So DS is now 7mo and seems this week to have decided to all-of-a-sudden start having a 90min-2hour nap in his cot after his lunch :)
On the one hand, I am absolutely overjoyed by this development, because prior to this he was happy surviving on 3 or 4 half hour naps per day, and I was absolutely exhausted!
On the other hand, I am now completely clueless what on earth to do with such textbook baby behaviour! At least with his catnaps, I could work our day around them, giving him little naps in his buggy/my arms when we were out and about.
But now he obviously needs such a long sleep, I am worried about going out over lunchtime, and him missing it. Should I try to plan our days so we can be home over lunchtime wherever possible? Or is that just silly?? If he is in the buggy I am pretty sure he would only sleep for 30-40 mins like in the old days....so would I then have to reinstate the 4pm nap to help him through till bedtime?
gah! as soon as i get used to him doing something, it all changes!
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Daft question alert: how do you work your days around your LO's long post-lunch nap?
BotBotticelli · 10/07/2013 14:28
My DS is 2.5 and is still having his 2hr afternoon nap 
. We do morning activities, lunch then home for nap. He really needs to be in his cot for napping and won't sleep in car or buggy. Its fine for us and means I changed my part time days to the middle of the day so he was napping whilst I was at work. Now I'm 14 weeks with no 2 so also napping if I can.
Same as moreboober my dd 23 months, has a 2 hour nap, normally in an afternoon but it can vary from her getting tired at 10.30am if she's woke too early or going down at 2pm because she's got a play date round.
We go with the flow!
So, some days twe'll do an activity in the morning and then come home, lunch and nap; other days I'll stop out most of the day (visiting family, friends, play dates etc) and dd will have to sleep when she's tired - in buggy, car or on me.
I have never been bothered what times she goes to sleep as there has been no link with her day time sleep and if she slept well or not (other parents will disagree and have found a massive difference in dc's sleep at night depending on naps; this is just my dd).
I've done this (as in I've been flexible and left dd to it, her slotting in to my activities rather than the other way around) and she can sleep anywhere! And I can transfer her once asleep too.
I'm a big believer in reading their patterns and not slotting them in to other people's 'routine' like Gina F.
As adults we go to bed late some nights, early on others, we might nap on a Saturday afternoon etc, babies too might be tired one day over another if we've had a big day the day before.
If I was you, I'd continue to go to the nct group and if he's still asleep wake him up. You could try lunch a bit earlier on that particular day (say 11.30) and then get him down by noon. Remember, slot him in to your day!
It is a bit of a pain, but you soon find activity/playdate times become 10am and 3pm My DS is almost 3 and still has a 2 hour afternoon nap - I am more flexible since his 2nd birthday on waking him early/skipping a nap/napping in the buggy though, as lots of our friends were dropping naps entirely from then.
I am just grateful to still have a lovely long break in the afternoon!
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