did you alternate 1 nap and 2 nap days?

[Madallie]

dd is 12mo. On early side for 1 nap I know.

Routine up to 9mo was - wake 6.30ish, nap 9.45-11.00, nap 2-3.00/3.30, bed 6.45 or 7 (sometimes slept through other times didn't)

Routine started to get to - 6.30/7- wake, 10.00-11 (I would wake if not awake by then) 3.00/3.30-4.00/15( I would always wake by then).

I felt I was always having to wake her to preserve next nap or night sleep. She was taking between 30mins to 1hr to settle for every pm nap, then about 20-40mins at bedtime.

I decided to try for 1 nap at noon after early lunch. Was great four 4 days!
Routine was - 7.30- wake, 12.00-2.00 (or 12.30-2.30) nap, 6.30-45pm - bed for night slept through til 7.30 next morning.

However last 2 days she has been waking earlier in the morning. Yesterday 6ish, Today she was restless, wakful from 5am!

Should I go back to 2 naps, alternate 1 and 2 naps or stick to 1 for a bit longer and hope dd adjusts?

What did you do?

[SleighbellsRingInYourLife]

Both mine had 2 naps at that age. DD2 was 2 when I called a halt to the morning nap for getting out and about purposes :o

[Madallie]

Thanks. I think I at least need to alternate as she can't handle 1 nap everday. 2 naps is just a battle each day and because she won't nap in pushchair I just find it difficult for 2 naps everyday!

At what time where your naps and for how long if you can remember?

[Climbingpenguin]

I just do what DS needs that day or to fit in with my plans.

sometimes he has one, especially if we go to playgroup which also sufficiently distracts hims. If we're at home he mostly has two. I wouldn't worry about having a strict timetable, just do what feels right on the day.

DD (2.10) is also in transition with her nap. My days are unpredictable.

[pictish]

I just went with the flow. It really depended what I wanted to do in a day.
Naps were never a big priority really. As and when.

[babySophieRose]

My DD is 14 months, for the last two months had gone from 2 naps to just one (12:00-15:00) If she has two naps as before (10:30-12:30 and 15:30-17:00) she will not go to bed before 22:00. It was hard for a few days to keep her awake until lunch at the beginning.

[Climbingpenguin]

i will echo babySophieRose there will be a point where the plunge needs to be taken, but you know when that is. For us it was when the second nap didn't happen regardless of when the morning one was.

wow at three hour naps FWIW there amount of sleep shouldn't change. So when DS has one nap he doesn't sleep for long enough, so he isn't quite ready for it and is too overtired by the nap to sleep properly. Basically their nap time should consolidate.

[Madallie]

Thanks climb. The reason I thought it was all going well was because dd was getting the same or slighly more sleep at nap times on one nap days and about an hour longer at night. So instead of about 13hrs out of 24 she was sleeping at least 14.

I guess she still needs her sleep spread out over 2 naps on some days to keep her from being OT.

[forevergreek]

We did 9.30-10.15 nap, then 1-3 nap

Until around 16/17 months. We finally stopped as wasn't too tired at 1pm but sibling naps then also. He still nods off sometimes though

3 year old still has 1-3pm nap everyday

[Iggly]

Maybe the timing of your naps is the issue?

My dd has a nap at 8.30/9 and 1pm.

[Madallie]

Thanks for replies.

Iggly I wish she would go for a nap at 8.30/9am but she's just way to wide awake. I've tried to put her down earlier but she plays and chats up there. What time does your dd/ds wake to then have a nap at 8.30/9? And how long is this nap for?

When she was younger she originally napped at 9am or a little but she just gradually stopped going to sleep and would just chat away, play and then cry in frustration.

On the other hand, now she's more mobile, do you think it would be worth giving the earlier nap another go?

Out of interest, what do you think could be the issue with the timing of the naps? Was 10-11, then 2-3/3.15?

Thanks for help

[Madallie]

too wide awake

[forevergreek]

I think you can drop but more if a longer afternoon nap. An hour is fairly short as the sole afternoon nap. So drop am nap if you can extend afternoon to at least 2hrs. So maybe 12.30-2.30/3pm

[pilotsprincess]

Dd is 14 months and has only 1 nap, it was becoming a right rigmarole to convince her to have a morning nap so I gave up as its just frustrating, so from 13 months she's napped from 12-2 in the day and sleeps 7-8 at night (Barr teething periods )

[Madallie]

Thanks princess. That is what I was thinking. It was a right faff to get her to have pm nap which was regulalry not starting until 3pm or later!

That's why when we had 3/4 days of nap 12-2, then bed 6.45-7.30ish I thought we were onto a winner. But then after those days we start getting 6am and then today the 5am wake up. I can only assume tis is down to OT but I really thought with a 2 hour nap and 12.5 hrs of night sleep she'd be ok.

Doing 2 naps today- 9.45am-11am and put her down at 2pm. She's been fussing for a while but gone quiet now so hopegully she is alseep now. Thinking if it was OT maybe this day of 2 naps will help that. I also will have to do 2 naps tomorrow as won't be in over lunchtime.

Do you think I should revert to 1 nap after this again? See how it goes again?

