Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Do nap routines really help night sleep?

93 replies

SnowWhite26 · 19/12/2019 06:14

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?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
SnowWhite26 · 27/12/2019 05:22

So yesterday he woke at 615. I did exactly what I had done the day before hand nap wise. The only difference is that we went for a walk and play outside in the playpark on xmas day. Why did he sleep an hour llonger? 510 today. Now we don't dare leave him in there chatting as might wake 4 year old as have had a couple of incidences with her waking but seems ridiculous getting up at 510. If my 4 year old woke up at this time I wouldn't except it. I dunno what to do

OP posts:
NeverGotMyPuppy · 27/12/2019 15:44

Me neither. DS only had an hour lunchtime nap and is now exhausted. Feel like it's too late to let him have nap and that would be nap number 3

SnowWhite26 · 27/12/2019 19:26

What time in bed? X

OP posts:
NeverGotMyPuppy · 28/12/2019 00:19
  1. U?
SnowWhite26 · 28/12/2019 03:14
  1. He has now woken up at 3!! I have fed him (I noo shouldn't) calpoled him stroked his head. So have covered all bases. Dunno what is going on with him!
OP posts:
TeddyBeans · 28/12/2019 03:28

DS is 20 months now and has been napping 12.30-3 since he was 16 months. If he wakes up earlier then that's fine but I don't let him sleep beyond 3. He sleeps 8-8 consistently overnight

RunningAroundAgain · 28/12/2019 03:34

It took long time to establish, but my 18 month old goes down at 7pm like clockwork and will sleep until 6am/6.30am. She naps 12-2 or even 2.30pm. I find it works best for us as there's roughly 5 hours on each side. She sometimes gets a bit cranky about 10am for a short time, but if I put her down then, she'd be up by 12 and exhausted by 4 or 5pm.

SnowWhite26 · 28/12/2019 03:45

Yeah i no what you mean about cranky at 10. Are you both in UK or also up at 3.30? Got a bday party to go to at 12 so will prob give a nap for an hour before and then car nap. It's right in middle of the day!

OP posts:
RunningAroundAgain · 28/12/2019 07:05

Oh yeah I was wide awake at 3.30am, just couldn't sleep, even though DD was fast asleep! DH snoring AngryGrinEnjoy the party

NeverGotMyPuppy · 28/12/2019 08:45

DS was awake at 4.30. Didnt go back to sleep.

This isnt a very fun stage...

SnowWhite26 · 28/12/2019 12:00

It really isn't fun. He doesnt eat to well as well either. He ate everything now very picky.
A right fussy phase!

OP posts:
hopefulhalf · 28/12/2019 15:44

The mornimg nap (if before 11) needs to be the short one (45 minutes max). Although with a 3:30 wakeup I don't know what I'd do.

SnowWhite26 · 28/12/2019 20:41

He had a 10.15 to 1130 nap as was out at lunch time then a short 15 min nap till 2.45

OP posts:
TeddyBeans · 28/12/2019 23:27

I was up at 3.30 too 😂 had a horrible cough the last few days and I couldn't get back to sleep!

Hope you enjoyed the party! Maybe your little one has hit a sleep regression? All sorts of things can throw their sleep off, it's all trial and error at this stage (and every stage I think) 😁 eventually something will work! Just keep trying new things

NeverGotMyPuppy · 29/12/2019 06:17

6am for us today - yay!
@hopefulhalf we have always done a limited morning nap from about 6 months. First it was an hour and then we have gradually gone to 30 minutes.
I might try 20 today - would that make sense? Yesterday he did 30 in the morning then 1hr 45 in the afternoon but he had woken up at 4.30 (never done that before!).
Or should I just do afternoon nap earlier?!

hopefulhalf · 29/12/2019 08:05

Thats great not my puppy. Maybe try a one nap day ? (11-1 or 11:30-2) . Depends what you have on. I don't tbink I'd put a 16m old down in his cot a 9, maybe a cat nap in tbe buggy ?

SnowWhite26 · 29/12/2019 09:06

Yay that's good puppy :) mine woke at 630 but i did hear him at 430 but ignored his coos lol He must of gone back to sleep. I'm going for a morning car nap then an afternoon car nap as we are out all day today.

OP posts:
NeverGotMyPuppy · 29/12/2019 13:45

Skipped the morning nap. Put him down at 11.45 and he only had an hour. Fml!

SnowWhite26 · 29/12/2019 22:21

Good luck for tonight. Mine only had a 40 min nap in buggy but seemed happy enough at bedtime. Let's see.....

OP posts:
NeverGotMyPuppy · 30/12/2019 06:03

5.15 for us. This isn't working. He needs 2 naps a day still I think.

hopefulhalf · 30/12/2019 07:00

Sorry to hear that. Try an hour at 9 and an hour at 2 ?

joffreyscoffees · 30/12/2019 07:11

I have a 17 month old, this 'being home for nap time' is news to me. What a palaver.

She actually sleeps better out of the house. If she sleeps past 2pm it makes bedtime pretty difficult too so her usual nap time is 12.30(after her dinner)-1.30pm, It's rare she has more than an hour.

NeverGotMyPuppy · 30/12/2019 07:44

What an strange thing to say- napping in a cot is news to you? Really?!

SnowWhite26 · 30/12/2019 07:54

4 and once settled 630.the thing that gets me is that his wake upscarecall over the place. In the day he is going through a needy crying thing learning to walk and chatting a bit so maybe its all that. I resorted to mill at 4. I no i shouldn't. :(

OP posts:
muddypuddles12 · 30/12/2019 08:50

@joffreyscoffees Do you have friends with kids? And you don't know a single person who does naps at home in the cot? Now that's news to me!