Daytime Naps and Nighttime Sleep ARGH!

[TipsyGiraffe]

So my 17 month old has been doing one nap per day for a month or so. Prior to this, he had two good naps in the day but his second nap was becoming a struggle and would sometimes last til 5pm and then bedtime would be horrendous and really late.

So we worked on one nap and then for a few weeks bedtime was AMAZING and we had sleep from 6pm til 6am (still BFing so still would ask for a feed in the night).

Then his bedtimes became tricky again. We do a good routine where we do bath, stories and then feed and he falls asleep next to me (we co sleep). We've always done this. But the last few weeks he's been so tricky and just rolling onto his front, and sliding around the cot on his face

Last weekend I had to work (i'm freelance so mostly a SAHM) and was away for 24hrs so he didn't breast feed and didn't sleep amazingly well (neither did DH). On Sunday, DS had two naps... his bedtime wasn't horrendous and he slept SO WELL. He didnt feed until 4am when usually he can feed several times throughout the night between 11pm and 6am... sometimes it's endless and utterly exhausting. Then the next day he did two naps again and bedtime was loooong and I had to take him for a drive. But again, night time was amazing. Tuesday, two naps, didn't fall asleep until 9pm after a drive but the night was incredible and he fed at 4am, 6am and then woke for the day at 7:30am...

Today he napped for two hours - 12-2 and then was sparko at 7:30ish. So I guess i'll see how tonight goes.

But WHAT THE HELL?! What's going on? What should I do?! I want more sleep and easier bedtimes... Any ideas?!

[Tumtitum]

I've come to the conclusion that there's nothing you can do!! sorry if that's not helpful.. DD is 14 months and has been yo yo-ing between one and two naps for the last two months. Neither seem to have any impact on how she sleeps at night... I'm trying to give up worrying about it!!

[TipsyGiraffe]

Damnit

[FATEdestiny]

The transition from 2 nap days to 1 nap days is usually a gradual change, it's highly unlikely to ever be a straight switch from one to another. Takes about 2-3 months to make a complete change.

It may start with a single day of a busy morning, skipping mirning nap and just having one nap. This will then be followed by maybe a week of back to 2-nap days, to catch up and recover from the exhaustion.

If you force 1-nap days on baby at this point, you'll end up with a over tired and exhausted baby.

So then, maybe baby can do two 1-nap days in a week, with 3 or 4 days of 2-naps in between each to catch up.

Then maybe baby will manage two consecutive 1-nap days, followed by several 2-nap days to recover.

Then maybe three or four 1-nap days in the week, and so on...

It may take a few months from baby having the first 1-nap day until baby is having 1-nap days consistantly every day.