Can you look at my nap routine please?

[Ilovemycat13]

Hello!
FTM here with absolutely no clue what I’m doing. My 8 month old (9 months end of Jan) is starting to put himself into a routine… we’ve tried for a long time to push him into one and it’s never worked so I’ve just gone with what he wants and he seems to be doing it himself. This is currently a typical day..

Wake up 0600
First nap 0800-0830 hour sleep (around 2.5 hours wake window)
Second nap 1230 ish half hour nap (3-3.5 hours wake window)
Third nap 1530-1600 ish half hour nap (2.5-3 hours wake window)
Bedtime 1830-1900 (2.5-3 hours wake window)

Firstly, what are people’s thoughts? I know he should probably be on 2 naps by now but he’s only recently just started napping for an hour in that first nap so I’ve not been able to push that. He doesn’t always nap for an hour, and the second two naps are never more than half hour.

Secondly, he starts nursery end of Feb. I’m a bit worried about how to get around that first nap when he starts. He’ll be getting there for 0745, so do I tell them (if he is still napping at that time) that he needs to go down straight away? Or come Feb 1st shall I try and push a longer first wake window?

Any advice gratefully received.

mine at 9months was little later like 9am for 30 mins to an hour

then lunch nap around 12.30 - 2.30

then a short catch up nap around 4.30/5 for about 15 mins usually this nap was on me in the living room (other naps were in the cot)

bed at 7!

If morning nap too early then they tend to be taking it as a catch up on sleep thing - mine slept in later to maybe 7 when I pushed the morning nap later !!

but it will all change again in a few months op so if this is working for you then I’d just leave it until it isn’t and make a change then

don’t worry about nursery they just eventually a lot into the nursery rhythm soon enough - does your nursery follow your schedule ? Mine does - my little boy often asleep when no other child is 🤣 and the only one up too as his nap is a little later than the nursery schedule and he sleeps until half 2 but the rest are up about 1.30-2

At nursery, all babies and toddlers tend to have just the one nap, at the same time, so I'd transition to 2 naps ASAP in readiness for that.

Worry about nursery naps when he statys and not before. (Also that will likely drill a schedule into him like nothing else).

You can ask them to go for more naps but in practice, the children are distracted by each other and only settle down when everyone is being settled down. Because it all happens in one big room.

At least that's my experience of my two at nursery

Thanks for replies!

I don’t want to try 2 naps too early. I’ve tried before and he’s just not ready. I’ve tried all sorts to get him into a routine and then gave up and let him do what he wants, this whole routine has essentially been created by him and me watching him for cues/wake windows.

I think you’re right MulledJuice I won’t worry re naps until he starts. He still has some time. I may revisit beginning of Feb to see where we’re at and see if I can stretch the morning a little. A few people have said once they start nurseries they can kind of just fall into a routine because of theirs, and that may happen.

I think nursery schedule is two naps a day for baby room. Morning around 10 maybe? And then afternoon. The ideal would be to stretch him to that time but god that seems impossible right now. He just seems so tiny to be forcing him to stay awake.

The only thing that stands out to me is the length of the afternoon nap. You’ll struggle to cut down any of the other ones of that one doesn’t get longer - ideally a couple of hours!

But as per pp if it works for you now then fine, tackle nursery when it comes!

Can you call the nursery for a chat now and ask these questions?

mine are great and they do whatever we want in terms of naps!

if you speak to them now you will have answers and can start planning then :)

Hello, in my experience you just have to go with it! They'll nap when they nap! With my first, I tried really hard to get them into a nap routine- didn't work at all! And then with my second, between 7 and 8 months she just got herself into her own routine, napping for a few hours every afternoon (if out and about slightly different, she'd be awake more).
So honestly, don't worry. And in our nursery they could nap whenever they wanted - there was always someone available to be in the nap room with them.

My good napper went to two naps when she turned 9 months. Nursery usually do two naps in the baby room.

They act differently with nursery/childcare. There's a lot more kids, noise, stimulation. Plus different caregivers have different ways of doing things, they're very experienced. So I wouldn't worry about nursery.

That daytime sleep is a bit all over the place and probably frustrating to still be on 3 naps but if he sleeps through the night, that's a huge win so I'd take that.

How is it all over the place? I felt like it was quite structured 😂 I mean I’m comparing it to 7 months of naps whenever he was tired so the fact they are all aligning each day roughly the same time to me makes it feel like a routine

Totally understand what you mean about following their pattern - our 9 month old dropped to 2 naps in November!! The timing of those has fluctuated and lengthened so now she does

Wake 7-7.30am (depends whether she feeds in the night ~ 4.30am)
Nap 1 at 9.45am. Usually for 1.5hrs
Nap 2 after 3hr wake window. Usually 1.5hrs
Bedtime after 3.5hr wake window

She'll be starting nursery in April and I was overthinking whether she'll be on one nap by then. I second pp comments about crossing that bridge when it happens!