10 month old exhausted by 4pm

[Newmummy343]

Hi, I feel a bit silly posting this but just wondered if other mums the same. I have a 10 month old baby who is great at night and sleeps roughly 7 till 7, however he is so exhausted from the back of 4pm and honestly I could probably just put him to sleep then. Tonight I put him down at 6pm as he was just so tired I couldn't keep him up any longer. He normally sleeps 12 hours. I just feel like I can't do anything with him from about 4pm as from then he's just crying, rubbing his face on me etc. Sorry for the rubbish post I really just wanted to see if I wasn't alone in this.

What time are his naps? Or doesn’t he nap?

What naps is he having during the day? At 10
months most babies still need 2 naps

He is napping isn’t he….

Sorry i should have said, Yeah hes napping, 2 naps a day 1 in the morning for about 40 mins and second nap at lunch time but again about 40 mins to an hour. He will not sleep any longer, I've tried so many things but once he's awake that's it. I know he's not napping long enough in the afternoon but he is still having 2 naps a day just not long ones.

Have you tried putting him down again for another nap at 4pm? Normally this wouldn't be advised, but maybe you've got a speed napper who could do another 40 mins at 4pm and wake up refreshed in time for dinner...

If that won't work, I'd be doing anything you can to extend the afternoon nap. Is it possible that if you left him in his cot longer he could fall asleep again?

Aww, been there with the short naps! What time does he wake at lunch? For a 10mo I think half 2 is the limit for a 7pm bedtime. Anything earlier and maybe give him a 10 minute nap to get him through the day?

you could try pushing the naps to an hour later while hoping and praying it makes him sleep a little longer. Might work, might not.

What happens if you put him to bed at five or six?

IME that just moves the whole shebang the wrong way round the clock. Bed at 7 up at 7 knackered by 4, becomes bed at 5 up at 5, knackered by 2.

He definitely needs another nap around 2-3 to get him to bedtime as his other naps are so short

3 naps then? Or rock back to sleep at each nap.

Actually early bedtimes are recommended for later wake ups.

Not for mine it didn't. Depends on the child which is why I was interested in what happens

So I've tried everything- just to add hes been like this since the day he was born. I remembering asking my midwife on day 3 if it's normal to keep having to wake baby up to feed as he would sleep for hours and hours if i let him but He has always been terrible at napping too and it used to be 3 half hour naps. I've tried leaving in cot, I've tried going out in car, I've tried Buggy and now I've got to the point I've just faced the fact he has short naps. So in context he actually has his second nap maybe about 1ish/2. I've never tried putting him down at 5pm. When I put him down at 6pm he wakes up about 6am so I'm just really worried if I put him down at 5pm he'll wake at 5am. It's literally like he has a 12 hour window too because if he wakes up at 6am he's exhausted and needing bed by 6pm. I just really wondered if anyone elses wee one was the same in the fact they're so tired and grumpy by 4ish. Also he is now properly walking and I know that's making him even more tired as he never stops!

Interesting to hear other babies reacted so differently to my three! Hope it works with OPs baby too, such a painless solution if it does

At 10 months old I would just let him have 30 mins at 5pm.
I never found it stopped them sleeping at night but an over tired baby in the evening is miserable, doesn’t eat well and is hard to put down.

What time are his daytime naps OP? It could be that they’re too early. I would expect at 10mo than that the first nap would be half 9ish (so he would then sleep until 10:15ish) and then 1:30ish so he would then sleep until 2:15ish (although ideally until 3 if he would do more than 40 minutes). He should then be able to stay awake until 6:30ish and those wake time should gradually stretch.

This is roughly the timings my 9mo does, although one of his naps are usually 90mins and then I adjust the times slightly. I try to follow the 2/3/4 idea. So first nap after 2hours, second after 3 hours awake and bedtime after 4 hours. Though I add a bit on so he’s not going to bed too early.