Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Q for parents of babies down to 1 nap a day

35 replies

Countingsheeeep · 21/02/2018 09:32

How do you go out for the day long distance?

DD is nearly 13 months, she is not quite ready to drop her morning nap, but we are getting closer to it. Both of our families live a good hour or so away, therefore at the moment if we need to visit she has a sleep in the car on the way there, we stay for 3-4 hours and then she sleeps on the way back, which generally means her bed time isn't affected.

I can't work out in my head how we are going to continue doing this when she reduces down to 1 nap in the middle of the day. For context, she does not sleep anywhere these days apart from her cot. We have tried to get her to nap in travel cots at others houses but it's always failed, she just likes her own bed.

How do you do it?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

OhHolyJesus · 21/02/2018 09:36

For me, we don't! Furthest we go is a 30 min drive and stay out for lunch but leave in time to be back for nap in the cot. I prefer this anyway as I rest when DS does at home and I'm not out kindling the pavements or in a parked car with a sleeping toddler.

One day they don't sleep in the day at all which is when we will go further and stay out all day.

notWORKzilla · 21/02/2018 09:37

We didn't go out. It's a relatively short period in their lives and if DS didn't get his proper day time sleep he was a nightmare at night time.

minipie · 21/02/2018 09:40

You may find that even if she's down to one nap at home, she will do two shorter ones in the car instead if you're doing a long journey at the right times.

Another option is you travel there earlier, straight after breakfast so she won't sleep in the car, stay for an early lunch and then get in the car at 1 to drive home (probably means she will be a bit tired at lunchtime though).

Or you drive there across her post lunch nap and stay all afternoon, bring PJs and do bathtime there, then get in car before bedtime and she will sleep in the car. Then you carefully transfer to cot once home. Some DC are good at this some aren't!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

1 year olds Babies & sleep Children's sleep Families

firawla · 21/02/2018 09:42

We just wing it really. Dd 13 months tends to have 1 nap a day, so she might do that in the car either there or back. If not napped on the way there, and she’s very tired she might sleep on me for a bit during the day if visiting relatives or short nap in buggy if out. Harder if they won’t sleep anywhere but cot! Could you not try her napping on a bed if your at a relatives house maybe?
My dd is 4th child so not an option for us to just not go for full days as that wouldn’t be fair on the others

Original poster

Countingsheeeep · 21/02/2018 09:51

Thanks everyone for your advice, I did think the answer might be that we just can't go out over lunch time, and I can live with this as I know it's only short, I just wasn't sure if I was missing a trick!

Unfortunately DD really is the type that will just not settle anywhere but her cot. I wish she would be a bit more flexible, it's just not the way she is bless her.

Think it might come as a bit of a shock to dh, but he can be as highly strung on nap and bedtimes as I am so should get on board.

Unfortunately putting in PJs and doing a cot transfer wouldn't work either...never have I ever been able to get her out of the car without waking her, not even from a few weeks old!

OP posts:

caraway33 · 21/02/2018 09:56

hmmm probably it’s down to the child what can be done. We go out as needed but then my dd is quite relaxed about nap times and places. When she was younger i’d put her in the sling and she’d nod off. From about 22 months she manages to sleep in a buggy or skips a nap altogeher.

minipie · 21/02/2018 09:56

The transfer thing gets easier as they get older and nap less in thr day IME - mine do wake but go straight back to sleep. Mostly...!

Keepingupwiththejonesys · 21/02/2018 10:02

My ds has just turned one and tbh I'm just really relaxed about it all. He has one huge nap a day, either at home in his cot, in the pram when in out and about (I don't drive) or one day a week its in the car (mums or dhs) . he has between 1 and 2 hours, sometimes as much as 2.5hours if he's gone down later and was particularly tired. If he's had his nap at say 11-1 then he goes to bed around 7.30. If he's napped later say 1-3 then I'll put him to bed around 8-8.30. Never seems to effect his sleep at night.

I've got two other young children (5&3) there's no way I can let the baby dictate when we can/can't go out. If you're happy to stay in at nap time then there's no issue but I wouldn't like that at all. I guess its what they're used to though and if baby is used to only naps in the cot or car then may be hard for them to settle elsewhere.

