I am having a problem and hoping to get some advice from my fellow ISYN readers.I nanny for twin girls 3 days a week. They are 11 months old and I've been with them for 4 months now. They take two naps a day-a short one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon. My problem comes with the afternoon naps. They normally went down pretty easily, but lately the two of them have been having issues going down-one more than the other. So here's the issue: one baby-I'll call her Maddie-has been crying and screaming for long periods of time. Maddie will stand in her crib screaming. This is abnormal for her, as she used to babble for a little while and just go to sleep. Now it goes on for long periods of time-30 minutes or more. I have tried different tactics. If I go in and try to calm her down, she just gets more worked up when I leave. I also put her in the swing, which generally will put her to sleep, but the two of them are getting to be too big for it and I don't have alternatives. Also, it just doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to anyways. If I hold her, she thinks it is time to play. I've talked to her parents and it doesn't seem as if she does this with them-only with me. The other baby sometimes has these problems, but mostly it's Maddie.
How do I try and alleviate this problem? Is there some trick anyone has in order to ease nap time? I worry about letting her get overtired and her crying for long periods of time is not good either. Her parents and I do not like to do this. My thought now is that she just wants me-as in she is worried she'll miss something. But how do I work with this? If she doesn't nap, I don't get things done during naps that need to be done. Any suggestions?
My charge was 11 months when I started and he did this too. He would scream for 5-30 minutes every day when I put him down for his naps. He continued to scream/cry at nap almost every day until he was around 20 months, when he suddenly stopped.
ReplyDeleteI might not be much help, though, because my family does the Ferber method, so I'd just leave him for 15 minutes, then go in to make sure he had his lovies and such still, and then leave again for 15 minutes... repeat ad nauseum or until he goes down.
it sounds to me like she's ready to switch to one nap. right between where the other two were. switch both at once, they'll be fine.
ReplyDeleteMaybe try putting her in a different room than her sister? The lack of stimulation might help her get back on track
ReplyDeleteIf she is still going down easily for the first nap, it's likely that she's ready to drop to just one nap...if she's giving you trouble for both, then you might want to create more of a bedtime ritual to let her know naptime is coming.
ReplyDeleteDrop the second nap is right. You cannot force an infant to sleep, especially when they are on their way to toddlerhood.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others about switching to one nap. Discuss w/the parents and maybe get them to move bedtime up a little at first too. They will be a little tired for a week or so, but will adjust.
ReplyDeletemaddie doesn't need that morning nap anymore. Just have her skip that one.
ReplyDeleteWear her out before nap time.
ReplyDeleteMy charge had that problem too and I cut him down to one long nap and I made sure we played hard so that by the time we were done with lunch he was ready for nap time.
I'll have to see what her parents think about this. Maybe we can gradually shorten the morning nap to try and wear down to one during the day.
ReplyDeleteThe parents also tend to give them a short evening nap-20-30 minutes. I'm with them tomorrow, so I will try to shorten the morning nap so she is more tired in the afternoon. The thing is, they both seem to go down easily for the morning nap. We'll have to try. Thanks for your advice!
It does sound to me that she may be ready for one nap... but if you feel like this isn't the case, I would actually recommend putting her down EARLIER.
ReplyDeleteMy little one - albeit a little older - wants to wean herself off naps but is a grouchy cranky grinch when she doesn't get one. I've found that laying her down earlier means she drifts off to sleep quickly, whereas if I wait, she screams, fusses, and sometimes never sleeps at all. It's counterintuitive - you think, "Well, I'll wait til they're REALLY tired!" - but it seems to work.
Does anyone else think its strange that an 11 month old would still go in a baby swing? My charges stopped using them around 4 months. Anyway, I say drop that morning nap and just transition to one long nap. She probably isn't tired because she is sleeping too much in the morning. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI don't count 30 mins as a real nap,thats a cat nap. What you need to do is keep them up pass their morning nap and then put them down early for their afternoon nap. Do it for couple of days until u can gradually change it to noon. At 11 months they definitly shouldn't be taking 3 naps, maybe 2 long naps but not 3
ReplyDeleteBy 11 months my charge was on one nap a day and slept for 3 hours. We also did cry it out and I never caved. He now goes in his crib gives me a kiss and I walk out.
nycnanny-
ReplyDeleteI do think it is strange that they use the swing. With most babies, it's done by 6 months. I only use it as a last resort with them. I get the feeling the parents use it more frequently. In mentioning the napping problems, the mom often asks if I tried the swing.
Honestly, they are pretty small for their age, since they were premature. So I'd say they are about the size of normal 9 month old. They still fit in the swing just fine.
Taleia-I think your advice was spot on. Today I put them down a little earlier than usual. Maddie cried, but only for about 5 minutes, then she lay down and babbled until she fell asleep. All about 10-15 minutes. Much better! Still planning on discussing the switch to one nap with mom boss though.
Op-
ReplyDeleteMy charge loved his swing, he used it until he was one and was to heavy for the motor to swing him. I swear if we still had the swing he would try to get in it (he's 20 months now). I don't see anything wrong with an older infant enjoying the swing, it's fun and relaxing. Damn if I had a swing like that for adults I'd be in it all day :)
Is she getting enough to eat before? I nanny for twin girls also and if they don't eat good they won't sleep. I agree with the others about her wanting to go to one nap. My girls started one nap at 10 months and sleep 2 1/2 to 3 hours. But I would not separate them, they could have more problems if you do. My girls wont sleep without the other in the room.
ReplyDeleteone nap thats what my charge is saying. one long pm nap, after lunch, is all I need. but she started early; she is only 8 months. but we do outdoor activites (classes, fun places); we come home and she has lunch and sleeps between 2 to 3 hours. its workng great.
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree with everyone else. 1 long nap 2-3 hrs, 30 minutes after lunch or so for the both of them is best. I think they are getting too old for 2 naps a day. Speak with the parents though because they may need to adjust bed times.
ReplyDeleteIf your household chores are noisy, putting dishes away, or vacuuming consider asking the parents to purchase a white noise machine. It works wonders! Even a small fan on low, not blowing on the babies can help.
I am not convinced they are ready to shed a nap, but here's how to tell if they are:
ReplyDeleteFigure out now much they are sleeping now with both naps and night sleep combined. make sure they continue to have the chance to get that many hours of sleep a day.
Move AM nap back by 10 - 15 minutes every 3 - 5 days, and let them sleep as long as they wish. Put them down for a PM nap however many hours after they wake as you do now. Assume they will not sleep as long for the PM nap. Ask parents to put them down for the night about 15 minutes earlier.
If they seem to be getting enough rest, keep pushing the AM nap back every 3 - 5 days until they are napping right after lunch, and then eliminate the PM nap and have the parents put them down earlier at night.
If they go on a sleep strike when you start shifting things around, stop making changes, and just leave things as they are for now and then try again in 2 weeks.
As you said above (I think), sleep begets sleep - taking a nap away will just make them cranky right now, so a slow shift is likely best!
Good luck!