Naps...again

[Babytalkobsession]

Hi all, I've chilled out a lot about my ds's naps / sleep habits and tried to just go with the flow & follow his cues. But lately his pattern has changed and I'm not sure where we go from here.

He goes to bed at 7ish consistently and kind of settles himself, it maybe takes one return for another cuddle for him to nod off. He wakes at around 7am with anything from 0-4 wakes in between. He's slept through about 7 nights total ever. Overall I think this is fine / normal (he's just turned 11 months).

But naps are tricky. He usually has 45 mins at 10am but needs boob/rocking to go off. He was then having another 45mins at 2ish. I don't think this is enough but he seemed ok so I just got on with it.

The problem is now his afternoon nap is pushing back later & later and is getting shorter. He's waking grumpy after only 25 mins or so. He'll go back to sleep on me with boob. TodY this nap was 3:45-4:30! He basically wakes up for tea!

I don't think I can stop his morning nap as he so desperately needs it by 10ish. And I worry that, as he's always been a catnapper he'll only take 45mins anyway.

Any ideas? He starts nursery next month & I dread how tired he'll be!

Thank you

[scottygirl5]

My DD1 started dropping a nap at this stage but it was the afternoon one that went. Over the next month the morning nap gradually got later till it was 1.5-2 hours starting about 11-11.30. How would he get on with that? You might find he naps longer once he just has the one nap.

[Babytalkobsession]

Thanks Scotty. Today I put him down at 12 (ha...when I say put him down I mean fed him to sleep, I can never just put him down :) ). He woke after 20 minutes so rocked him back for another 10 but he's awake now, so only 40 mins at most today. Have no idea what that'll mean for the afternoon. I hoped by keeping him going until after lunch he'd take a longer nap.

I just don't get it! Why can't he sleep in the day? I wish I knew where I went wrong with day time sleep. Yesterday he only had 45 minutes all day. Grrr...sorry really frustrated today as I had high hopes that stretching out to one nap would work.

Do some babies just not need sleep?

Thank for replying

[scottygirl5]

I think some do. DD1 started dropping her nap at 21 months and had her last ever nap at 27 months, she's 3 now. She has always been am early riser too (used to be 4-5 am, now 5-6) but despite the lack of sleep is almost always in a good mood so I've not worried too much about her having less sleep. We only ever got naps in the buggy car or on us, think she'd have slept even less in a cot. Basically you can't make him sleep so don't beat yourself up. And don't worry about nursery yet, he'll probably sleep very differently there.

[Beckyp246]

Just to say my ds (10 months) is a shocking napper ...like scotty until now we could only get him to nap if he slept on us or in the car. That started to stop working too so I've started putting him in the pram for naps which works a bit better but still not great. I think he's also starting to transition to one nap and I'm thinking of starting that this week. I was planning to do what you tried, stringing him out as long as poss in morn in the hope of a decent midday nap which sets him up for the rest of the day. Though i suspect ds will do the same as yours! Naps are my biggest pain, I wasn't prepared for how flipping frustrating they can be . Why won't a tired child sleep?!

[workingtitle]

What happens if you bring the morning nap forward? DS (13months) get up 6.30 - 7 but is ready for his nap by 9 usually. That is for 45 mins, then he goes down again after lunch (1pm, latest 1.30pm) for 1.5 hours. I think he'd be overtired and hard to put down if we left it later.

