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Sleep

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Original poster

No naps, early to bed, late riser

15 replies

Jenu294 · 27/04/2020 08:14

My 22 month has recently been showing signs of dropping her nap altogether (poor me 🙃). In fact she had no nap yesterday.

We decided to put her to bed at 6pm to compensate for the lack of a nap, it’s now 8.15am and she’s still fast asleep! She stirred around 5.30am but apparently went back to sleep.

Anyone else’s toddler having similar sleep patterns? I thought she’d be up a lot earlier.

Any tips on quiet time in a crib would be useful too - this no napping is a whole new ball game for me!

Thanks in advance

OP posts:

oxfordsummer20 · 27/04/2020 13:25

Oh my goodness we should start a club!

Nearly 21 month old has been refusing naps for a few weeks now. At first I put it down to teething but it's gone on and on. I just can't settle her for a nap which was around 12.30/1 for hour and half...

I have tried in the cot with books but they get thrown out. Quiet time is lying with me reading books for about an hour. Also quiet time around 4pm just watching some Cbeebies whilst I make dinner.....

Some nights she's really grumpy before bedtime. Others she's wanting to be up pat her bedtime for an hour!

She's usually 7.30pm to 7.30am - sometimes shouts out but on the agile sleeps straight through.

What are you doing to keep yourself sane? It's hard work isn't it

Original poster

Jenu294 · 27/04/2020 14:31

@oxfordsummer20 so so hard! You made me laugh (in relief) because I’ve just tried putting my one down in her cot at 1ish with some toys, books some fancy fairy lights in a dimmed room..... she screamed blue murder 😭 there goes my “me” time then!

My quiet time is Shark’s Tale right now with me on the sofa. She’s so full of energy that it’s only screen time that will chill her out for a bit. And I’m not going to feel guilty (we’re in a lockdown!!😄)

So it’s my first day and I don’t know if I’ll slowly go round the bend? I suppose an early bedtime might keep me sane (plus a glass of wine or two?!!)

From one frustrated mum to another - hang on in there and thanks for replying!

OP posts:

hopefulhalf · 27/04/2020 14:33

Dd was like this. Now 13 and will still do 13 hours at night if left....

oxfordsummer20 · 28/04/2020 12:14

@Jenu294 how has it gone so far today?

It is a very long day.

I did do the same yesterday with a quiet time with me reading books softly. DD did have a 30 minute play with blocks and her play kitchen later which was good. I got to have a sit down and a cup of tea and catch up on some work on the laptop at least.

I tried again for naps but no luck at 1pm! She seems so tired around 3pm/4pm but that is danger nap territory!!!!

hopefulhalf · 28/04/2020 12:15

Sorry wrong thread

BlingLoving · 28/04/2020 12:20

OP - DD was a bit like this, although was closer to 3 when it happened. We took the plus side of the crazy early bedtime and lie ins. She'd be in bed by 6 at the latest and would usually sleep until 8 the next morning. A friend who had a similar DD a few years before used to put her to bed (lights out) by 5:30pm and she'd sleep straight through until about 8 the next day. Apparently she also still sleeps for 11 to 12 hours and she's 9.

DD still requires significant sleep and most nights gets a minimum of 11 hours but, if she's tired, can go for 12-13. She's 5. During normal school, I have t have her asleep well before 8 because otherwise she's too tired by being woken at 7:30 for school.... And on in the first term of reception I actually kept her home one day because of exhaustion even though she'd been sleeping a minimum of 12 hours every night.

BlingLoving · 28/04/2020 12:21

Oh, and actually, now I'm remembering, I think she actually often slept even later because I remember she'd still be sleeping when I left to take DS to school....

CoodleMoodle · 28/04/2020 13:04

Similar here! Although we haven't given it up, yet. 22mo DS is resisting naps, taking ages to fall asleep and then being cross when he does actually wake up. And when he has a nap he's then singing in his cot for an hour at bedtime. Driving me crackers!

I know we need to give it up. But I don't want to! It's the only time we get any peace and that DD can play without him ruining everything. But him singing until 8:30pm is probably not worth it. DD is asleep before him and she's 6!

Great timing, isn't it... When DD gave up hers (at 2y 3mo), we could go out and about to distract her, and within a week it was just normal. The odd doze in the car (which she'd never done before) but no problems. This time around it sucks!

