Anyone's DC taking forever to fall asleep?

[Java]

Is it an age thing? A developement thing? What??

Kael used to be such a great sleeper. Well, actually, he still is. Sleeps through no problem. Wakes up in the middle of the night and will put himself back to sleep. Wakes up in the morning and will quietly play by himself until I get him.

I read him a few books, kiss him good night/good nap, lay him down and walk out. Falls asleep. No problem, right?

Well, lately (we're talking about 2 months now) he started taking a longer time to fall asleep. First it was 10 minutes, then 20, then 30 and now it can be anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes before he falls asleep. He doesn't cry or try to climb out - he just plays, sings, talks, once in a while calls for me (but not really expecting me to come as he's doing this on his back with his feet on the rails). On Monday he took 2 hours and 20 minutes before falling asleep and the kid was tired to begin with!

He's getting less and less sleep and I can tell it's taking a toll. But I don't know what to do. I put him down earlier and he still takes forever to fall asleep. I do it later and no difference. He ends up taking a later nap, pushing bedtime later BUT he still wakes up at the same time in the morning (7-7:30am). His naps now are getting shorter too (used to be 2 hours, now it's between 60 and 80 minutes).

Please don't tell me he's ready to drop naps altogether! PLEASE DON'T TELL ME THAT!

[COElizabeth]

Well, I won't tell you that it's time to give up the nap, but I can tell you that James was exactly the same way until he did stop napping. He now falls asleep within a few minutes, usually, but he used to take an hour or two on a regular basis. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It sounds like Kael is moving toward not needing a nap, but it could still be many months before he actually stops falling asleep in the afternoon.

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
and Charlotte, 11-04-04

[fate]

Had to respond bc I am in a similar sitiation. Naps started to get bad (refused to stay in crib)in October and then I got a crib tent. Best thing ever for us! Now we are back to our 3+ hour naps. But lately DS has been talking, playing happily until he falls asleep and yes the other day he was awake for 2 hours and then fell asleep for 3. Lucky me since I am due and day and need a good nap myself. Naps have now been pushed later (actual sleeping time about 2-5 pm). So his bedtime is about 8 or later (he happily plays at night so I can hardly justify an earlier bedtime. He sleeps till about 7:30am and then will be content for awhile until I go and get him. So strange about the long time getting to sleep, I have been wondering about it myself... Good luck!

[hez]

Welcome to my world! Payton took 3 hour naps last week while we were home, and bedtime took forever it felt like. This week he's back at the sitter's (and back to 1 1/2 hour naps) and still taking forever to go to sleep at night. He's getting good at coming up with excuses for us to come back in (Needa kiss, Mommy. Needa hug, Daddy. Need lotsa hugs, Mommy.). The kid is getting to be king of the procrastinators!

I'm wondering if we're not (finally) cutting the 2 year molars here. Or just going through another phase? If it keeps up next week, we might have to figure out a way to make an intervention, as it's getting to be a tough way to live (I feel your pain!)!

[Rachels]

We had exactly the same situation. For a long time, Abigail clearly needed her nap and slept worse at night if she didn't have it, but she had a really tough time falling asleep. Bedtime was a nightmare for a few months. The solution was giving up her naps, but it was a few months before she was ready to do that (in the sense that it improved rather than interrupted her nighttime sleep).

The transition to no nap was hardest on me! She did just fine. I was pregnant and exhausted, and desperately missed that down time in my day. But now it's kind of liberating. I can schedule stuff for her at any time, and she's busy and happy all day and then sleeps great at night. Her bedtime is earlier now, too.

-Rachel
Mama to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

and Ethan James
10/19/05
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/bf.jpg


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya

[lablover]

We are in the same boat here...DS is staying awake anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours after we put him in bed at night (around 8). This has been going on for a few weeks. Initially he screams and cries and then he talks happily for the rest of the time. I've tried adjusting all times too. Naptime isn't going smoothly either as he will take an hour or so to fall asleep. My plan is to continue to put him in his crib for at least an hour and if he just plays that's fine. But currently he is eventually falling asleep (sometimes not until 3:00). So then he is sleeping soundly at 4:30 but I've been waking him up for fear he'll be up until 1AM if I don't. He's been sleeping in an hour or so later in the morning too but my big issue is that I have to be out the door by 7:15 three morning a week to get to work. I've been off for the holidays so it hasn't been an issue but this week I've had to wake him up both times and he's so not ready to get up. I'm glad to hear others are having this problem - it must be an age thing. I'm so not ready to drop the naps either - I was hoping to get to at least 3! BTW, his 2 year molars came in a couple of months ago so I know it's not that for him.

[proggoddess]

We put DD to sleep around 8:30pm. By then, she's acting punch drunk and running into walls, so we know she's sleepy. But, same as you, she'll just lay in her crib until 9:30 chattering to herself.

She takes a 1.5 or 2 hour nap at noon, so I don't think that's causing the problem. (But if she takes a 3 hour nap, she definitely has trouble falling asleep at night. At those times though, she's mad that she's in her crib and will cry, so we take her out.)

I think babies need the down time/alone time. She seems to practice the new words she's learned that day, putting together with other words into two-word sentences. She also seems to run through her day like she's tape recorded all her experiences and is playing them back.

Our view is: if she's not crying, she's fine. :) She's quite happy during the day and we rarely have tantrums/discipline issues. So I think she needs her sleep and her nap.