two naps to one, confused and possibly confusing

[maptome]

DD is 10 months and taking 2 naps per day. ETA: We were on an awake-time based routine of 3-3.5-4.5 hours, which is now more like, 3.5-4-5.5 hours.

1) Is there a transition time when neither two naps or one nap works? I feel that DD is never sleepy, and I have to fight her to nap and go to bed every time. If I didn't push naps, she would be awake for more than 13 hours every day, totaling all awake times. But if I only gave her one nap, then she might need to sleep for over 12 hours at night, for her to be on a 24-hour cycle, and that is very unlikely, meaning she would go to bed earlier every night and wake earlier every morning.

2) How do you know that if LO only takes one nap, that it will be long? If it is only 20 minutes, doesn't the whole 24 hour cycle get messed up? Right now, both DD's bedtime and waking time vary within 1.5 hours independent of each other. I can't imagine it getting even crazier.

This is what I've tried:
If she gets up late, go for one nap. If she gets up earlier, go for two naps. But then she'll take a really long nap when I'm going for two or a really short nap when I'm going for one.

Should I just put her on a clock-based schedule, instead of an awake-time-based routine? Like, wake her up at the same time every morning, give her a nap at the same time, and put her to bed at the same time?

Thanks so much if you've read this whole thing. I am very confused about all this.

[Katie T]

It is a personal choice as you know your DD the best. But I don't like schedules besides the ones they make themselves. I would lay my baby's down when they get sleepy. This doesn't seem like it would be as easy for you as she doesn't seem to give you clues she is tired and fights it. Sometimes fighting sleep can be a sign of being over tired though. (Just a thought not a rule)

Really all you can do is to try it out for a couple days. Do you think if she goes to one nap she will maybe be easier to get to bed? Mine were around 9 to 12 months when they went to one nap, it kinda just happened without me thinking about it.

I would try what ever you want the new routine to be for several days to a week. I wonder if you keep the one nap if she will start taking a longer 1 nap a day. Make sense. If she seems really upset/tired then of course go back to 2 naps.

Hope this isn't too confusing and helps.

[lkmiscnet]

My 12 mo old takes two naps some days and one nap on others.

Sometimes, if I am running errands in the morning (trying to not interfere with his longer afternoon nap at home), he'll fall asleep in his car seat, but inevitably, I'll have to wake him up within 10-15 min of arriving where we need to be. But, he seems to get enough energy from that power nap.

My LO does show signs of tiredness by rubbing his eyes and just getting fussy/cranky. I'm trying to get better about seeing earlier signs, because I think by the time he is showing the above signs, he is probably overtired.

Some nights, as soon as I see him rubbing his eyes and getting fussy, I whisk him off to his last diaper change and into bed to be nursed to sleep. But, despite having shown those apparent signs of tiredness, he will seeminly get a second wind. I sometimes end up having to lay in bed for an hour or 90 min. On a few occasions, as long as 2 hours. I never know when his battery is just going to conk out, so I don't want to take him out of bed.

I think you also have to look at what they are doing developmentally, as I have read/heard that many babies going through significant milestones like to "practice" their new skills in bed.

So, I guess I'm not being of much help other than to say to go with the flow and not try to stick to a set schedule because it won't work. Babies aren't regimented and each day is different.

Try to read your LO's tired signs and set the stage for sleep by creating a calmer environment (less activity, dim lights, etc) if that's not the case already. And like the previous poster said, fighting sleep can frequently be a sign of an overtired child.

You might try putting her to bed earlier than normal.

One book I just read from the library was Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. The only thing I didn't agree with was the leaving your child to cry until they fall asleep idea, which he did say that not all parents can/should do. I did find the explanations of sleep cycles to be extremely helpful as well as some other tidbits about how truly sleep deprived many of our babies really are and how to reverse that.

Best of luck!

[maptome]

OP here.

If I ever see signs of tiredness, I am on it! I'll nap DD regardless of routine. Also, the longer she's awake, the easier she sleeps. She's not overtired.

My problem has always been that the kid very rarely seems tired. Doesn't get fussy or cranky. =)

I realized that maybe 2 naps is still working for us, but maybe I'm just really sick of all of the thrashing, kicking, screaming 3 times every day. If I cut out a nap, I'd only have to deal twice a day. She's always fought sleep, but it just seems so much stronger recently. Like she's going to win the fight soon. =)

[Abraisme]

If she's fighting sleep that much it sounds like you could go down to 1 nap. My DD is 9.5mo and in the transition to 1 nap per day. She'll have 3-4 days with 1 nap and then 1-2 with 2 naps and then back again. I just go with the flow, if I try to put her down and she just doesn't seem tired I will get back up again. I don't have time to lay around in bed for 30 minutes at a time hoping that she'll fall asleep. Either she's tired or she's not.. I hope that helps.

[Blueone]

My son is 10 months and recently went from 3 naps to 2 naps. It sort of just happened, but yet was gradual. He started sleeping less and less, but all the naps added up to 2.5 hours, but where 2 hours apart. His last nap started coming later and eventually it was just him resting on me. So we cut it out and now he does 2 naps. One is about an hour, and the other is 1.5 hours.

I'd suggest reading No-Cry Sleep Solution or No-Cry Nap Solution. A 10 month old should be sleeping at least 2 hours, but up to 3 hours. It could be possible that she is so over tired she won't sleep long.

Also teething and reaching milestones can cause interruptions.

Oh, we do have a semi schedule (it varies up to an hour), he's up around 6, naps about 2 hours after that around 8 for an hour or so. Then stays up until around 12:30 or 1, sleeps for about 1.5 hours. He goes to bed around 6:30. Sometimes if he wakes up too soon, like say 25 minutes or 30 minutes I put him back to sleep because he's clearly still tired.

However I have a 20 minute rule, if he's not almost or fully asleep in 20 minutes I get back up with him because otherwise I get really frustrated and he does too. If he's truly tired, he falls asleep within 20 minutes, I've learned that from experience.

Check out the No Cry Solution books, very helpful!