My Perfect Sleeper Is Now a Nightmare!

Sounds so familiar! I had the same exact issue around the same age! My advice: keep trying for the same schedule you've been doing. Sometimes they just go through phases of this and then will start sleeping their regular schedule again. You're doing a great job, Mama! Hang in there!

Here's a link:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-chil...

Beyond that, sleep pattern changes DO occur. It is common. Not even adults sleep the same all their lives.

Next, its too much change all at one time.
Your Mom NEEDS to put him to nap. A child/baby this age NEEDS to nap.

He NEEDS consistency AND a regular routine. Your Mom should be duplicating HIS nap/sleep schedule, when she is watching him. Otherwise, a child gets discombobulated... and OUT of his/her routine. As you can tell, now.

PLUS, he is teething. My son, like to chew on ice chips... it soothes the gums plus helps the teeth to break through.
It can take time. Or, try Motrin for babies, or Hyland's Teething tabs.

Know that he is normal... this is growing-pains for a baby/child. Its NOT easy for THEM, either.

A child will go through many sleep pattern changes... because they are changing and developing in MANY ways, all at one time.

BUT, keep his pre-sleep/nap routines THE SAME, everyday. Or, it will jar them.
I would not try to change up his sleep/nap times too much, or everyday, or all the time. This will further tweak him and throw his "normal" sleep/nap patterns off.

Its a phase. It WILL go back to normalcy. I know because I have 2 kids, and this happens. And yes, lack of sleep/naps, makes a child/baby mega fussy.... and moody, and hard to console. OVER-TIRED babies & children, actually have a HARDER time to sleep, AND it causes them to wake more.

Give him at least 1/2 hour to WIND-down first, before actually putting him down. That is what I do with both my kids. Regularly. They NEED time to wind-down first... keep everything quiet and dark, give him his milk, read, anything that is calm. Then, "transition" him to sleep and put him down...
Kids/babies need time to 'transition' from one thing to the next.

ALSO, "over-stimulation" can make it hard for a baby/child to wind-down and then to nap/sleep. Any baby/child, ALSO needs time to just hang out, not constantly "playing" otherwise they get too tired and over-stimulated. My son, after about even 2 hours of 'awake/playing' time, would just get tired and start to want to stop. He needed a breather from all that playing. So, I went according to HIS rhythm. I KNEW his patterns of when he was tired and just needed DOWN-time. All babies/kids need that.

Keep trying, but it has to be consistent, and your Mom NEEDS to put him to nap. Napping/sleep ALSO contributes to brain-development & immune system too. So it IS important.

All the best,
Susan

I read from the sleep experts that most babies are ready to go from 2 naps to only 1 at about 15-18 months of age. My boys were both right around 15 months and it is a difficult transition. With my first baby, we had a similar experience that messed up our perfect schedule right around that age and I could not get him back to the old routine no matter how I tried. Since your son is close to the age of needing only 1 nap, you could try to gradually shift his morning nap to later. Since he is so tired by 9, try to just shift it until 9:15. Then if he can handle that, go another 15 minutes, then another when he adjust to that. My 2nd baby had so much trouble not having that early morning nap - even until he was about 2 years old. Many mornings, it worked out best if I could take a walk or run an errand, then he could have a little cat nap in the stroller or car seat, then that could tide him over to about 11:30 or noon for his one nap. It was a tough transition, but once you get through it, you will be in a great routine again, and you can have your mornings for errands or the park, or whatever! Good luck!

Might be ready for just one nap. My daughter switched over at 14 months...it was a tough week or so, but I tried to keep her busy in the morning and keep her up until 11 or 1130, kind of "splitting the difference" from her previo0us naps. It was hard because her one nap was just the length of ONE of her 2 naps before, but she gradually started sleeping longer in the morning, and now generally takes a longer one nap in the afternoon at 1245 or 1. It's scary to switch over, but I LOVE having time in the morning now with her to play more and not worry about protecting that AM nap! Good luck! Oh, and encourage your mom (I'd say "insist", but it might not go over so well! LOL) to keep whatever routine you set. consistency is sooooo important!!

R.

Hi A. D: Your precious baby might be a completely different baby not because of the lack of sleep but because of those molars coming out! Ouch!!!
Molars are painful when they come out (baby stage) and when they go out (adult stage), more than regular teeth.
Have you tried rubbing his gums with a good teething liquid? Your pediatrician should be able to recommend you one.
Another thing: there is a CD called "Peaceful Music for sleep" (clinically proven musical system) it will even make you fall asleep! However, please first attend to his pain. Teething is a very painful process for babies.

