I have twin girls who are 17 months. For the past week or so they have been getting up around 7am as normal and seem tired around 9:30 so I put them in their cribs and they talk to eachother so after 1/2 hour or so I will get them and they are wide awake ready to go. Then around 10:30 or so they are so tired. Rubbing their eyes and whiny. So I put them down again and they sleep for about 2 hours. I'm assuming they are trying to get down to one nap, but I would love it if they could make it past lunchtime and then take a nap. I've tried to push them through lunch, but it's impossible because they are so tired! Any ideas would be great!!
My soon to be 15 month old has been eating his lunch at 11am for several months now... Try moving lunch up, then giving them a substantial snack when they wake up. Sleeping with full bellies will help them wake up happier and give you the possibility of getting a snack together with their help Instead of the preearly lunch monstrously hungry mouth that my guy was... Eating EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING while I got a late lunch together for him ...
DS is 17 months and down to one nap. He takes it right around 11am if he can, but I try to push him off till about 12/12:30. He usually eats a light lunch around 11 and then eats a 2nd lunch after his 2 hour nap.
It took a few months to get into a routine with the one nap. He now goes to bed easily at night and sleeps well during his naps as well. He used to try to nap again around 4 or 5 and it was hard to keep him up till bedtime so he'd sleep well at night.
My daughter was 17 months when she went to one nap. She has always woken up in the morning between 6:30-7:30 am. I knew she was ready to try 1 nap because 10:30-11 am would pass and she would not sleep when I put her down for a nap. So when we first started 1 nap, we were eating lunch around 11:00-11:30 am and she would be completely out by 12:00 noon and sleep 3 hours or so. Now she is 26 months, goes down from 1:00-1:30 and sleeps 1.5-2 hours. It sounds to me that if they are still acting tired, then keep the nap a little longer.
Hi S.!
With both of my kids, the transition from two naps to one nap took about 2 months. That is a tough time, but like others have said, they will get into a whole new schedule once it is complete, making your life a little easier to plan. I'm just so glad that others have mentioned about merging the morning snack with lunch, and then giving them a huge snack or "second lunch" after they wake up! That is exactly what I have been doing (my 15 month old daughter actually just passed this stage), and I was never sure if it was the "right" thing to do, but it was certainly what worked for us. Just glad to know others have done that too. I'm also glad that my daughter is down to one nap, because you can do more things during the day! (My almost-3-year old son no longer naps. Boo hoo!) Good luck!
Hi S.,
I would move your lunch time up. Try feeding them at 11 and then putting them down for their nap. After they wake up give them a good snack to hold them over until dinner. That's what I have always done with my boys. Good luck.
Chris
Agreed with the others that you need to move up their lunch time and then put them down for a nap. Just merge lunch with your morning snack and make it one big meal. Then do another big snack/meal after their nap. You will be able to move the nap back bit by bit until it's at a solid time. You can push it back in 30 minute increments (as you see they are not as tired). Between 15 and 23 months, my twin boys went from 11:30am to 1:00pm. Now they seem pretty settled at 1:00pm.
With twins you may need to be a little flexible as they transition to 1 nap. They might not be ready at the same time to switch, or 1 can't stay up as late as the other, or 1 might just need 2 naps on a specific day. I found there was a month of transition time before both were settled into 1 nap solidly. Made it hard to get out of the house!
Accept it and enjoy the one nap while you have it (because soon that will be gone to). A child knows when they need to take a nap and there is no use "pushing" them to a different time because all you will get is a very grumpy child.
Take the 2 free hours when you can and relax yourself. Soon you will wish those napping days were still here for even 5 minutes LOL.
when the baby goes from 2 to 1 nap.. it is early..
my duaghters nap time was 9 am and 2 pm.. but when she switched to 1 nap -- the time was 1030-1100 am
now she is 2 1/2 and she can stay up until 1200 or 1230.. the nap just keeps moving later in the day.. until they dont need it anymore..
move lunch up..
My 12m onth old son.. dropped his morning nap at 9 months.. he eats lunch at 1030 and nurses at 1130 and is down for his nap 1130-230... it is a pretty good schedule for us..
we have the morning to run around..
Of course when my son gets up from his nap at 230 he gets a big snack and then dinner at 530..
just make the meals work with the sleep schedule. dont worry the schedule will change ina couple of months..
