Early lunch & nap for 19 month old toddler

[DC1stTimeMummy]

Hello all,

I have been advised by a sleep therapist to give my 19 month old toddler his lunch at 11am & his nap at 11:30am.

He wakes around 6-6:30am & this is to hopefully help him to sleep longer for his nap (2h). This will then hopefully help him to sleep through the night than have a split night as he is over tired. Bedtime to be at 6:30pm.

• Has anybody else followed these times for your toddler, if so has it worked?

• Also, what sort of lunch do you give? Do you give a normal lunch but just earlier (e.g. pasta & a yogurt for dessert) or is your lunch lighter?

• if you give a lighter lunch, what sort of foods do you give at 11am?

Exactly that always worked very well for my toddlers. It's especially helpful if you can get up and out early so that you can get plenty of exercise and still have time to get home without risking a danger nap.

I would do two substantial snacks, one at 11 and then again at 2 personally. Something bready (sandwich, toast, wrap, eggy bread, pita, breadsticks), some protein (cheese, ham, egg, peanut butter) some fruit and/or veg.

Ps unfortunately, though, in my experience it is certainly easier to settle a toddler who is not over tired, and they do tend to nap better if not overtired, but it doesn't tend to make much of a difference to length of sleep overnight.

@DC1stTimeMummy Hi OP. I have a DD close in age and having sleep issues. Have had 'split nights' for ages now.

I saw you mentioned this? What does your LO do in the night? Just curious as we are going through hell with it. Also have a sleep consultant appointment this week.

Oh and yes I do early lunch currently about 11 always offer a bready thing and then another lunch/decent snack half an hour or so after she wakes from nap. She doesn't always eat both times but I always offer. She's usually starving after her nap I find and will have something big like beans on toast or an omelette etc

Thats the time we do, its worked well for us. Usually 1:30-2 hours nap.

Sometimes do a shorter, later nap if we have things going on, and nursery put them down at 12. So we are not massively strict about nap times

Wake up has always been 6-7ish which suits us, but if they slept til say 8, 11:30 might be a bit early!

I’m not a morning person so I shifted the pattern to 8-8. Gave lunch at 12:30-1pm. I suppose it’s the same pattern. If my baby had resisted I would have had got up earlier and give lunch at 11am. I used to just make quick lunches, i.e tuna pasta, sandwiches, toasties, soup, wraps (plus fruit and yogurt). If we were going out a bit later then I’d pre-make these sorts of lunches and we’d eat them cold. Then he’d nap in the pram on the way home.