Do nap routines really help night sleep?

[SnowWhite26]

What do we think? Who has one? My lo is 16 months. I am desperately tryong to stick to him napping for 2 hours from about 12 till 2 as this is what i have read is a good time. He sometimez cat naps in morning if going out. He generally wakes at 5-530 so that's why i started. The thing is when is going through a good phase he goes till 6ish but atm hes teething and wakin up all over the place just chatting. I have a 4 yr old as well so am bsuting a gut trying to get these naps right that don't seem to matter atm anyway. Any thoughts?

Maybe. The thing is he just falls asleep if he doesnt get morning catnap. Yesterday he was getting grouchy by 9.30ish so took him and his sister for a walk and his sister was playing on his scooter and he just started falling asleep in his buggy. I wike him but he was so grouchy. We were out from lunch time so i put him diwn from 1030 till 1130 yesterday. Then he cat napped on way home. Woke at 5. 15 today ::( today its the same kinda day really sp dunno what to do nap wise x

You need to drop the morning nap ASAP as he's using that to compensate for the early waking. At 16 months he should be going down for a long lunch nap at around 11:45 and then closer to 12:30 as he gets to 18 months. You'll have to deal with some grumpy tiredness for the first few days as he's become reliant on catching up on sleep with that morning nap, but at 16 months he absolutely doesn't need it and if he's eating enough and able to settle himself to sleep he should be waking closer to 7am. The reason he's waking early is because he then gets a cat nap a few hours later to catch up. Drop the cat nap immediately and the early waking will improve.

Daytime nap routines are crucial for tackling night time sleep. ANY child sleep consultant will tell you that. Good luck!

As others have pointed out, naps are sacred. On days where you have activities taking up the whole day, buy a snooze shade for the buggy and put him to sleep in the buggy when out and about at the same time as he would sleep at home. If he only has a short nap, you can compensate by giving him another nap a few hours later (preferably in his cot if you are back home then). Yes it's restrictive but I would say 9.9 times out of 10 I ensure any daytime activities work around the children's naps, and every one of my friends with children does the same so I promise you it's not unusual or difficult. Even with a 4yo, take them out in the morning and bring them home for lunch - baby sleeps and toddler gets some dedicated mummy time - toddler wakes and you can go to a different activity / a walk / the park in the afternoon.

Mine (nearly 3) wakes at 5 every morning. She is a good napper but even when up late still seems to wake at that time. The only thing that worked with my older one was stopping napping and starting school, so I hope it's something she'll grow out of.

It's so difficult at christmas but I would try and get a full nap in just to give yourself some peace! My toddler who is 3 even though a non napper now definitely benefits from from down time at lunch time any way. I'm the opposite from a routine parent, especially at baby stage but by toddler stage I would be

Anything before 0630 is still bed time, quiet in bed boring, no playing no fun. I would bf if you bf.
06.30 play in bed with me or daddy (who is getting ready for work then anyway
07.00 get up slow morning playing and bfast
11.30 lunch on the table
12.00 down for nap (or rest time for older child...usually tv time for us!)
14.00 up from nap (I wouldnt wake unless nearer 1500 but mine never slept that long.
17.00 dinner on table
17.30/18.00 bed time.

Obviously the very very early bed time is just a transition stage but we are just dropping from 1 to 0 naps and definitely need the early bed time. Also we have found that the earlier we get DS down the better he sleeps, usually longer too. If they are clearly tired then an early night is the only way to go.

I dont think its necessarily true that he needs to drop the morning nap. My 15 month old still has 2 naps a day, quite happily. We limit the morning nap to 30 mins. We have had a week of waking early - 5.30 - so this might be the sign that it needs to stop but most sleep consultants will tell you there is a range for dropping naps. Ours told us they are rarely ready to drop down to one nap before 15 months and DS has certainly played true to that.

The problem is he falls asleep in the car or buggy or in his lunch. I just feel he still needs something in the morning. X

I have tried dropping morning nap but can't keep him awake if we are in the car :(

Any ideas how to stop him sleeping morning when I'm out and about?

Could you adjust your routine so u didnt have to be in the car during his morning nap time?

Nope. Absolutely no routine what so fucking every with my DC during the day for naps. Eldest slept through the night at 11 weeks and he would only nap for 30 minutes at a time. Youngest slept through at 9 weeks.

My youngest actually stopped napping completely in the day around 18 months. 16 months is a crapy age especially at this time of year with teething, constant colds etc. Just ride it out. At that age I didn't always get up to them in the night when they woke up unless they were crying. Unless they are sharing with their sibling and disturbing them, just leave them to it if they wake at night.

They definitely help, or did on DD's case. She dropped her afternoon nap at a very young age, but I just tagged the time onto bedtime and she went to bed 1.5 hours earlier and this worked really well too. She's been a great sleeper ever since as I really stuck to sleep routines. I found that even as she got older, I never had the problem with super early rising too, which I think was attributed in part to good bedtime routines her whole life.

Hes generally a good sleeperbitsnjust this early morning sharing with his sister problem really. Never got my puppy. Its really hard to not go out in the car as I have a 4 year old to drop at nursery or activities to go to. I live in a rural village

Can the toddler not keep him entertained??

Not in the car.she reads sometimes songs to him but if he's tired he will just go to sleep lol we have both sung at the top of our vohces before and he has had a snack in his hand and he's still fallen asleep lol

Windows open, lots of loud singing and talking. Pull over to wake up if needed. It's an effort but pays off.

Well we forewent the morning.nap for the 2nd day in a row. He was so exhausted he fell asleep in his highchair eating lunch poor thing.
Getting this wrong!

Same here puppy. He slept 15 min this morn then 1.5 hours this afternoon till 220 bed at 7. We shall see what christmas day brings lol xx

Ours woke up at 5.15 again. By 8 he was knackered so routine be hanged - I've put him down for a quick sleep. There was no way he was going to last til lunch!!

Mine woke at 530 got very tired by 930 and had 15 mon cat nap on way to where we were having Xmas day. He then had a slightly later nap after lunch at 13p till 230 but was quite grumpy and sensitive this afternoon dunno if its a mix of tired and over excited with xmas. Anyway bed at 650 so will see. :) How old ur lo puppy?

6.10 today. A lay in!!

5 for us. He was knackered by 9.

We had such a nice routine going .

He is 15 months

Makes you so tired all day doesn't it :(/

It really does!
Even with a morning nap he had nearly 2.5 hrs for lunchtime bless him