When did naps work for you

[Ifsomeonehadtoldme]

I have a decent night sleeper (1-3 wakes) who is a crap day sleeper. I seem to remember it sorting itself but at five months the only way to get more than thirty mins is the sling which is crippling my back (long baby, no amount of ergonomics help when you walk this far). Even the flipping pram is a fail!

Am I right in think that well established solids probably helped and it’ll get better in second half of year? I need something to hang onto!!!!

We're 9 months in. We get 2 naps in the cot per day and the morning is usually an hour - but lunch is anyone's guess, yesterday I got 1hr 35, today I got 40...

So there is hope but it takes a long fucking time. My sympathies, I remember walking round the park so many sodding times I actually noticed when they had moved a bench by about 2 metres...

Afraid there seems to be a lot of variety in this. My DD was a determined cat napper till 14 months. I couldn’t understand how other people had babies that would sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time during the day, I’d tried everything!

7 months here and the champion of the cat naps. We get two or three half hour naps per day and that’s it. Doesn’t matter where she is or what you do, she wakes up after exactly 29 minutes chatting and happy, and will just lay there chatting through any and all attempts to resettle. If we happen to be out in the car or buggy during nap time and she closes her eyes for a few minutes then is awoken by something, as far as she’s concerned she’s finished with that nap and won’t go down again until the next one is due.

By 5pm she is truly hideous and exhausted but at least bedtimes aren’t a battle....teeny tiny silver lining (though I’d prefer proper naps).

Mine was a determined cat napper until about 7 months. Now it's a bit hit or miss whether he'll have a long nap or not, I've not figured out why he'll sleep for nearly 2 hours at some naps, but 30 minutes at others... But it's better than exactly 45 minutes at each nap.

Mine is 8 months now, and I have just worked out that if she is a bit warmer (I. E. With a cardigan on) she'll sleep longer than her usual 30 minutes.

Have you been to a sling library to have the fit assessed? It's free to have your own sling looked at! Some carriers are just rubbish, and with some you just need a tiny adjustment and it makes all the difference. They possibly could give you other carrying options? Different slings or positions e.g a back carry

No tips on the actual sleep sorry, my little one is 3 months and has only ever napped in the sling (stretchy wrap and woven wrap). I'm trying to get her to nap in the pram indoors but its failing.

I am obsessed with naps so got both of mine into a proper nap routine pretty much from birth. This required hours of dedication. It meant I knew exactly when I would get a break and for how long, but it’s not exactly easy going

Interested to know your daily routines. Same boat...my DD is 10.5 months. Teething and a wonder week have thrown us off at the moment but she would nap 90 minutes in the morning and 30 to 45 minutes in the afternoon...

At 10.5 months I did
7am wake and bottle
8am breakfast
9.45-10am nap
11.30 lunch
12.30-3 nap
3pm bottle
5pm dinner
6pm bath
6.30pm bottle
7pm bed

I could only dream of that routine! On routine question. Basically he wants to eat constantly. It’s rare to get even a two hour gap between feeds which I imagine is most of the issue. In theory it’s

6:30/7 up and feed
7:30 nursery run
8-8:30 sleep in carrier on way home
8:30 feed
10 feed
10:30-11:30 walk in carrier or hold so he sleeps
11:30 feed
1 feed
1:30-3 walk in carrier
3:30 feed
4:30 nursery run
4:45/5-5:30 sleep
5:30 feed
6:30 bath
7-8/8:30/9 cluster feed
8/8:30/9 sleep anything from 40mins to 8 hours
Mystery 1-2 overnight feeds

Pretty exhausting hence post. I get that they’re faulty with sleep for a long time. My first was horrendous - I just need some hope it’s going to improve.

I do wish I had better maternal instincts as I can never tell when he’s tired, bored, hungry or something else!

Ifsomeonehadtoldme you are not alone!!
And you're doing an awesome job...the fact that you getting your little one to sleep 8 hours at night is great!

I did find it gets easier when they are about 8/9 months...although as I mentioned above..teething and Leaps can play a part, well that's been my experience.

My 10.5 month will only nap 30 to 40 mins in the day at the moment...lots of teeth coming through! Most of the naps are on me at the moment!! She used to go down in her cot for 90 mins to 2 hours. No chance during this phase...xx