Hello,
My almost 15 month old daughter has never been a great napper (I do have to say she sleeps great most nights) Anyway, we have been transitioning from 2 naps a day to 1 nap and it has been a long (4 months) process. The past week she has acted really tired around 10:30AM, but if I put her down she plays in her crib happily, then comes out acting refreshed-
So then she goes down for a nap around noon- well, she used to sleep then for 30 min to (if I was lucky) an hour, but now she will stand in her crib screaming, then sit down and fall asleep sitting up. After about 10 minutes she startles herself and wakes up- then she screams until she poops.
I know she is too young to be giving up naps completely, and I know she needs a nap b/c she is then overtired and cranky all afternoon early evening.
Any advice would be appreciated-
Thanks,
S.
She is not to young to give up naps completely. Mine gave up naps at 18 months so that she would sleep at night. Each child is different.
Try putting her in front of a good 30 minute DVD at nap time just to give her and you some quiet time.
If she's getting refreshed at 10:30 in the crib, keep that up but push back her nap to 1-2. She probably is having enough "down time" on her own but just needs more play and eat time before heading back down for a nap.
If that still doesn't work - skip the 10:30 time all together and go right for the noon (or later) nap. I know our daughter needed a later naptime (suggested by another mom going through the same situation). In a few months to a year, you might need to push it back another 30-60 minutes.
Good luck! I totally feel your pain. Our little girl was down to 1 nap a month or two before her FIRST birthday and hasn't slept daily since just before 2. Now she's 3 and RARELY falls asleep. But, she still has "quiet time" in her room for 1-2 hours which makes a big difference. :-)
Hi S.,
From what you've said perhaps she is doing her pooping during that time that she is kind of sleepy? Kids that age are just starting to be aware of things like "pooping" and if you notice, maybe she just needs some quiet time while she gets that taken care of. I would suggest perhaps upping her juice/water intake..(something just in case she is constipated, and that's why she is screaming, as its hard to go.) Perhaps the feeling startles her..or perhaps her tummy cramps a little. Either way, my guess this is bowel related and its probably pretty easy to fix with some extra water and maybe some fresh fruits..bananas, apple sauce or even a couple of dried plums a day might help (start with one only as that can be kind of volitile if they aren't used to it).
Good luck
H.
My son went to one nap a day at this point and then no nap at all just after 2. Some kids don't need as much sleep, so I would let your daughter be the guide, not a chart. I knew that my son was done napping at age 2 because he'd be up until midnight if he slept at all during the day. I think that you should hold out her morning nap till noon or so and see how that goes. It'll take a couple days to adjust to the new schedule, but then it should be easier. Good luck!
Hi S.,
Why are you going to one nap a day? It sounds like she might still need 2 naps? I have a 13 month old and she naps 2 times a day consistently I could not reduce it to one nap not at this age. I think until 18 mos it's pretty normal.
Our routine is up at 730am and she goes down for her morning nap at 10am and I usually get an hour to two hours, then again at 3pm same thing. There have been many times where she is happily playing in her crib for up to 45 mins, as long as she is happy I leave her in there for her rest and alone time that they all need and she always falls asleep. Try leaving her in there longer when she is playing I bet she will get tired and fall asleep. Try the 2 naps it just might work a little better she may be trying to tell you that??? Good luck!
I would completely skip that first rest time and if that doesn't work, maybe even wake her up 30 minutes earlier in the morning so she will be more tired. She ought to be getting at least 12 hours of sleep total.
When is her bedtime? You may need, to move her bedtime to sooner. Our 16 month old goes to bed at 730pm and then has a nap at noon and sleeps for 1-2 hours..
She may be over tired if her bedtime is too late..
I can relate. My oldest was cat-napper. 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there. I would get her down and get undressed for a shower and before I could get a toe in the water she was awake and ready to play. She gave up naps all together just before she turned two.
Every child is different and every child, person, requires different amounts of sleep to function and be happy. When my daughter gave up her naps we institued quiet time. My husband worked at night and I worked during the day so he really needed the nap. He would put her in her room for quiet time and she would play, usually around an hour. But given that your daughter is younger you may want to start with a shorter amount of time. Sometimes she would fall asleep in the middle of her floor, other times she would play and "read" her books. It worked great. She got some down-time and once in awhile a nap, and my husband got a little nap in so everyone was happier in the afternoon.
Good Luck.
S.- I started nannying a little girl when she turned 1. She was sleeping whenever she wanted and I asked her mama if I could put her on a schedule. Of course!!
She started taking a nap at 1:30. Sometimes it was a little work to keep her happy and up until then, but when she napped she would sleep for 2-3 hours, wake up super happy, and then go to bed about 8:30. Her mama loved it!!
So, I am on the opposite page as the poster below. She sounds like she is done with the two naps (since she doesn't sleep at 10:30 when you put her down) and just needs one.
Good Luck! L.
