Another Nap Question

L & D won't sleep. We've been at one nap for nearly three months, but in the last month, they've started sleeping maybe an hour (with the randon 2.5 hour nap thrown in maybe three times). I don't know what to do! I've tried moving the nap later, earlier, doing more actiities in the morning. Nothing!

They wake around 6-6:30. Go down for a nap at 11. Go to bed at 6:30.

 

I wish I knew what to tell you - some days my boys sleep 40 minutes, some days it is 2 hours. I have never, ever been able to figure it out despite trying all different sorts of schedules. Plus they only sleep at most 11 hours at night. So no help here, just wanted you to know I feel your pain!

 

Are they really upset about being in their room? If not, I would say keep putting them down every day & if they aren't asleep within an hour or two, call it quits for the day & try again the next day. It's possible they're ready to give up naps, but it could also be that they're just on a jag - my girls do this sometimes. They'll nap horribly (sometimes for weeks) and then all of a sudden they're napping for 2 - 3 hours again every day. If they are truly ready to give up naps, putting them in their room for quiet time every day for an hour still gives you a bit of a mid day break. :good:

 

Hmmmm, no hints for you, but it's the same at my house at the moment. :grouphug:
t2 has never been as good as her sister at napping (average of maybe 1.5 hrs) but in the last week has only managed 1 hr if that!!!
To me, a baby who is only 14months old and is only having one sleep a day should be having longer than that. I need her to have longer than that! :headbang: I can't work it out either and its doing my head in.

 

I agree with Rachel, we went through phases of at least one of the babies fighting naps but I stuck to their schedule and put them down for their naps regardless and we have always gone back to our regular 2-2.5 hour naps. Sometimes the phase lasted a day or two, but we had one bad spell of 2 months around 18 months. Even if one would not sleep, the baby had to lie down and spend some quiet time - I was there to help with that and keep things as quiet as possible for the sleeping baby.
Most babies still need their nap at that age but naps may get shorter. We pushed back bedtime a little because we prefer a longer nap.
GL!

 

Thanks ladies! They don't actually fight the nap as much as just wake up early. I know they're not getting enough sleep because they're cranky a good hour later. It's good to know I'm not alone, but boy do I wish we all weren't in this boat. I definitely NEED them to nap.

 

Again, I couldv'e written this lol! Grrrrr

 

there's something that they call a "45 min intruder"... some of the books refer to this. saying that sleep cycles are about 45 min long and maybe they just aren't able to transition to the next sleep cycle to allow them to sleep 2 or 3 cycles... I would keep trying, some of the books talk about trying to put down a littler earlier or later... we were able to get 2 naps in still at that age and for ours going from 6:30 to 11a is a long time... maybe they're just a little over tired by the time it gets to 11a.

hope you can figure it out. (we're at 3 yrs old, and trying to figure this age out... too much daytime sleep seems to keep ours from going down easily at night - ugh!)

 

I agree with the whole 40 min sleep cycle but it's so hard to break! I've tried putting them down a little earlier but I rarely get to as I have 2 others and a house to run (I don't get outside help.)
I make the wakeful one stay in her bed at least another 20mins then get her out and let her sister sleep until she wants usually