So, today marks the first day of our nap transition. From what I have heard from other moms and from what the Dr. has told me, there are three basic approaches: shorten the morning nap until it disappears, push both naps back until the second nap disappears, or go cold turkey and utilize lots of snacks and Backyardigans episodes. I didn't truly have a preference for one method or another so I'm going with option 2, push both back, because we have our first EI playgroup today at 1pm and I don't want to miss it.
We got up at the normal time this morning, 630am. Usually we play in the living room for a bit after breakfast, then play in the playroom until about 9 and then go to their bedroom to get dressed, read books and get ready for nap. This morning, I was able to keep them in the playroom until 940 with the help of animal crackers, Tyrone, Pablo and Tasha. Once we were in their room, they got a short second wind and went down for their nap at 10:12am. I'm writing this as they sleep so we'll see how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed!
I have no idea how long this should take - a week? 2? a month? I'm hoping it will happen quickly because I have this membership to the Children's Museum and I would really like to use it. But with two naps to get home for, its just been too hard squeezing it in. Plus, I hate being in limbo (who likes it though, right?) so I am already anxious to get used to a new schedule and plan our days accordingly.
Thoughts? Advice?
I think that it will depend a lot on how they take to it. Your kids are and have been really good sleepers and nappers. My older one was like that and her 2-1 transition was hard and long. Like 6-8 weeks long. That said, she naps for long periods of time even now at 2.5. My boys are not good nappers and never have been. Their 2-1 transition took about a week. They are "down for nap" for two hours but not always sleeping. Soldier on and good luck!
ReplyDeletefrom my totally unprofessional standpoint, i LOVE only 1 nap a day b/c it means more baby time when i'm home!!! :):)
ReplyDeleteAnother tip is that during this transition, plan a long-ish car trip (such as to the children's museum!) during the nap time you want to disappear. That way, they'll still get in a short nap. I guess this depends on how your kids do if you wake them. If they act crazy-grouchy, perhaps not a good idea!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good luck :)
We did it kind of quickly...about a week. If you can have a couple of busy mornings lined up....you can push that one big nap till at least 11:30. But be warned...if you have a long boring drive home, or you stay out too long, they will fall asleep in the car ride home and then your "big" nap IS ruined! I have almost gotten in a few accidents trying to keep my guys awake....not good!
ReplyDeleteone nap. i only want one nap if it is at least five hours long. then again, my girls have never napped longer than ten minutes.
ReplyDeletegood luck, my friend.
You're a brave, brave woman- go you! My girls pretty much didn't nap until they were a year old, then they were professional nappers- 2 hardcore naps a day until 20 months. Good times.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you - I transitioned my girls to one nap a day around 13 months, too. They kind of seemed ready and the two nap a day thing was really cramping my style.
ReplyDeleteEveryone told me to eliminate the a.m. nap first, but that just didn't work for us. They were always ready to nap at 10 AM and got super cranky if I tried to force them to stay awake. So, I instead eliminated the p.m. nap and that worked like a charm. They now get up at 7:30 or 8, go down for a nap at 10 and get up between noon and 1 pm. We moved bedtime up a half an hour or so, too. They seem pretty well rested with that schedule - rarely fall asleep in the car, don't get super fussy before bedtime, etc. And, we actually can do stuff in the afternoon - YAY!
Good luck - hope you find what works for you soon.
We transitioned to one nap about a month ago. Well, mostly. My girl still wants a morning nap sometimes, and there is nothing you can do to keep her from it. She will go find a quiet spot and lay down on the floor.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the change.
Good luck with the transition. Our transition from 2 to 1 was seamless, but they took 2 naps until almost 20 months. I definitely know what you mean though about having the playmates transition before you. I was really hoping my guys would transition sooner than they did because it was a lonely time when we were still on two and everyone else had gone to one. But we were able to join in again once they finally did transition, so all's well that ends well.
ReplyDelete