It's amazing how our little one's change with no sleep, huh??!! :( You need to get your baby back to his old routine - to be up from 10:30 to 6:00 is wayyyy to long. It takes babies/children about 3 days to get back to their old schedule. Be VERY consistent and you should see a change after a few days...he may be frustrated and resistful, but just bear it out the next few days (even if it means letting him cry because I am sure he is SO overtired).
Also, I think around this time my son started getting his molars....Tylenol worked best for me. This won't last forever!
Good luck! :)

He might be transitioning to one nap. My daughter started to fight the second nap around that age (the same with many of her friends). For a while (and by for awhile I mean several months) some days were one nap days, some were two. Earlier bedtime for the one nap days was usually needed. You can try pushing the first nap back so he doesn't have such a long stretch to bedtime. Eventually, he will be on one nap and it will likely become a 2 to 3 hour nap after lunch. I think we were down to one consistently by 16 months. Don't worry, it's normal and it will pass.

Hi A., all's you need to do is set a routine for the day, be a little flexable, as tots get older their sleep patterns change especially for nap time, and when someone comes in and does something different that what your child is used to, sometimes confusses them. you need to pick a bed time, a time he's allowed to get up, a nap time and a time he is allowed to get up if you are a SAHM this should be pretty easy, I do it all the time with my daycare kids. Now at 14 months he should only need one nap a day, so you pick the time, and have a routine, story, singing, a little prayer time, maybe let him fall asleep watching a video (last resort) different things work with different families, when my kids were toddlers their nap time routine was a little rocking, then i laid them down and read them a story. At night at your sons age , I was rocking them and singing to them, laid them down daddy read them a story we prayed with them, tucked the boys in their beds turned off the light and turned on their aquarium light, told them good night we love you and we will see you in the morning, oh yeah always hugs and kisses before tucking them in, then we would take our little daughter to her room, hug and kisses turn her night light on, wind up her musical carousel horse, tell her goodnight and we love you and see you in the morning. What ever schdule you decide on you have to be firm with him, you have to consistant, and anyone who is going to be watching needs to be on the same page with you, that's the only way to set your little guy up for success. We never changed our routine with our kids, modified bed times and naps times, as they got older, but every thing we did we did steady, even out of town for weekends, we still did the story, singing, praying, it became what we did. hope that makes sense. Our kids our kids are drown now, what we did and how we did it worked. J. L.

He probably just needs some time to get back to a normal sleep schedule, it can take up to a week or more when they get off their cycle. Its hard but I would do anything to get him to sleep in the afternoon, drive him around, lay down with him, etc. just so he starts to get used to the idea of sleeping in the afternoon again. If/when you are ready to start transitioning him to one nap (I think we did it around 15 months) I would do it by getting OUT of the house in the morning. I found that my little one could stay awake longer and be less of a basket case during that transition time if we were out doing something exciting (park, pool, etc.). The transition to one nap is tough but it sounds like he could be ready. Good luck! I remember that time and it was tough!

Hi A., my daughter is 14 months old too and has a schedule almost exactly like your son's new schedule. (She recently went from 2 naps a day to 1 nap on her own.) BUT, for the past couple of weeks she has been fussy, sensitive, more demanding than usual, crying (more like screaming) for like 30 minutes or so when I try to put her down for bed, etc. and I think it's because of teething. I am hearing from friends that the molars are particularly difficult. That might be what is keeping your son from sleeping in the afternoon! Hang in there, and follow your baby's cues, and this will pass. I am expecting my daughter's routine will be more normal after her teeth come in. Hang in there!!!
-R.

just don't give him orejel (sp) and maybe try taking him out..let him play and at his 2nd nap time have him in the stroller and go for a window shopping walk..he will fall asleep hopefully and that will get him back on track and u can put him down for a nap at his normal time the next day..or try this 2 days in a row..then on the 3rd day..his usual time in his crib..also he might only nap for 30 minutes in the stroller but it will get him back on track and he'll be sleeping w/ his head elevated which will alleviate the pain. You're lucky my son was never easy but i kept on him..and i know how they're cranky if they don't get enough sleep..ugh!
good luck*

I would say consider yourself lucky he took two naps up until recently! My dd dropped her morning nap at 10 months of age and has not taken two naps since. From what I have read this is totally normal. They need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period at this age so your little on sounds like he is right on track. They are just coming into their little personalities and get a little more edgy at this age. He probably is teething and it is making him grumpy. Try teething tablets, cold washcloths, and maybe a vibrating teething ring to see if it helps. Good luck to you.