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CC- nap time... will he ever sleep in the day again?!!

2 replies

mashedpotsandbutter · 05/11/2007 10:41

We've just finished day two of CC (on Oz time!) with DS, aged 16m, and I'm beginning to think he'll never sleep in the day again!! We started on Sat night and he was asleep after an hour. On Sunday during the day, he was awake 4.45am and didn't go back to sleep, so I got him up at 6am. We put him down for a nap at about 10am and after an hour of crying (with us going in at 6 min intervals), he finally slept from 11 to 11.45. After a busy afternoon, we tried to put him down for another nap at 3pm, but gave up after an hour (as per the instructions in the Ferber book). Last night he went down after 30 mins, but was awake again at 4.30 and didn't go back to sleep again, so I got him up at 6am. I tried to put him down for a nap at 10.15 and he finally fell asleep at 11am, but only for 15 mins and then he was up for the rest of the day!!! He was so knackered we put him to bed at 5.45 and he finally fell asleep at about 6.30. He's so grumpy when he hasn't had enough sleep (as am I) and he still needs a nap during the day, but is being incredibly stubborn. So if you've successfully done CC, can you please let me know if he'll ever nap again?!!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
DaddyJ · 05/11/2007 13:05

Hey mashed!
First things: give it time!
He is a toddler of 16 months who presumably
is used to being rocked/bfed to sleep (correct me if I am wrong).
Changing that will take longer than 2 days.

Don't worry, though, he will nap again

I wonder whether you could do the sleeptraining in phases - nights first, then daytime?

Finally, in our experience CC during the day
was pretty damn impossible.
dd was really upset to be left by herself
(we could not get the room darkened out)
so eventually I would simply stay with her in the room.
She would still protest vigorously but that
crying was clearly different from straight CC - and this method worked.

Good luck and let us know how you and your ds get on!

Anonymama · 05/11/2007 13:16

I would definitely agree that a toddler of 16mths should be having a daytime nap, but perhaps you would have more luck if you tried one nap towards the end of the morning/early PM.

If your DS is up with the larks, then perhaps a late morning nap BEFORE lunch might be best. If so, and you find he is getting grumpy by late PM, bear with it and try and get him down half an hour earlier than usual (6-6.30pm), as they often don't sleep so well if they are overtired.

I'm sure we've all had the same problems with our DC dropping naps in the day, but I think most kids of 2-3 are still having a short nap. If you have someone else at home during the day who could help you (DH, MiL etc.) then see how your DS reacts to being put down by them. I think at 16mths he might be "trying it on" a bit with you. My own DS dropped his naps for a week at about 20mths, but was clearly shattered. In the end I had to just let him cry it out - the first time I had used this method - and I felt horrible, but within 2 days he was napping again.

The getting up early is also really common, and there are lots of threads currently running on this one. You could try:
(1) blackout blinds
(2) the "kidsleep" clock (although recommended for older toddlers, it has worked with our own from about 22mths)- you'll find them on the net
(3) going in at regular intervals (10mns) and saying "It is nighttime, time to sleep" - but not making eye-contact or giving him any other stimulation. It might take a few days, it might take a week, but eventually he'll get the message.

Personally I think it is really important you encourage your DS to stay in bed until a time when you feel YOU are able to cope with rising - we had nearly 6mths of "early waking" last year and it nearly killed us. With number 2 I think we will probably just be a little firmer with him; at the end of the day you do your very best, but you need your sleep too and unless you are able & prepared to go to bed at 7pm yourself, you cannot be an effective and cheerful parent if you are not getting your full quota.

That said, the best piece of advice my mum gave me was to go to bed at the same time as the kids (or near enough) at least once a week. It's the new parent equivalent of the Saturday morning "lie in".

All the best.

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