Keepingupwiththejonesys · 21/02/2018 10:07

If baby sleeps in the car though I'd so as op said. Go out straight after breakfast then let her sleep on the way home, just don't leave to late

123char123 · 21/02/2018 14:12

My LG just sleeps whenever. We don’t have set times to nap. If she falls asleep she falls asleep. We don’t let her sleep determine what we do. Everyone is different though

Makingworkwork · 21/02/2018 14:15

We rarely do. She used to sleep in the car on the way back but now she won’t. Last weekend we ended up skipping the nap and she went to sleep at bed time in minutes compared to the normal 45 to 90 minutes.

MrsKCoulter · 21/02/2018 14:19

My baby was a nightmare napper but since settling to one nap a day and starting nursery she's been a lot happier to nap in travel cot elsewhere. So it may be worth giving that a try every now and then. They change these things so fast.

TimesNewRoman · 21/02/2018 14:25

My DC is down to 1 nap (has been for a few months) I also have a long drive for visiting. DC is unlikely to nap on the way there now. Will nap on way home. Occasionally she'll nod off on the way there for a short while and have another small one on the way home.

PasstheStarmix · 21/02/2018 15:03

Ds will nap in his car seat and in his pram which is great but he won’t sleep for as long as he does in his cot and is mega grumpy later on. I don’t do it everyday but the way I look at it is the odd day won’t do any harm as long as it’s not everyday. Also babies have to nap in child care when they’re not at home; they must manage.

PasstheStarmix · 21/02/2018 15:04

Actually how does the nap in day nurseries work? Ds might have to go in soon when I’m back to work.

Bringonspring · 21/02/2018 15:07

Mine just did two shorter ones in the car. I would leave slightly later on the way there.

Caterina99 · 21/02/2018 18:23

We were lucky in that my DS was quite flexible. He’d usually nap for about 2-3 hours in his cot, but he’d sleep in a travel cot at someone’s house, or he’d sleep in the car. We often timed trips so the journey was at nap time or moved his nap earlier for an afternoon out

These naps were never as good as his proper cot nap (well travel cot at my parents he was usually fine) but as a one off he just went to bed earlier and napped a bit longer the next day.

Xansaf · 21/02/2018 19:12

My LO has gone down to one nap in the last month and like a pp said, we just wing it a bit. Her midday nap isn’t set in stone, it can vary between starting at 11:30 to 1:30 depending if we have been very busy or not. We’re going away this weekend to relatives 2.5 hours away and we’re just going to go at the same time we were always planning to and see how she does. She might well take two shorter naps, it’s a wonder what the car motion will do for a kid.

ZZZZ1111 · 21/02/2018 19:41

We just do car naps and see what happens. Sometimes he sleeps on the journey there as well as journey back (2 short naps), sometimes just on the journey back (so just naps a bit later than usual if we leave early afternoon).

Ubercornsdiscoball · 21/02/2018 19:45

Both my children have just had to fall in with whatever I have been up to. If i’m At home then my 19 month old will sleep in his cot for a good couple of hours - his sister was the same - but if i’m out and about then it just varies. I can’t get worked up about naps. I just can’t.

tootiredtospeak · 21/02/2018 20:01

My Dd is 14 nearly 15 months and most days has a nap after dinner for an hour or so. But on the days we need to travel or weekends we just let it split into 2 in the car. Dont stress it itll be fine.

LouJDawe · 21/02/2018 21:09

My son goes to bed at 7pm wakes up at 6am then has a nap around 9.30am for an hour or so. Then it gives me the rest of the day to do whatever we want! I find morning naps better as it gives me a chance to get ready and do any bits around the house xx

soundsystem · 21/02/2018 21:18

Mine sleeps in the buggy if we're out and about, or on a bed if we're at someone else's house. We do plan around him having a nap where we can't but we don't stay indoors because of it

Crunkly · 22/02/2018 16:17

Why not try it and see? If it’s a disaster you don’t have to do it again.
It’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t work out.

widgetbeana · 22/02/2018 16:26

This was my eldest, she wouldn’t sleep anywhere but her cot. On the plus side, she is 6 now and has been an excellent sleeper from an early age as she loves her bed!

We did short morning trips out and short afternoon trips out. If we did visit family, who are a long way away too, we would travel and lunchtime and she would sort of nap in the car and then come home at her bedtime and transfer her to bed once we got home,

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread