Adjusting after dropping to one sleep

[Sterla]

DS seems to have dropped to one sleep. He was having 2 x 1.5 hours a day, but now he's only have 1 sleep 1.5 hours. Trouble is, he is wanting to go down for his sleep quite early - around 10am, which means he is awake by 11.30am! This means he is awake for a looooonnnnggg time before going to bed of a night. I have tried and tried to get him down for a second sleep, but he just won't go down. If I tried any later (so he was more tired), it would be around 4.30-5pm which is just too late.
I'm fine with him dropping to one sleep, but it would be a lot better if he would sleep for longer. 1.5 hours doesn't seem to be long enough (after going from 3 hours a day to 1.5 hours), cause he is so tired and grumpy by the end of the day.
Will he adjust and start sleeping longer? If I try keeping him up longer in the morning, is that likely to make a difference? It didn't today .

[sneakysparkle]

Its hard isn't it!
DD#1 dropped to one sleep when she turned one - and it took a little while to transition.
I made sure she ate lunch first (at about 10:30/11am) then straight down for a sleep. She did eventually sleep for about 2-3hrs, but it all took time. I found that it helped if I had a lie down with her- she always slept the best when I did too!
Also, just try to gradually keep him up longer in the morning so he's waking up more around 1:30/2pm - but that may take a couple of weeks
All the best!!

[~Kim~]

When Nate decided he was only doing one, I kept him up an extra 15minutes every couple of days. Now he goes down at 11.30 and sleeps until 1.
He is going to bed heaps earlier though. He is in bed by 6. Today he was extra tired and went at 5.30.

[Sterla]

Thanks for your replies - it's really tricky adjusting to one sleep for DS and for me!
He used to be up for 3-3.5 hours before he'd want a sleep. Now though, it's still like that in the morning, but in the afternoon he's happy to stay up for 5 hours or so - which is why timing his sleep is so difficult. He's now in bed by 6.30pm most nights though which is actually quite nice though .

It happened so suddenly that he dropped to one sleep - I wasn't ready for it, lol!

[Olive]

i have a thread somewhere..... we just started the dropping of one sleep this week too.. you sure our kids arnt twins at the moment shes gone from needing a sleep after being up for 3 hours to 5 hours not sure how that happened but shes been going down around 11.30 and sleeping between 1.5-2 hours, just praying like mad it stays that way, no realu help just a hug

[Sterla]

Olive: Your DD and my DS do seem to have a lot of similarities don't they!?

Well, DS is continuing his new pattern. Tried getting him to sleep this morning when he's been awake for 3 hours, but wasn't interested in going to sleep. So, now I'm just going to wait till he seems really obviously tired. I think the new sleep pattern works well, I just wish the 6.30pm bedtime wasn't paired with waking up for the day at 6am *yawn*

[Heaven]

Is he sleeping any better at night with the one sleep Sterla??

DD is transitioning too, I'm hoping it means better nights, but probably not knowing her, lol.

[Olive]

heaven the first day DD dropped to one sleep she slept better, waking once, unfortunatly it hasnt continued..... just yet anyway! still hoping!!

[Sterla]

DS has started sleeping better recently anyway - even before he dropped to one sleep. Half the time he only wakes up once, the other half he wake around 3 times. The main thing with dropping one sleep is that it means he's in bed for around 12 hours a night now, instead of 10-11 like he used to, cause he's going down earlier.

[Beautitude]

I think you have another twin in my ds! He is exactly the same, he prob dropped to 1 day sleep at 11 months old and ever since then he goes down for a sleep 2 to 2.5 hours after he wakes up for the day and then sleeps for 1.5 to 2 hours and then keeps going and going till bed time. I just cannot stretch him out any further than that. If i try he only sleeps for 45 minutes then i have to try and get him to have another sleep which is a mission. Ds was also going to bed for the night at 6ish but he got to the stage where he was getting up for the day at 5:30 so we stretching his bedtime out to 7. It wasn't easy, had to use alot of distraction and wiggles but he is now happy to stay up to 7 most nights. His sleep works quite well for us now, i know that we need to spend the morning at home and if i want to make plans i always make them for after lunch as i know that he would have had his sleeps all over and done with. Although most of the toddler activites at the library etc are in the morning when he is asleep so we cant go to alot anymore.

[Sterla]

DS has been asleep for 1 hour 45 mins now! Maybe, just maybe he'll stretch it out to 2 or 2.5 hours... that would work much better .

[Olive]

your having better luck than me! DD only did an hour today its getting shorter, im trying to resettle but she hates being resettled

[Heaven]

DS has started sleeping better recently anyway - even before he dropped to one sleep. Half the time he only wakes up once, the other half he wake around 3 times. The main thing with dropping one sleep is that it means he's in bed for around 12 hours a night now, instead of 10-11 like he used to, cause he's going down earlier.

OMG really? So there's hope for me? DD is a lot like your DS wrt sleep. Maybe she will magically get better soon! Waking once would be a dream, LOL.

[Gabrielle&Emersyn]

I tried and tried to keep Gaby on two sleeps a day, as long as I could - but in the end she made it clear that she was only going to have one... I ended up letting her lead the way, I let her have her nap when she wanted it, and didn't try to force her to stay in bed.. as tempting as it was, lol. The good thing I found was if she had her nap early, she'd generally go to sleep earlier at night - and ended up increasing her sleep time at night... some nights she'd have 14 hours... it was bliss

[Sterla]

OMG really? So there's hope for me? DD is a lot like your DS wrt sleep. Maybe she will magically get better soon! Waking once would be a dream, LOL.

Yes, I'm sure there is hope for all of us! I didn't change a thing - DS just suddenly started sleeping better. It's been quite gradual, but we're definitely heading in the right direction.

DS ended up sleeping for 2 hours 20 minutes! Perfect .

[Sterla]

2 weeks on, and DS is still sticking to his one sleep of 1.5 hours. It just doesn't seem like enough sleep for someone so little! He is coping okay though - he doesn't tend to get super-cranky when he's tired anyway, just really glassy-eyed. I'm hoping he does extend it out to 2-3 hours, but no luck as of yet.

[Heaven]

Sounds like he's got it all figured out. How come they are so much wiser than us?? LOL.
DD is still transitioning. Sometimes one, sometimes two. But guess what!! I've been meaning to tell you! You know how you were saying DS had started sleeping better! DD is too!! Not sleeping through or anything but so much better for her!! We have had a lot of 5 hr stretches lately!! Usually it's 3hrs max!

[Olive]

DD on average has 1hr 15 mins, but sunday it was 2.5hr but yesterday was only 30 mins it varies greatly!
DD is also sleeping better but im also night weaning