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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
erindawn
member
Just taking an AM nap and up forever
erindawn
member
I could use some thoughts from the collective motherhood here.
My 14 month old is dropping his second nap of the day instead of his first. So, he has been waking up at 5 AM because he's teething then he takes a nap from about 9 to 11 and then he is up until 7 or 7:30 PM!
I tried extending his first nap until noon but he is literally falling apart and hysterical and trying to fall asleep on the floor so that's not working. I've tried everything I can to get him to take a nap even as late as 5 PM but he just won't do it. Usually he is a great napper and can put himself to sleep from wideawake and everything but now even driving around listening to jazz doesn't do it. That used to be the magic bullet.
I don't think it's just teething because this is been going on for a while and teething just started. Anyone else have this experience or have any ideas on how to push back that nap in the morning?
My 14 month old is dropping his second nap of the day instead of his first. So, he has been waking up at 5 AM because he's teething then he takes a nap from about 9 to 11 and then he is up until 7 or 7:30 PM!
I tried extending his first nap until noon but he is literally falling apart and hysterical and trying to fall asleep on the floor so that's not working. I've tried everything I can to get him to take a nap even as late as 5 PM but he just won't do it. Usually he is a great napper and can put himself to sleep from wideawake and everything but now even driving around listening to jazz doesn't do it. That used to be the magic bullet.
I don't think it's just teething because this is been going on for a while and teething just started. Anyone else have this experience or have any ideas on how to push back that nap in the morning?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Just taking an AM nap and up forever
I might be misreading this, so I apologize if this doesn't make sense.
Have you tried occupying/entertaining him (without overstimulating) around 8:30-9AM to try to push his nap back later?
I give DD a snack around 9, engage in a lot of play, then lunch at 11, then relax and down for nap at 12 (in a perfect world).
Do you think once he stops teething he will wake up in the morning later? If you can get him to sleep in a bit, then he should be able to hold out until at least 11 or 12 for his nap.
I would either a) try to push that nap back even by 10 minutes or so, then another 10 minutes, etc. Or b) work on getting him to sleep in later so his nap gets pushed back too.
GL!
I think some days he only needs one and other days he needs two. I would prefer he take two for sure! I just follow his lead. If he acts tired, I try putting him down. Lately, he's obviously tired in the afternoon but just will not sleep. I have spent from 12pm to 5pm trying to get him to sleep some days!
Today, he refused to take the morning nap and went down at about 11:45am. Ideally, if he's going to take 1 nap, it would be from 12:30pm to 2pm (for my schedule). We shall see.
I've been going through this shift w my 19 mth old for two weeks or so now. And had a few false starts during his 18 month (wasn't quite ready).
My understanding is that it takes a good two weeks to get them into a new rhythm (from two naps to one during the midday) and that while you should do it gradually, pushing back the morning nap just by 15 minutes for first two days, then 15 more minutes third and fourth day, another 15 day 5 & 6, etc., til you get the nap to start at more midday hour, you should also do it within a two week period at most. Going back and forth between one & two doesn't let them get the new pattern-- mentally, physically.
They will wake up earlier in the morning at first-- and may short nap you too for the first few weeks (just an hour or hour & a half)-- but soon they'll get into an established pattern of 2hr + naps. It's and adjustment-- and they supposedly also will start sleeping a little later in the morning.
All babies love that morning nap and will continue to take it if their caretakers let them-- but it's prob best for you to get your LO waking hours more split in half to avoid the meltdowns at the end of the day.
One decision we had to make was lunch before or after. I tested both out. Since my guy has always been such an early riser, he's really tired for that nap at 11:30-- and if I try to give him lunch right before that he's a mess. I just give him a quick, easy snack. He has lunch when he wakes. You'll need to figure out what works near for yours. We hope eventually we can do lunch before once he's more adjusted to a long wake period in the morning--- but not yet.
oh-- and a lot of folks put the LO down eary to sleep for the night during the shifting period. We did-- up to 30 min earlier. It helps.
Good luck!
I forgot to mention that for us we really have to take him out of the house & keep him busy, not in his stroller, car seat, to keep him awake until 11. And while we would like to get to a 12 nap start time-- 11 to 11:30 or so is good enough for now as he wakes up by 5:45/6 and just can't make it longer w/o exhaustion