Hi there, I wonder if anyone would offer me some advice -
I'm currently struggling with my DD's daytime naps. She used to take 30-40 minute naps after 90-120 mins of being awake; that was our 'routine'. However she can now, more often than not, go through more than one sleep cycle at naptime - meaning no more 1/2 hour naps (hooray!) She now sleeps for 1 1/2 - 2 hours for her morning nap, approx 9-11am, then does the same at around 1:30pm. It's bliss having this time to chill out and/or do some jobs around the house. The problems start around teatime though - having been awake since around 3:30pm, she's very cranky and really needs a little catnap just to tide her over until bedtime, but this has been a real struggle lately - we usually take her for a walk/drive to help her to sleep at this time but even that's failing now. Although the walk does chill her out a bit (we think!) The result is a very tearful struggle at bedtime, she's so overtired that it can take literally hours to settle her - by 9:30pm she's usually asleep, which makes her usual 10:30pm dreamfeed a bit tricky, and it's also made her far more likely to have an unsettled night's sleep. It would seem that she is getting her full quota of daytime sleep from just two naps now, but is still too young to go for a long stretch from last nap to bedtime. In short, we think she's transitioning to two naps, just a little too early. Do you think -would shortening her first nap help by bringing her lunchtime nap forwards slightly, meaning there is more time left for a late afternoon catnap, which she may also be more receptive to if she has slept for fewer hours already that day? The other option is an early bedtime but this hasn't worked for us. Before this issue arose she seemed very settled with a bedtime around 8pm. Any comments and suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.