Naps and doing stuff

[afrikat]

My 6 month old lb doesn't have a set nap schedule - I put him down based on his last wake up / when he looks tired and he sleeps between 45 - 90 minutes usually. As such every day is different and I don't know when he will be napping. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this kind of 'routine' so what do people do when they have places to be like swimming lessons etc? Do you skip a lesson or wake baby up?

I usually wake him up to go to classes, unless he's had a bad night or is sick.
I was a bit obsessed with his napping and despite a few disastrous classes where he was mega tired, it has helped me to relax a bit now that I realise he doesn't need to be asleep by the exact time I think he does!

My DS is 13 weeks- so younger than your LO but he just keeps to his own little schedule- just does as he pleases dusk till dawn!! I don't get this nap thing at all?!!? DS goes to sleep in his buggy or in his chair during the day and if we have baby massage or something I just get him out and wake him up. Is that rotten of me??? I keep hearing things about "putting them down for a nap"- are we supposed to be doing that?? I just sort of hear him whine for a minute then he goes to sleep- if we're not doing anything I just leave him to sleep as long as he likes- if we need to go out I wake him. It makes no difference to how he sleeps at night. Maybe it will change when he's older.......or the sleep police will tell me I'm making a rod for my own back!!!!

Fit the naps into your life rather than your life round the naps, or you'll never do anything! They can sleep in the car, the push chair, the sling- or on the mat at baby massage. Don't, whatever you do, become a slave to routine!

NickyEds it sounds like you are doing exactly the right thing! And if your lo naps so easily make the most of it :)

I've given up trying to get my lb to nap in his cot - it's usually in his car seat, pram, in lounge with me etc and unless we are having a v bad time with him being overtired I've mostly been waking him. Glad I'm not being stupid!