DD has always loved her sleep, she takes after her father! Bedtime was initially a problem but at 6 weeks we established a bedtime routine and it wasn't long until she was sleeping through the night and self settling.
As she got older a pattern started to emerge. Up until around 10-12wo she would nap in her car seat, she would refuse anywhere else. I would put her in and she would self settle to sleep. This all stopped when I was determined to get her to nap in her crib, after a week of fighting naps in the crib and her not napping at all I went back to the car seat but she'd forgotten how to get to sleep in it. So for the next 4 weeks or so I would rock her to sleep in her buggy. Then I tried the crib again this time giving her 2oz of milk (and BF for 2 mins) before nap time (I was curious if she was associating the crib with food as at night she gets a 7oz bottle before bed - this was her only bottle and the rest of the time she was BF). It worked and she went straight to sleep. It wasn't ideal but we carried on like this, I've been trying to cut down the milk but now she's sussed me and won't nap again.
Incidentally I posted on here about a week ago saying I was having problems with her at night, she'd go to bed at 6pm (as she couldn't manage any longer) and then be awake by 5am wanting to play so I'd get her up and her first nap time would be about 7:30, but I wanted her to go 7 - 7. Some very helpful people suggested that no matter what time she woke up I didn't put her down for a nap before 9am. It worked a treat and within a day or two she was sleeping 7 - 7.
Then the clocks changed! I think we're getting back on track but this day time napping is a nightmare. She's never really learnt to go for naps on her own, I've always assisted her, apart from those early days in her car seat. She's napping at the moment and it was a total fluke, I rocked her and sung to her in her crib and she was stropping and crying (when she remembered) every 30 seconds-1 min and then stopping and eventually she went to sleep.
I want to cut out this 2oz especially as it doesn't work and I don't believe she needs this feed. However, the last time I attempted to get her to go for a nap in her crib (without the 2oz) we battled for a week and I was extremely unwell after and had to get family in to help.
Nomally I feed her when she wakes, she's up for 2.5hrs and then she goes for a nap. Perhaps she does need some BF but she doesn't ask for it....? She is teething at the moment so I suspect this doesn't help matters BUT there is an underlying problem to start with and in 4 months she starts nursery and I don't want them to have difficulties with her.
Am I causing myself problems by doing something obviously wrong?