Now I've got something new brewing: the possible loss of the second nap. Around seven months, the girls started shirking the third nap, so I began the transition to two naps. Now they are nearly ten months, and it seems they are ready to transition again!
Some days, they won't go down for their morning nap and some days they won't go down for their afternoon nap. It's a rare day lately that I get them to take two solid naps. Usually, I get one good nap and one let's-pretend-it's-a-nap in the car or one good nap and no second nap, making for cranky babies who are ready for bed at 5:30! Then, one of them will wake up in the middle of the night screaming, and it takes me a long time to get her settled again. From all my reading on sleep, I've decided this reverted pattern of nighttime sleep is due to the awkward daytime sleep pattern.
Therefore, I finally have accepted they are probably ready to begin the transition to one nap. I'm not ready for it, but I'm ready for something that will help me get through the entire day with a smile of some sort.
Of course, I will have to slowly push it later and later until I get it to that perfect spot, but I don't even know for what "perfect spot" I am aiming! Bedtime is usually between 6:30 and 7. Is bedtime going to have to move to 6 until I figure this whole thing out? If so, does that mean I have to move the nighttime bottle from 6 to 5:30 or possibly 5:45? Is my brain going to explode because I finally thought I'd figured out a good schedule and now I have to change it again? Didn't some fairy godmother who wrote some fantasy-filled book tell me that this would be easier if I got in a routine?!
Do any seasoned mommies have advice for me? I'm getting as cranky as them by the time 4:30 rolls around. Help!
I liked going to one nap... Cebastian would sleep almost wake up from 2 naps. going to one nap he started sleeping 1-4 hours.. and he still sleeps aobut 2 hours at almost 3.. I hope it goes well for you too..
ReplyDeleteI thought I was going to hate it when the twins dropped down to one nap but I was greeted with a very unexpected sense of relief. I could never relax when I put them down in the morning- similar to your shower dilemma. When they went down to one nap I could actually sink into the sofa and watch a movie, or be brave enough to tackle reorganizing the closet, or whatever needed to be done that I was previously too fearful would still be all over the place when one of them popped up at 10. It was also nice to be able to take them out without the pressure to get them back in time for naps. It was a pretty positive thing for all of us.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, there were days where I was ready to throw in the towel at 10:30 because one of them was miserable- and that's pretty much what I learned to do. I had to read their cues all that more effectively until they settled into the new routine. That first month I often had one kid that needed a catnap around 3.
The boys were pretty old before that happened, though- 15 months at least. One thing you might consider before making any radical changes to your routine are those physical milestones. When the boys learned to pull up we went through this phase when their nap process got really long and LOUD. They goofed off with each other for sometimes 45 minutes before both of them managed to fall asleep. It was kind of cute at first, but I eventually had to learn to leave the monitor off for the first little while after putting them down so I wouldn't get all rustled and frustrated/ convinced that they were never going to sleep. This practically vanished when they start walking. They were just too damn worn out by all of that new "exercise" to bother with anything other than hitting the mat.
Are the girls fairly close to walking?
They are close to walking. Dani stands on her own and cruises a little while Lillie will take steps holding your hand and loves to cruise. I personally think they could be walking before the year is out. I didn't at first, but I've started putting them in their cribs wide awake when I see yawning and eye-rubbing. Sometimes it takes, sometimes they talk for an hour. But at least I got an hour to get some things done! :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard one nap could be good! My two are just now getting down to 2 naps and it's hard lol. Cause like you said it ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours! I never know how long it will be and thought I knew when it would be but they have a mind of their own! Good luck! Hope something works out the best for you. :)
ReplyDeleteHi. I just recently discovered your blog. When I read this entry, I felt like I was reading my own story. This is EXACTLY what I am going through. Except I have been fortunate that my twins have continued to sleep through the night. I have boy/girl twins who will be 10 months old on Sunday. I am anxious to hear more what you decide to do. I am fearing the transition from two naps to one too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteJoyce, per our pediatrcian's advice, we stuck with a two nap schedule. She suggested giving them more playtime to try to tire them out, and it's actually helping. We also permanently moved bedtime to 6:30 which has helped them. STTN. Yesterday, they both took two long naps around the same time!
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