day time nap nightmare

[Greenwichgirl25]

Since birth, we have always struggled with getting our boy to sleep during the day. He is now 13 mths old and he is still a nightmare. He has slept through the night from 12 weeks, going to bed at 1900 without any issues but always waking at 0600 :-( He goes to a childminder 4 days a week and she says he sleeps for her, recently he has started going down at 0930 and sleeping for up to 2 hrs. He sleeps in a travelcot in her house off the kitchen and apparently goes down without a peep. She sits beside the cot singing till he falls asleep. I have tried replicating her routine at home to no avail and it is ruining our weekends as we seem to be spending all our time trying to make naps work as without them he is a screaming nightmare all day. We have a consistent pre nap routine, he is in a dark quiet room but at best he goes down for 30 mins then wakes screaming, only rarely going back to sleep with much effort from us for another 20 mins.I know 0930 is really early, and I wish he would do the nap around 1130-1200 but he just doesn't last and then becomes so overtired sleep becomes impossible.
Can anybody give me some advice as I am pulling my hair out. Its gotten to the point I dread the days I don't work as it is so traumatic and restrictive. Otherwise he is a very happy energetic boy!

You poor thing. On the whole my DS has been ok at napping, but on the weeks it goes wrong it's awful so I do sympathise.

Two things stand out. Firstly 06:00 is a fairly normal time for young children to wake up (sorry) :) so you might need to adjust your expectations around this and have earlier nights. DH and I go to bed at 9pm most nights these days!

As for the naps, well could you just go out and about for the day, do some enjoyable things and see if he drops off? If I go in to town and then time coming back in the car at 'nap time' he'll fall asleep and then I can transfer him to his cot when we get back. I think a 13 month old should be napping around 3.5-4 hours after waking so I think 9.30- 10 is ok. He's also quite young to be having just one nap, so could he have 1/2 hour at 10am then another 1/2 hour at 2.30/3pm? I think DS was 15-16 months before he transitioned to one nap.

I have a 9mo and the only times he seems to sleep are in the car, or in the pushchair...otherwise it is on my lap only, and so when I move or try to put him anywhere, he wakes up.

I think I'd try taking him for a walk in the pushchair when it's time to sleep, then parking it in the hall if you can (or the garden etc) when you get back.

in my experience they sleep longer when they are outside.

He might need a morning nap as well hence tired at 9ish. He could be extending his night sleep hence it being so long. Does he nap in a pushchair? Or will he nap if you cuddle and rock him?

My two were having 30-45 mins in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon at 13 months. As were most of their peers!

I can't really remember when but dd2 had a phase where she liked a nap at 8.30-ish in the morning . I think they sometimes seem tireder at home.

Can you try and go out more? Then they nap in pushchair/car.

Thanks for the replies.. Unfortunately I've tried the buggy but in the last 2 months he has started totally hating it, going rigid and crying for up to half an hr. He used to only sleep in the buggy but as soon as you stopped moving he was awake in 5 minutes, even with a snooze shade. I spent all last winter beating the pavements of Greenwich for hours freezing and miserable and I just can't go back to it again :-(
I'm thinking seriously about getting a sleep therapist..has anyone got any recommendations?!

I'm really sorry but I also think you need to review your expectations!

I have two dc and both have never napped for more than an hour in total during the day since they were about 5months. My youngest one, ds, is 15 months, he wakes at 5.30 everyday, goes to bed at 6.30/7 and has two half hour naps, one at 8.45 and one at 1.30 after lunch.

If he's waking up after 30 mins I'd say he's had enough and try another nap later.

I'd also try feeding him up before naps and lots of exercise so he's worn out! Is he walking yet? That madea difference to ds.

Neither of mine have ever napped in a car or a buggy. If we go out for the day ds stays awake the whole day and gets progressively more moany so we always make sure we are back for his nap now. Sigh.

Having dd aged 10 however gives me hope and reassurance that none of this lasts!

Thanks Fairylea, I seem to have a group of colleagues & friends who all have children who nap like clockwork! My nephew who is only 7 weeks older than my son has been sleeping 1200-1400 for 2 months now. Its good to know there really are other people out there with kids who don't do that! I just feel like I'm missing some obvious thing when I hear all these people sounding puzzled and slightly shocked when I tell them Sam doesn't just go into his cot smiling and sleep for 2 hrs!
Anyway, I'll persevere..but the next person who trots out the line "it gets easier" may not survive!

It is hard isn't it... I do understand.

However, look on the bright side - he is sleeping well overnight! Plenty of people would give their right arm, and left arm too, for that, yet alone at 13 months! :)

It will get better.