Naps, days out and being flexible

[MummysGlassesAreNotAToy]

Possibly a silly question - DS, 10 months, is my first baby so just after some advice from other parents!

DS has never been a great sleeper, so I have always prioritised naps. Since he was about 6 months, he's been napping twice a day - used to be an hour and a half morning and afternoon. Now I put him down about 9am, wake him around 9.30 else he won't sleep later, and then put him down again at about 1 for an hour and a half. He goes to bed between 6.30 and 7.

When it's just the two of us at home in the week I tend to plan our days so we're at home for these naps, but this can be a bit limiting to family life! How do you manage naps and getting out and about? I imagine this gets even harder when they drop to one nap!

With Xmas coming up and lots of friends and family who live 1.5-2hrs away, my DH has been talking about getting out and visiting people and I just can't see how we're going to be able to fit it around naps and bedtime etc... as I say DS has always been a poor sleeper so I might be panicking more than some parents would, but I just imagine not being able to get him to nap when we're out, him falling asleep in the car on the way home, and then not going to bed until midnight! What do you do in terms of naps and days out and about?

It's hard. I would try and do the driving during their usual nap time. I think staying up occasionally is fine, but not too late.

I think it's worth a go. It's lovely to catch up over Xmas.

Oh and I'd just let them fall asleep on the way home and try and transfer them. I only have poor sleeping children and they can generally cope ok with this. They might wake on transfer but they go down again pretty easily.

My son was a bit like this. He’s now dropped to one nap and it’s actually easier as we can go to playgroups in the morning, come home for his lunch and nap and then do an activity in the afternoon.
Over Christmas is try to relax things a little bit and plan your car journeys at his usual nap times. If your family wouldn’t mind you taking a travel cot you could also try putting him down for naps at their houses?

We either time journeys so they are close to nap time so they sleep during the drive. Not as good as a cot nap, but it’ll do. Or take a travel cot and they can nap there.

I find at home if my kids don’t nap well they are whingy and annoying, but when we’re out they’re distracted so it’s really not so bad. One day doesn’t make much difference to them, they usually just nap better the next day.

So tomorrow I'm travelling 2 hours with my 2 DS's. I'll travel at around 11am for an early lunch time nap. DS2 (10mo) will have about 15m at around 9/9.30 and the boys will have a lunch time nap. I'll then put them in their pj's and bring them home at bed time and hope for a cot transfer

We'd do sleep on the way there, spend several hours with the family, sleep on the way back.

If you feel prioritising naps makes life easier for you then do it! I do the same with my 15m old. For us, good naps = 12h overnight sleep, which I'm not willing to compromise on! Over the Xmas period we may do a few cars naps if needed but will try and put her in a cot for as many of her naps as poss. A travel cot when not at home.

Thank you everyone