sleep and a little push later in the day.  For the time being that is.........  He has been taking long nights and that is definitely shortening his nap.  last night he *only* slept 12h15min and he took a 1h45min nap.  the night before he sletp 13 h!! and 1h20min nap.  The problem is with the short nap it is hard to push him later than 630pm for bedtime b/c much later than that he will cry/scream and resist bedtime due to overtired.  ALSO with such an early bedtime it is producing a nice long sleep (in the sleep begets sleep theory), so we are in a bit of a cycle here.  I think it is coming along, though.  I would like a 7pm bedtime,and we are inching closer to it. 

Ahhhhh it is nuts

Thanks for your help.

[PeepersMom]

well the problem is far from solved.   He is still taking less than ideal naps.  Mostly 1h15min and his nights have shortened.   they aren't short by any means, but he is waking up early.  For example this morning he was up at 6:22.  So I put him down for his nap at 1145.  He woke screaming just before 1.  So I guess i should just push him as close to 1230 no matter what time he wakes?  I mean, it isn't like the nap can get worse, right?  I might as well try? 

I guess the confusing part to me is his wake time varies sooooooo much.  I mean, serioulsy, it can vary up to 2 hours in the morning.  He wakes up anywhere from 6-8 am.  I never get him out of the crib before 7 am, that is my goal for consisten wake up time and it has been that since he was 6months old.  He probably wakes up at 7am 3 days out of 7.  It is very confusing for all of us.

Thanks