Awake windows/naps problem

[LettucesAndRoses]

Hello! I posted a thread not long ago about struggling to get my 11 months old to sleep at night and I've noticed since that it's because her awake windows are getting longer.
Our current situation is the following: waking her at the same time in the morning, morning nap around 3 hours later, afternoon nap around 4 hours after she wakes up and then bedtime 4-4.5 hours after that. She won't go to sleep earlier, I need to respect her awake windows.

I've been trying to keep her naps short to still fit two naps in (she needs them) but the situation is frustrating for everyone. She is tired from me waking her at after each sleep and she still ends up going to bed late because of the awake windows. Then I wake her before she wants to be up in the morning and so it goes on...

Wondering about letting her sleep in the morning and having just one nap but worried she's too young and will get too tired in the afternoon. Also worried she'll wake up at night at first if she ends up being awake less during the day while we transition from 2 to 1 nap.

Any advice?

No advice here but I feel like I'm the same with DS! He is 10 months old and having 2 naps a day (a long morning one and short afternoon one). He is still awake now (as woke him up from his nap at 3.50pm). I'm just lying on my bed waiting for him to go to sleep in his cot. We are having an 8pm bedtime and a 5.30am wake up and he still needs resettling in the night. For me this bedtime is just too late as normally we haven't eaten yet and I have work to do (teacher) after he is asleep. I've tried to put DS to bed early and he just screams. Like you I have to respect the awake windows. I've had one day where I managed to get him back to sleep after his 5am wake up so he woke up properly at 7.45am (lie in) and I knew our schedule would be messed up. So I kept him up until after lunch and he had a nap from 12.30 until 3pm and then bed at 7pm. I would let her sleep as long as she wants in the morning and just see how it goes. But I feel your pain and wish I knew what to do! Hopefully someone else has some good advice for us x

Also I have a friend with an 11 month old and he only has one nap a day. Even his childminder can't get him to nap in the afternoon. He only has one morning nap 10 until 12ish and then goes to bed 6pm until 6am. I went to soft play with her yesterday and her DS fell asleep at the car in the afternoon so then he didn't sleep until 9.30pm!

Could you try putting her down earlier so you have more time to fit two naps in?
Mine is 20 months but still on two naps. She wakes around 6.30, naps 9-10.30 and again 2-3.30. Bed about 8.
If she has one nap she naps at 10.30 for anywhere between 1.5hrs and 3. Bed between 6 and 7 depending how long she napped for.

Don't wake a sleeping baby has always been my motto

I'd try her with one nap. My wee one was ready to drop to one nap at 11 months, and we tried to persist with two because it was 'too early'. All we got ourselves was a few weeks where we spent hours trying to get her to sleep and bedtime kept trying to drift later and later. We finally gave in, tried one nap, and everything was much easier within days (although the one nap was awkwardly over lunch for a few weeks).

My 12 month old has been on one nap for a month or so. Kept trying to push for two but it made us both miserable. She normally naps from about 10-12ish and then bed at 6:30. She'll then sleep through until 6:30am. I would definitely try with just one long nap.

@skkyelark @Pandemicpregnancy
Did your LOs not wake up after a few hours of night sleep to start with?
Are they awake for less time during the day now and sleeping longer at night than they were when taking 2 naps?

I don't recall having noticeably more wake-ups at night, if anything somewhat less because she was actually tired and ready for bed. Yes, she did sleep a bit more at night and a bit less during the day, although probably not a huge difference once she'd got used to the new pattern and the one nap got a bit longer.

Ours dropped to one nap at 11 months by simply rolling around and laughing when we tried to get her down for the second. Even the car didn’t work. She then did one (28 minute) nap at around 11 each day until she hit around 18 months, when we spent two months trying to force her to continue it but eventually gave up at 20 months and she dropped naps entirely. She was much happier for it, and still is at almost 3. Sleeps brilliantly at night.

@skkyelark

I'd try her with one nap. My wee one was ready to drop to one nap at 11 months, and we tried to persist with two because it was 'too early'. All we got ourselves was a few weeks where we spent hours trying to get her to sleep and bedtime kept trying to drift later and later. We finally gave in, tried one nap, and everything was much easier within days (although the one nap was awkwardly over lunch for a few weeks).

We were the same, at 12 months now down to 1 long nap the majority of days and she’s not getting overtired. We rigidly stuck with ‘needs 2 naps’ and now I wish we’d done it earlier!