Anyone Else Have Very Whiny, Clingy Toddlers Come Late Afternoon?

We just went through this - transitioning our 1 yr old to 1 nap because daycare was on that schedule. I don't know if he was ready or not, but after a couple weeks he now sleeps from around 12:00 to 2:30.

During the period you're talking about, I kept trying to push the morning nap later and later, but there was a time when he'd go down at 10:30 or 11, and only sleep 1 hr and 15 minutes. So by 3:30 he was tired, and he'd never make dinner. For that week, I made sure sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 that he was either in the stroller or the car seat, where he usually always falls asleep. Then I just made sure I limited the nap to 30 minutes.

So then he'd make it to dinner, and his bedtime stayed at 7:30.

Hang in there! It does get better - but it took us about 2 weeks.

I'd try pushing the 10 a.m. nap closer to 12:00. Then she might get a better schedule for you. I remember trying to keep them busy in the a.m., then getting home or settling down around 11, and down for nap at noon when we made the transition to one nap a day.

Your little one will still be tired at dinner time (even with a longer p.m. nap). I used to feed them dinner while I made dinner for my husband and I, that made them happier than standing at my feet while I tried to cook.

I'd still sit them down with us for dinner time, and fed them a bit more at that time. That way they were still getting the dinner experience, but were not starving and fussy.

Good luck! You are doing fine. It's hard when they can't talk yet. And, as you said, this too shall pass.

Jessica
SAHM to Charlie (5) Joey (3 1/2) and Rebecca (1 1/2).

By the time she is showing tired signs, at 3:00pm... she is ALREADY over-tired. Over tired babies/kids have a harder time, falling asleep or staying asleep or sleeping well.

She definitely needs 2 naps. She is overtired by afternoon.

try putting her down earlier than 3:00 for the 2nd nap. By then it is too late.

And YES... tired babies get fussy and whiny... and more clingy.
She is over-tired and trying to self-soothe.... its normal. She is tired.
Even older kids do that when tired or over-tired.

My son, at that age, was taking 3 naps a day.
At 2 years old he was taking 2 naps a day.
At 3 years old he was taking 1 nap a day.
Now at 4 years old, he still takes 1 nap a day in the afternoon.
He gets tired. I know him. He cannot last all day until bedtime without a nap.
I go by his cues. I know him.
We have a daily routine for naps. He knows it. Even when he is tired he will tell me and start the nap routine too and call me.

This is normal, your baby.

Also, nurse before nap/sleep. The routine you have.

all the best,
Susan

I haven't read your other posts but I have been thru something quite similar and I can tell you two things.
#1 You are correct to NEVER wake a sleeping baby/toddler. If you wake her in the middle of a sleep cycle you should expect some of the worst hair trigger melt downs you have ever seen. And it wouldn't be her fault. Kids just can't handle that so waking her up from a nap to make sure she doesn't sleep too late is NOT an option. Believe me, I KNOW.
#2 My daughter needed that extra nap for a while, too and even though she spent many a time talking, singing, jumping, whining through it, if I kept to my guns and left her in there for the allotted time everyday, she eventually gave in and just went to sleep. Sometimes it would be like this for 2 weeks but I let her know this was rest time and she was gonna be in there regardless. Eventually, she started napping again. Maybe it's just a strong will thing.
Good luck and blessings!

Try laying her down at noon instead of 10. That is a hard trasition for their little bodies to handle. One thing that always calmed my daughter down was to turn on Barney or an baby genius video and set her in her toddler chair with a snack and some juice.

Of course this bothers you! What mom, even a supermom, relishes the idea of having a child clinging to them all afternoon? I know exactly what you are talking about and don't feel badly about being bothered or feeling impatient-- it's human and you are being stretched.

It sounds like your little one is tired too. I agree with Susan, start the nap earlier. Two is fine. I nannied little ones for years and discovered that when I was more receptive to getting them a bit before they were overtired naps often went better because the child themselves has to participate in the routine of going to sleep, even if it 'just' means getting to sleep. (I know it might not look as if she's overtired, but overtired can also look like 'excited' and 'active' even 5 minutes before they crash/meltdown....we know it because of the signals you've described-the "babbling/fussing/crying/babbling, etc etc"... that occur. If she wasn't overtired, she wouldn't get so upset; she'd just be happily playing.)

One thing to try would be to shorten the morning nap to one hour, or try that routine earlier. Optimally, though, you want her to be rested enough to be awake later, so that she sleeps later. If it were me, I'd start troubleshooting by leaving the morning nap as-is and introducing the second naptime at 2 or 2:15. Especially if children are in a growing phase, they need lots of sleep. If that didn't work after a week, I'd try shortening the morning nap and keep the 2ish afternoon nap. You could even shorten the morning nap by an hour just to try things out, and see what happens--fine tune it from there.

It sounds like you are very connected with your little girl. Keep working with her and as Lisa mentioned, this is a challenging time in general, so don't get too discouraged with yourself. It's a dance--this rhythm between ourselves and our kids, and they are at best 'grossly' communicative. Best wishes!

I also suggest that she overly tired by 3. I would try laying her down for her morning nap a bit earlier. You don't say what time she wakes up in the morning. It seems most 1 yo's wake up around 6 or 7 and are able to take a nap around 9 if they're awake around 6. Or continue with the 10 or 10:30 nap and wake her up after an hour or so. Have lunch and then put her down again around 2. I'd work back into a 7 or 7:30 bedtime.

It will take time for her to get accustomed to a different schedule but if you're able to be consistent with the times she will adjust and you'll have a happier baby.

At 1 she still needs at least 2 naps. When you put her down for the morning nap, she may not seem to need it and she may just play and babble but let her rest in her crib. If she goes to sleep try out not letting her sleep for more than an hour or an hour and a half. Then put her down for an afternoon nap before she's showing signs of being tired.

the transition from 2 naps to 1 is challenging.. she is probably not ready.

you cant changle her sleep schedule drastically.as her body is tired when it is tired.. but you can try to wake her up a bit early from her morning nap.. maybe giver her a 1 hour nap.. in the am so she will take a nap in the afternoon. that might help her mood in the afternoon.

I knew my daughter was ready to give up her morning nap when she refused the afternoon nap.

when my babies were all 1 year old we still had 2 naps. they got up about 6ish back to bed about 9 slept till about 10:30 or 11. back up till about 1 and then down for a longer afternoon nap. then down for the night around 830 or 9. she needs 2 naps. you need to change her schedule in 15 minute increments. start getting her up in the morning by 8 if she isn't up yet. (I know that goes against the grain lol) but it will get her clock on a better schedule. get her up feed her play and do your morning stuff put her down around 10 for a nap. then again for a nap around 1:30 or 2. but get her up by 3 so she is awake and playing and gets tired out for bedtime. put her down a little later. her schedule will even out but don't deal with the whiney clinging stuff. it just makes all of you nuts. her included.

We're going through something similar. Our 16 month old son seems like he is ready for 1 nap somedays, and other days he needs 2. I would continue doing what you are doing. Our son goes to sleep at 6 or 6:30 everynight too.

I think at 1, she still needs two naps.
We used to call that dinnertime funk "the witching hour"!
Yes, it passes but it is really horrible, isn't it?!
Try keeping her on2 naps if you can or keep her very busy in the a.m. for the routine of a loooong afternoon nap. But don't let her sleep past 4-ish.