So I'm looking for some advice or maybe just some reassurance that it won't be like this forever.
My DD is 9 months old, and she's been the most awful napper this whole time, wonderful sleeper at night. But naps have been limited to 30 minutes mostly. Morning nap is always 30 minutes. Very recently, since she's dropped to two naps a day, I can sometimes get her second nap to extend to around 1.5 hours (but only at home in her cot).
She fights her naps horrendously, when I put her in the cot she's happy and I sit in the room with her and she then gets up and starts crawling, standing at the bars, cruising around, then she starts getting tired and fussy so I put her back down and this carries on for around 30 minutes until she's finally beside herself upset and exhausted and finally she will settle herself to sleep. But it's becoming an absolute nightmare, and it just feels like I'm doing something so wrong but I don't know what.
She hates contact naps (honestly always has, absolutely not a snuggly baby at all) so that's a no go, won't nap in the pram for love nor money (wake window was 6 hours the other day because she just wouldn't sleep on our 1.5 hour walk) she just likes to look around at everything even if I have her laid back with the shade right over and facing me she just won't sleep. She only naps for a max of 30 minutes in the car so that's a no go as well, because she will then only have a max of 1 hour sleep through the whole day, even though she goes off easily. I've given her shorter wake windows, longer wake windows, she's not hungry when she goes down, she's dry, white noise on, room dark. Like what else is there? I don't want her to get so upset every time she goes for a nap but I honestly don't know how to make it better for her, she just won't stop getting up (she has plenty of practice time throughout the day too).
She goes down at night with no problem and has done from 12 weeks, I put her down, kiss her goodnight and leave the room and she's never cried. I've tried to leave the room when she goes of for a nap in case it's me being there that makes her get up constantly but she just cries at the bars for me. She knows how to get herself down, she will occasionally lay back down suck her thumb and then moments later she back up.
Am I doing anything wrong or is this something that will ride out? I'm worried that I'm becoming a slave to her naps and she will never learn to sleep in the pram or what not, everywhere I read says their naps are so important and to prioritise them. So I've worked really hard to get her afternoon nap to be longer but now I feel like I'm confined to the house (she will also sleep well at my mums house) every afternoon so she can have a good nap but equally I want her to be a bit more flexible. Or am I being selfish?
FTM so be gentle, I'm trying my best. 🤦🏻♀️