[Babytalkobsession]

It's so frustrating isn't it?! Well today he's had 1 nap 12-12:45. He was rubbing eyes at 4 but thought that was too close to bedtime so have managed to distract him. I've brought his bedtime routine forward to compensate and he's doing well happily playing. I'm hoping he'll nod off easily as he must be shattered!

working I'll try that next. He usually wakes at 7 and used to nap at 9ish but it's got later and harder to get him to sleep. Today he was fine until midday! I think I just need to not let it stress me out, I can't make him sleep, but I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

We were at a wedding on Sat and I was at all the mums who just popped their DCs in their buggies for sleep. We were stood in the corner jiggling or walking round the car park in the cold

Ah well. I hope your DSs naps improve becky

[Beckyp246]

How are things going babytalkobsession? We had 2x35 mins yesterday which was awful, so today I decided to give a one nap day a go. Not good! Put him down after an early lunch, no problem going to sleep at all, awake after 45 mins, tried rocking back to sleep but no dice. So my sure how we're going to last the afternoon . Not really sure where to go from here. Two naps = overtired grumpy baby, one nap = overtired grumpy baby. So frustrating. I'm obviously missing a trick but no idea what it is!

[Babytalkobsession]

How was the afternoon becky? Our short 'one nap' day was ok in that he kept going and settled well for bed but I could tell he needed more sleep! Yesterday was kind of taken out of my hands as we were in the car, he slept 45mins each way which seemed to really suit him. Makes me wonder if he's still happier on two short naps for now?

Today he's had 2 naps again, 30 mins at 10ish and about an hour around 4! He fell asleep in the buggy. I did try getting him down at 2, he fell asleep on me for 10mins but woke when I put him down, full of beans.

I guess I shouldn't let him nap so late but he was shattered. Bed time was closer to 8 than 7 but he's settled.

I think they'll get there, it's just so frustrating when they're tired and whingey and you're trying to help

I'm just accepting that he doesn't need much daytime sleep.

[Hoggle246]

Yes, I'm sorting of coming round to your way of thinking! There wasn't an epic meltdown yesterday afternoon at least but just grumpy with not much patience. Went for a walk abut 3.30 hoping he might nod off again but he was wide awake! I think I'll go back to two naps like you and just take them as they come. Also up until now I'd been carefully planning my day so that we were in a quiet/relaxing place around nap time but if ds is taking short naps anyway I may as well just get out and about more and he can take what he needs on the move. I think being out more might make us both happier too. Ds super active and I think gets very bored in the house. Oh well! xx

[mewkins]

Hi, I think the fact he can hold out til midday means he can do one nap. (Dd was ready to do that too before her first birthday). So an early lunch around 11.15/30 and then nap. Have you ever tried to get him to self settle for naps? If he gets himself off to sleep then more likely to get himslef through to the next sleep cycle. 45 mins is not much sleep for a little one. Does he sleep in the buggy? Could you do a couple of weeks of buggy naps to get him used to long naps at this time?

[Hoggle246]

Thanks mewkins, that's really helpful. I have to admit he doesn't self settle for naps, he is such an active baby he could literally hold out for HOURS! There's no problem at night when he's thoroughly tired and also we have a defined routine then so he knows exactly what's happening. But I plan to crack the self settling once he is only taking one nap, I can't quite bear to try it multiple times a day! He is sleeping in his buggy for naps atm, not ideal I know but he settles well there and previously he was only sleeping on me so it's an improvement of sorts! Again, I hope that once he is on one nap I can crack the cot. Naps are such a pain! I wish I'd been firm from the beginning and put him in the cot for them. We were very on the ball with sorting night sleep and did well there, and I think just sort of went with the flow with naps but it's got to the stage where we're a bit lost! Thanks so much for advice x

[mewkins]

I think it's harder tp crack the naps as they are tired but not quite tired enough! Once on one nap and doing it at the same time each day it should get easier. Then they start sleeping so well you have to shorten them!

[TheresLotsOfFarmyardAnimals]

Your nursery will in all likelihood put him into a routine of early lunch at say 11.30 ish then a nap after lunch from 12 til 2 ish. Depending on collection time, he'll probably fall asleep on the way home or have a later nap at 4.30ish.

I would go along those lines. DS needed the pushchair for that second nap most of the time or it'd be a bit of a battle. It worked quite well as I'd get on with tea before he woke up from the late nap. Bedtime was more like 8ish for a while though. Again, I didn't mind this as I got a bit of time with him after dinner.