[Madallie]

forever on the 1 nap days she was mostly doing 2hrs. That's why I really thought 1 nap was the way to go. It just threw it all off when she woke at 6am yesterday and 5am today.

V frustrating!

[forevergreek]

I would pick what we suits you best but keep to the times it you say she couldn't nap today I've flinch as out, can she not nap in buggy?

I usually did an nap in buggy so out and afternoon in cot. But now even though they nap in cots 98% of the time, they would nap in buggy/ friend sofa etc if we were away from home. But same time evey day.

Overnight has generally aways been good sleeping, but we ha a few months of early wakes etc sometimes and that co insided with not settling at naptimes ( or if they had short nap etc etc).

[Iggly]

Dd wakes between 6.30 and 7. I feed her to sleep for naps - takes 10 mins (I'm not bothered about self settling for naps as it isn't forever - I have an older ds so a bit relaxed about how they get to sleep for naps, as long as they do!).

Because the morning one is later it knocks onto the afternoon one as they don't have enough awake time between naps. Can you aim for a short morning nap around 9ish then post lunch one around 1/1.30pm?

[Madallie]

Thanks forever. No dd refuses to sleep in buggy. I don't know how she manages but she will just not give in. Tried lots of time, snooze shade on, off, buggy tilted, not tilted, after shorter wake time, longer wake time. No luck. What suits me best was the 1 12-2 nap and 6.30/45 bt but I just didn't feel I could keep to thar with wake times of 6am and 5am.

Iggly, I totally see what you mean about not enough A time between naps. Even when she did wake at 7am and I put her down before 10 (like 9.45) she would just chat and moan til 10 or 10.15am. Wish she would have a nap at 9am just for half an hour. She just won't fall asleep.

I always try to keep timings of naps the same but dd doesn't always fall asleep at the same time. She's not a 'nap anwhere sort of baby'.

Maybe I just have to ride this nap obscurity out. Have some 1 and some 2 nap days and just see hoe it goes. All the suggestions people are giving I seem to have tried.

Iggly after tomorrow, I'm going to try your suggetion again. I will try to put her down at 9 (this should be fun!) for 30mins. Then try a longer nap at 1pm. How long would pm nap have to be to cound as a 'good' nap? I.m thinking I'll get 1 hour or 1hr 15mins tops.

[lovepigeon]

I've been having similar problems with my nearly 11mo in that ever since we went down to 2 naps a day she gets tired for her 2nd nap at about 4pm which is far too late. Like you I cannot seem to get her to have her morning nap earlier - she has to have been awake for about 3 to 4 hours before she is tired and ready for a nap. I'm thinking things will be much easier once she goes down to 1 nap a day but am really struggling at the moment with the late bedtimes.

[Iggly]

I would say at least 90 mins. But if just an hour then early bedtime.

Does she walk about much? Tire her out? What happens if you try and rock her to sleep?

The other option is to have the morning nap which is longer and later and a short PM nap? I know some babies who cope with that. Then you can slowly push the morning one later as a transition to one nap when she's older.

[forevergreek]

Try putting in buggy at 9am lying down/ shaded if possible etc so it's super boring, and use this time to go for a walk/ shops/ excercise yourself or whatever you need to do. If she just lays there awake that's fine, but it's will also give her a chance to rest and wind down without stimulation. After half hour or so if still awake then maybe sit her up a little, but still snug. So say 9-10am could be for either napping or just a relaxed wind down on walk in buggy. After a few days you can see if this helps of not.

Then long nap at 12.30 if she can last that long. Try encouraging to go back to sleep if she wakes after an hour here to encourage a long nap. Sleep cycle of a child is 45 mins, so ideally at least 90mins ( 2 sleep cycles)

[Madallie]

Thanks again iggly appreciate the help.

She isn't walking yet or cruising! She was a late crawler but is now maniac with that so yes I can tire her out.

She won't sit still to be rocked to sleep. Never reallt have been able to do this. She is very spirited and lively whihc is wonderful but not conducive to rocking, cuddling, feeding to sleep. Since newborn it was a battle. Even now when she has he night feed, he legs and arms are flailing around, then she stops drinking for a little 'chat' to me then carries on legs amd arms going. Ha!

I don't think the longer am shorter pm combo works for her cos she finds it hard to go down in pm even after an hour in am. Saying that she has been alseep for 50mins this arvo after 1hr 20mins this morning 9.50-11.10! This is just a one off tho I think as she was OT from 5am wake up.

I hate this feeling of being lost with it all and not knowing what is best. Routines I try only seem to stick for a matter of a couple of weeks or less. I feel I should know what to do as the Mummy but I don't.

[Madallie]

yes forever, think I could do a combination of your and iggly's ideas. Wake 6.30/7am, nap or quiet time in pushchair 9-10 (if she does sleep i'll only let her have 30mins) then try for 12.30 longer nap.

Thanks you

[falalalalagirl]

DD would just kip for 20 mins in the car in the mornings as I would have to do stuff with DS and it wasn't fair to keep him hanging around the house while she slept. She then has a big long sleep in the afternoons (2+ hours). She's pretty much dropped the morning snooze all together now at 15mo.

I think she just learnt to fit in with what the rest of us needed to do.

Now, entertaining DS while DD has her afternoon nap and he's stuck in the house; that's a whole different story...