Getting fed up with listening to my exhausted 13 mth old shout, holler, sing, chatter rather than have a damn nap!!!

[gingerdead]

She has just started to eliminate her morning nap as she wasn't getting tired until almost lunchtime (putting her to bed earlier just meant getting serenaded) so rather than have her sleeping through the middle of the day I've just started putting her to bed straight after her lunch. This WAS fine - she would than have a good 2.5 hours of sleep.

Now her afternoon napping is getting really bad. I KNOW she is tired (yawning , eye rubbing, grabbing for her teddy bear and sticking her thumb in) but I'll put her to bed and within 45 minutes she is shouting, singing, chattering, etc. Almost like she is doing anything to keep herself awake. It's driving me absolutely bananas as if she doesn't have a good nap she is impossible (whiny, miserable, grumpy) AND it makes bedtime difficult as she just screams from tiredness by 6:30 (bath time).

If I go in there she is usually standing up, bouncing up and down with her big tired, deranged eyes and a laughing.

She is pretty good at night although she has been struggling to get to sleep. We live in southern Spain and don't have air conditioning so her windows have to stay open. The evenings are really light and there are loads of kids that play in the street outside our house so that could likely be the problem. She can be in there for over an hour singing and chatting away to herself.

Oh yeah... She also will not sleep anywhere but her own bed and is a world class sleep fighter.

I think it is safe to say we both need her to have at least one good nap a day :) and it is driving me absolutely crackers as it is impossible to do anything with her when she is in this state.

Any ideas what is going on? She used to nap (in her bed) brilliantly.

Don't you just hate those transition stages?! Let her just chat in her room & suffer the tea/bedtime melt down? Or take her out after lunch in the hope a distraction/journey will either occupy her or put to sleep? I've just come through the same thing with my 3 year old DS. I did a combo of the above. Eventually the day lasts fine & bedtime is not such a struggle. I know it's not textbook advice either but when I just couldn't bear the whining I stuck a DVD on to give everyone a break!
Good luck. Smile

Thanks Becky... Someone did suggest that it could be some kind of developmental/growth thing but it's been going on for two or three weeks now. Is that what you mean by transition stage? She is just about walking, she's just started climbing anything (all safely of course) that she can and she's starting to say a few words. Oh also perfecting her overhand throwing with food -

I know what you mean about the dvd/tv...

Thanks for your reply :)

Our DD is similar, she is a little older, 15 months, but for the last two months its been the same, napping is totally random, no two days the same, and also a nightmare to get to sleep - Dh is currently trying to get her to bed now, but I am sure I will probably have to give in and go up with the magic boob in a while when she is screaming...

She used to be awful, never slept more than 20mins in the day, then great from about 7 months, then slept through finally at about 10mnths, this just feels like going backwards!

Ours has had a molar come through, plus has been trying to walk, a few steps, plus the odd word, and climbing, all in the last few months, so we just keep trying to survive and hoping it will pass eventually . teething powders and ansebol for the gums, also she has a couple of drops of rescue remedy night in her sippy cup of water, which is in her cot, as she is thirsty with the molars and all the snot they create. That is about all we can do though.

Sorry, no help at all, was I?

My 19-month-old is refusing her nap now! I put her down every day, but she hasn't napped in weeks. . . so I put her to bed at 6. Meal at 4:30, bath at 5:15, and I'm sneaking out of her room on tiptoe at 6. She sleeps 12-13 hours (mostly) and it seems to work out OK.

Have you experimented with different nap times? Maybe you're putting her down too late? Also, can you take her outside to tire her out a bit? That used to help a lot before things got totally hopeless for us.

She's been in bed for half an hour now shouting and hollering. Not particularly upset just making a lot of noise and NOT getting the sleep she desparately needs. Yet another day of no napping despite being put into bed repeatedly - starting with the very first sign of tiredness this morning. She is exhausted.

Missmakesstuff... At least I'm not alone. My dd was a total nightmare during the day but great at night but slowly changed to where she was happily having two good naps a day and sleeping 12 hours at night and seemed really setttled and now here we are. Now she just appears to be fighting it all the time! I guess it could be teething or something that is just uncomfortable enough to keep her awake aided by the bright sunshine. But she's not crying or showing any sign of being in pain - just making noise (and likely jumping up and down in her cot but there is no way I'm going anywhere near her door to find out!) It just sounds like sleep fighting.

Teapot... My life has become a big naptime experiment :)! I know what you mean though-sometimes timing can be crucial but that doesn't seem to be the case. I do spend a lot of time trying to tire her out - she goes swimming most afternoons after the time that her nap was SUPPOSED to be. We do something outside most mornings(I've given up even trying to put her to bed then) playing in the park, going for long walks, going to the beach...Anything really.

It's horrible seeing her so miserable and her tired little eyes at bedtime. Then put her to bed, she snuggles in with her teddy bear and looks like she's off to sleep. Close the door and two minutes later she starts. It's so strange.

Thanks everyone... Hopefully it's some sort of phase she's going through and I'll just have to wait it out.