Where is my sleeper?!?

[C99]

I am going to pull my hair out. My toddler used to sleep from 7:30 p.m. to 8 a.m., with a 2.5 to 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. This was just a month ago. Lately, it's been 7:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. with a 20-minute to 1-hour nap in the middle. And then he wakes up and is AWFUL the rest of the day. He just took a 20-minute nap and is happily babbling up there. I can't handle a 20-minute nap! Where did my super long napper go? How can I improve his nap quality?!? ARGHHHH. Help! He can't be outgrowing the nap already, can he? He's only 23 months!! There's no way in heck that he doesn't need a nap!! *I* need a nap!!

[psophia17]

Is there any possibility that he's got some more teeth coming in?

I haven't hit this stage yet, but the only time that DS doesn't nap well it's when he's got teeth en route. He's in a pretty foul mood then both from the teething and from being over-tired.

[amp]

While we haven't been having problems, today I can relate. Jake napped for less than an hour and wouldn't go back to sleep. It is very evident at this point that he *needed* to sleep a bit longer. We are both exhausted. Hang in there! And I hope Nate reverts back to his previous sleeping habits or that you get some great advice.

[LucyG]

DD does this periodically, and each time, I fear that naps are over. But, I have so far been able to wait her out, and she goes back to good naps (2 hours for her is a good nap.). Maybe try keeping him up longer before the nap? Run him around the mall or house in the a.m. to tire him out? Those things have helped us when she gets on a short nap kick. Good luck. It's no fun!

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
21 months and counting!

[lizajane]

OHMIGAW!!!!!!!!! you have my child at your house!!!!!!!!!!

it is TOTALLY a conspiracy against pregnant moms of toddlers. i SWEAR. schuyler slept 7pm to 8am and a 2.5 hour nap (average, sometimes more, very occasionally only 2 hours) and NOW he sleeps either 7pm to 6am or more recently, 8pm to 7am and a PERFECT day he has a 1 hour 15 min nap. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR ME TO REST!!! i am way to pregnant for this new schedule.

sigh. sorry. just wanted to commiserate.

[Momof3Labs]

LOL, go read my post on the Toddler Lounge from early September. We went through the same thing, but it resolved. Colin doesn't sleep till 8am, but never did. But he does take a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon, better than he used to!

[houseof3boys]

Ha! This must be a conspiracy for the preggers. Ryan has been giving me at most an hour these days. Not nearly long enough for my own afternoon nap that I *need* since I am still an insomniac. :)

I hope it gets better for all of us.

[barbarhow]

Another preggo with the same problem. I agree-it's a conspiracy. I used to be able to get a nap in and some quick house stuff during his nap-no way now. He isn't even good about going to sleep at night anymore. It is a major battle to get him down. More books, more books, more books. Refusing his milk because he sees it as the beginning of the "end". Ggrrrrrrr. I think we should get together and throw them all in a padded room and let them entertain themselves for 3 hours everyday while we snooze, sip hot chocolate and have foot massages. Ahhhhh-the fantasy.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
expecting #2, a Yankee fan, around 5/9/05!

[alkagift]

Oh, heck, now I have something new to look forward to! ;-) I will say that if this were happening to me I would probably put DS down earlier to compensate. The "sleep begets sleep" theory has always held true for me, in that when Matthew wasn't sleeping as much as he needed at night, his naps got shorter which exacerbated his sleepiness which made him sleep less well at night again, etc. Ugggglllyyy circle. So perhaps if you put him down an hour early for a while the naps would get better and you could then slowly push his going to bed time back to 7:30?


Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[lizamann]

Sorry you're having a tough time, Caroline. But I have to say that I am jealous of your "bad" sleeper now. Nora is WAY worse than Nate on a bad day. On a good night she'll sleep from 8 till 6, but get up once or twice. And every nap (only an hour each day) has to still be on me, in the car, or in a stroller or carrier. If Nate's happily babbling, can't you leave him in his crib? I wouldn't know, since Nora has never, not once, woken up happily. At least she is good and happy when she's awake, thank goodness!

Hopefully he's just going through a spell and will return to his normal self soon!