Original poster

Jenu294 · 29/04/2020 14:30

Totally sucks with this lockdown, it’s never ending @CoodleMoodle

So the day I wrote the original post I thought she’d breeze through the day having gotten up late (and only needing to stay awake till 6pm). Oh my! She was a complete mess - meltdowns most of the day, crankiness, bad mood with daddy. It was awful.

So yesterday I decided to put her down for her nap again at 1pm (to hell with it if she chats to herself - it’s still downtime and I get a break 😁) Anyway she must’ve dozed off around 1.30pm but I did purposefully wake her at 3pm to avoid wrecking bedtime routine at 7pm. Sure enough she chatted for a while but not for nearly as long (beforehand I had been letting her sleep till near 4pm which might’ve contributed?)

Am repeating the same process today and will be waking her at 3pm. ON THE DOT!

After that horrendous day I’m now convinced she’s not ready to drop her naps - long may they last that’s all I can say. So ladies perhaps just prep them for a nap regardless of whether they sleep or not? I know I’m not ready to give up my happy hours rap in lockdown 😂

OP posts:

BlingLoving · 29/04/2020 14:40

@Jenu294 - that sounds sensible. I had read your original post as your DD refusing to actually go to sleep at all for the day time nap. But if she will sleep, reducing the time can help.

The other thing we found was that we would alternate routines - she wasn't quite ready to drop her nap but if she had it, she'd be up until very late in the evening. So we'd do no nap with super early bed time one day, then nap with later bed time the next. Admittedly, this worked particularly well for us as it was over a holiday period so we used it as an opportunity to flex for our own purposes - eg if we had an evening out planned we'd make sure she napped by day but if we were busy all day she'd be on the go with us but then in bed super early. My point is that the routine doesn't have to be a 24 hour one, you can adapt it to suit her needs and yours.

The above worked for us for about 3 months, then we dropped the nap completely with the super early bedtimes. Then slowly the bedtimes got later again.

oxfordsummer20 · 29/04/2020 23:34

Reading with interest here...

DD, now 20 months refusing naps still.

Wakes at 7.30am. Bedtime usually 7.30pm.
Will usually sleep through....

Will try a settle at 1/1.30pm see how I go.

Original poster

Jenu294 · 30/04/2020 22:50

Hey @oxfordsummer20 sounds pretty much like my daughter’s schedule - although we put her down at 7pm (she can fall asleep anywhere between 8/8.30om), but she’ll usually sleep right thru to 7.30am...

I put her down at 12.45pm today and she fell asleep at 1.30ish, woke her at 3pm.

But boy-o-boy she’s grumpy 😆

OP posts:

yorkintherain81 · 01/05/2020 12:59

@Jenu294 when you say you put her down -what's your routine like for nap time?
Do you put her straight in the cot? Or does she have milk? Books?
I'm thinking whether I'm too quick to give up on the nap. Pushing on until bedtime. Maybe she needs a while to settle. Used to take only 20 minutes before. She has some milk and then cuddle and then down in cot.
Slept hour/2 hours.

Original poster

Jenu294 · 01/05/2020 13:15

Hi @yorkintherain81

So a typical day might look like this (please bear in mind routine and structure has gone a bit haywire due to lockdown so...)

7.30am WAKE - breakfast/change/tv/play/walk

Around 12pm I get her lunch ready and then we’ll spend a half hour before nap just winding down in her room - sometimes it’s a book or two, or depending on her mood she may potter about doing her own thing. But I also change her nappy and undress her to be put down in her crib at 1ish. I don’t let her have any books or toys either just her cuddly toy and she’s always slept in a dark room (I invested in some black out curtains when she was little which I find helps her immensely esp in summer).

3pm Wake - play/tv/walk

5.30 Dinner - playtime/bath with daddy

7pm BED!!!

Today however she has been off. She woke at 2am this morning, crying and seemed to want to get up - had to leave her crying in the end as if already sat with her for a half hour! She eventually cried herself to sleep 10mins later. Today I’ve had to put ole cranky pants down at Noon (I figured her bad mood and constant whining was down to tiredness?) Anyway I was right she fell asleep at 12.20pm!

Hope this helps...☺️

OP posts:

yorkintherain81 · 02/05/2020 09:25

@Jenu294 so we took a nap!!

I did the same thing as you did...settled for the usual time around 1pm - after lunch. She protested a bit in cot. Went in once - resettled. A bit of protesting for a few minutes and then just went to sleep 😲

Shall see how today goes but that's the first nap in a while !

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