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Transitioning from Two Naps to One

Posted February 28, 2009

Between 15-18 months of age most children begin to be able to do OK with just one nap a day.  Often this doesn't happen smoothly, however.  Typically it is a bit rocky with there being 2-3 days in a row when he/she does fine with one mid-day nap but by the 4th day he/she falls apart in ways that tell you more sleep is needed for a few days!  There will be days you'll feel you might never figure this out!

A pretty sure sign of a transition in progress will come when your child plays through the morning nap.  Or if, over several weeks, he/she can't get to sleep for the afternoon nap as a result of having had a good, long morning nap.  Try to keep to the normal routine for 2-3 weeks in spite of these possible signs, however, just to be sure the wakefulness isn't a passing stage of new development.

When you are sure, you can initially attempt to put off the morning nap until around 11 AM. I suggest leaving your child for 3 hours at this point, since this is the only sleep or rest he/she will have today.  If that goes well, in a few days you can start the nap at 11:30 and eventually have it be from noon to 3 PM. 

Down the road, when you child is 20 months or so, you can aim for 12:30 or 1 PM for the nap.  And 2.5 to 3 hours in the crib does very well for children.

Long after I knew my daughters didn't need to sleep in the mornings any more, I continued make them have 45 minutes or an hour of  "reading time" in the crib every morning with playful music on.  This little break seemed to help all of us make it through the morning more gracefully, while I excitedly anticipated a 3-hour break every afternoon!

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Developmental Changes and Good Sleep

Posted January 10, 2009

Dear Kitty,

We did the sleep training with our now 21 month old at around 11 months. He has occasionally relapsed slightly from his good sleeping (after being away from home, or after being sick), but this time it has seemingly lasted longer. The issue isn't as much when he goes to sleep (although there are times he won't calm after quite some time), but more with night wakings. What used to be a 5min fussing and back to sleep has become a 45+ minute bawl session. We have therefore, resorted back to going in, rocking him (sometimes completely back to sleep) and laying him in his crib. Last night I went in after 15 minutes or so of screaming, calmed him down (without picking him up) and then told him to lay down in a firm but gentle voice. When he finally did, I rubbed his back a couple times then left the room. He of course began to cry, but within 10 minutes or so was sleeping. He later woke at 6:30ish and went back on his own in his regular manner and again at 8am. Are we doing the right thing? Should be simply not go in at all no matter what? Could be be experiencing nightmares at this age?
 
Rather than nightmares I am quite sure he is "suffering" from new brain development.  It could be in any area - physical, emotional, verbal, etc.  Other than travel or sickness, this is the most common reason for previously good sleep patterns to go off the tracks.  It usually starts small, parents respond a bit, child learns there is something to work for and -as in your case - parents try to figure out what is wrong, end up helping and a new pattern is launched.   And because he is bigger, stronger and smarter- the crying is louder and can last longer and sound more demanding.

So it is important that you now choose when night #1 will be and sleep train as carefully and completely as you did when he was 11 months. My guess is it will still only take 3 nights once he is getting a clear, consistent message from you.

So at 21 months, he should (ideally) be in bed for no less than 12 hours each night and go into bed fully awake, with no help to fall asleep.  Resist responding at all overnight.  His nap should be from approximately 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM.  No help to fall asleep and if he wakes up early he still doesn't come out until 3 PM.

Good luck getting your good sleeper back!

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Naps for a 3 Month Old

Posted November 20, 2008

Dear Kitty,

Regarding my now 3 month old boy and his sleep habits He now sleep thru the night from 7pm to 6am. He usually wakes around 4 am and fusses for a short time then goes back to sleep. I've been putting him down for his first nap around 7:15am and leaving him for 1.5 hours. He has been sleeping for 45 minutes then waking and crying for the remainder. Because I have a 2.5 year old we have activites and outings scheduled so Evan gets his 2nd nap in his carseat where he sleeps for 1 - 2.5 hours long, most of the time in motion - his best nap. His 3rd nap he has been sleeping for 45 and crying for the remainder.

Do you suggest I start his 1.5 - 2 hour awake time when I get him out of bed or when he is tired? If he is crying for a large portion of his nap time he is tired soon after waking. How long does this process usually take? Are we talking months? I guess it is common to be dealing with an overtired baby all the time while his napping is getting sorted out, is that correct? And yes, I am again looking for some supportive words and wisdom. Any other thoughts you have would be appreciated as well. Thanks so much.

The fact that he sleeps for up to 2.5 hours during the "in motion" nap shows us how long his naps really should be for him to wake up refreshed.  My concern is that the addictive quality of the "motion" nap is interfering with his ability to develop  his skills of sleeping that well without motion.  It's almost as if you are rocking him to sleep for one nap and rocking him for the whole nap, and then NOT rocking for the other two naps.  Naturally, we would expect him to prefer to be rocked for every nap.

This is every parent's dilemma -- how to develop strong sleep skills while at the same time, lead a fairly active life.  It was a lot easier before life got so busy and there were so many tempting places to take a two-year old.

Really, the only truthful advice I can give is to stay home for 5 straight days, having him nap each time in his crib for over 2 hours, whether he is crying or not.  Then, after he has reestablished or established his ability to put himself to sleep and stay asleep for a full nap every day, you could begin to experiment with a day or so a week when he has a car nap and hope that doesn't disturb anything.

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