10mo waking up very grumpy from afternoon nap

[LittleSausageFingers]

My DD is almost 10mo and has two naps a day. She wakes for the day at 7am, then goes for a nap at 10ish for 1.5-2 hours. She still needs a second nap, but I can't get her to sleep until around 4pm, which I know is quite late, and she'll sleep for around 45min, occasionally more. Goes to bed 7-8pm, and is up several times in the night for BF.

She wakes up from her second nap in an absolutely foul mood! I can't put her down at all, and she won't eat her dinner because she's so grumpy. I've tried cuddling her quietly on waking, breastfeeding her, distracting etc, but no amount of cajoling perks her up. She's does cheer up when her dad arrives home at 6:30 though!

It's so draining, and frustrating that she won't eat her tea.

Any ideas? Experience? Thanks in advance.

Have you tried keeping her up on the afternoon and puting her to bed a bit earlier? Ds only had a morning nap from around 7 months unless in the car.

Eugh. Mine always did this when they were toddlers. DC2 would wake up in the most foul mood after her daytime nap.

Could you delay the morning nap by an hour or so? Drag it out gradually with a snack or whatever will add a little time on.

Thanks mog, occasionally she has skipped her afternoon nap and stayed up, but she'll often be grumpy with tiredness by 5ish if i do that. I think we're at an awkward stage between one and two naps.

My DH doesn't often get home till close to 7pm and he does bath and story time. She has a lovely time at bedtime routine with him, whereas if I do it she cries the whole time, I assume in expectation of me feeding her to sleep But we could try what your suggest at the weekend.

I could have a go with that nine. It would definitely knock the afternoon nap on the head. Is it a bit early though to be dropping to one nap?! Having said that, I am one of those people who doesn't need much sleep, and i get the feeling she might be the same

Try what nine says. If the morning nap is a bit later she might sleep a bit longer then not need a late afternoon nap. These babies like to keep us on our toes don't they

I'm going to suggest the opposite to ever one else.

Grumpy = more sleep needed. Not less.

I would suggest an earlier morning nap so that you can have an earlier and longer afternoon nap. At 10 months old baby is likely to need 2 good naps a day.

I'd aim for 9am-11am nap then 2pm-4pm nap and a bedtime of around 7-8pm

Absolutely agree that she still needs two naps a day, especially if she's a frequent night waker. They don't get to that 'awkward' 2-to-1 nap dropping phase until past 12mo usually. A PP who said their 7mo only has one nap a day...? The only babies I've heard of like that tend to sleep much longer solid blocks at night. 7mo usually needs 3 naps a day still.

First nap cycle starts around 9am/9:30 so as FATE suggested, I think you're putting her down too late. You could also try keeping it to 1.5 hours maybe so that she's tired enough for a 1pm/1:30 nap?

FWIW, both of mine were always in HIDEOUS moods upon waking from a nap. At that age, I'd stick them on the boob until they got over themselves a bit. Now that he's older DS2 gets parked in front of the TV read to, with a small cup of sliced grapes to hand, until he's ready to be civil. Since, on the rare occasion I'm permitted a nap, I'm like a bear with a sore head upon waking, I think it's hereditary.

Oh, and I think 10mo was about the age I put the kybosh on any naps extending past 4pm, unless I categorically couldn't get them to sleep until 3:30pm, in which case, I'd have woken them up (and dealt with the ensuing rage) at around 4:10pm so they'd had one full sleep cycle for the nap to be worthwhile, but not so long that it started interfering with night sleep.

Thanks all for the advice. She had a 2hr 15min nap this morning so decided to power through until bedtime (bath at 6:30, asleep by 7). She was ok, but i do still think she needs two sleeps (lots of eye rubbing/hitting herself in the head ). Going to have a go with the suggested earlier morning nap next week and see how we go on.

As a nanny by 10 months I generally offer a nap at 9 - if they don't go to sleep then we power through and have an early lunch at 11.30ish and straight to bed afterwards. Some days they will nap and others they sing/play around.

Then over a period of time we push lunch back until we're napping 12-2/1-3 :)

Then if they have an early nap sometimes we might have an early night 6.30ish.

It all works its way out over a week or so :)