10 month old- good napper in his cot but we never get out anywhere...

rosiemonster · 2009-04-16T19:16:00+00:00

My boy naps for about two hours in the morning and around an hour and a half in the afternoon if he is in his cot. All good news. However, once we have taken eating into account (preparing, feeding and washing up each meal takes a good hour)we aren't ready to leave the house until about 14.30. Every single baby group around here is in the morning or early afternoon so I can't get to them. He has never slept in his pushchair or car seat so I can't get him to nap en route. We have just moved to a town where we know nobody and I fear I never will. Would be good to know if others have gone through something similar. Thanks

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jammietart · 16/04/2009 21:40

Naps are great (esp your DSs!) but life gets easier when they need less sleep during the day. Can you cut his morning nap and give him longer after lunch or cut his afternoon nap and put him to bed earlier or would this result in a a grouchy baby?

littone · 16/04/2009 22:10

I know how you feel. I went back to work when my DS was 11 months old, prior to htis he was napping like your little boy. Nursery had so much going on that despite their best attempts he rarely slept in the morning and got himself into a routine of sleeping once per day (straight after lunch - like the children in the over 1's room do). He carried on with two naps at home for a few weeks and then I noticed it was harder to get him to go to sleep in the morning and went to one nap per day soon. I guess what I am trying to say is that his pattern could change at any time. Just make the most of his naps to get on a bit or rest yourself. You may find he will soon stay awake if you want to go to a group in the morning and just make up for it after lunch.

angel1976 · 16/04/2009 22:22

Hi rosiemonster,

Your DS sounds like my DS! The good news is that my DS started to drop his morning nap around 11 months and things got massively easier... Now he is pretty 'flexible'! He needs a total of anything from 1.5-2 hours a day. Most of the time, he does a lunchtime nap. Goes to sleep around noon... And does anything from an hour to 2 hours. If we are out and about, we can 'push' his nap back to past one. Some mornings, I can put him to bed early (10 or 11am) and he will sleep for an hour or so. Then he only needs a quick nap on the move in the late afternoon. Also, you will find that once your DS starts walking (which my DS did at 13 months, he is now 14 months), he is SO active that he can barely keep awake and now sleeps in the car (he never used to!) and sometime even in his pushchair (unheard of in the past!). So fingers crossed for you that it WILL get better for you soon.

Ax

angel1976 · 16/04/2009 22:22

Hi rosiemonster,

Your DS sounds like my DS! The good news is that my DS started to drop his morning nap around 11 months and things got massively easier... Now he is pretty 'flexible'! He needs a total of anything from 1.5-2 hours a day. Most of the time, he does a lunchtime nap. Goes to sleep around noon... And does anything from an hour to 2 hours. If we are out and about, we can 'push' his nap back to past one. Some mornings, I can put him to bed early (10 or 11am) and he will sleep for an hour or so. Then he only needs a quick nap on the move in the late afternoon. Also, you will find that once your DS starts walking (which my DS did at 13 months, he is now 14 months), he is SO active that he can barely keep awake and now sleeps in the car (he never used to!) and sometime even in his pushchair (unheard of in the past!). So fingers crossed for you that it WILL get better for you soon.

Ax

angel1976 · 16/04/2009 22:22

Hi rosiemonster,

Your DS sounds like my DS! The good news is that my DS started to drop his morning nap around 11 months and things got massively easier... Now he is pretty 'flexible'! He needs a total of anything from 1.5-2 hours a day. Most of the time, he does a lunchtime nap. Goes to sleep around noon... And does anything from an hour to 2 hours. If we are out and about, we can 'push' his nap back to past one. Some mornings, I can put him to bed early (10 or 11am) and he will sleep for an hour or so. Then he only needs a quick nap on the move in the late afternoon. Also, you will find that once your DS starts walking (which my DS did at 13 months, he is now 14 months), he is SO active that he can barely keep awake and now sleeps in the car (he never used to!) and sometime even in his pushchair (unheard of in the past!). So fingers crossed for you that it WILL get better for you soon.

Ax

Orissiah · 17/04/2009 17:04

Until her 8 month birthday, my LO napped the longest out of all the babies in her baby group (30mins to 1 hour in morning, 1 hour at midday and 1.5 hours in the afternoon; and also slept 7am through 6.30am). I was so housebound as she rarely slept in the buggy - only in her cot.

Then suddenly around 9 months, she could sit up and roll around and crawl and her daytime napping reduced drastically - she simply was too engaged with the world and exploring it to want to sleep. Suddenly I could get out and about with her more.

Now she is in her 10th month and she has started childcare - lots of activities are going on and she is now fighting her morning nap. I can see her dropping it soon. And she'll only sleep around 1 hour after lunch. She still sleeps though the night. The childminders get to do alot with her now she deson't sleep so miuch.

Point being, her naps will reduce and may reduce very very quickly, so you will be more tired (!!!) but will have more flexible days!

O

Original poster

rosiemonster · 17/04/2009 20:41

Thanks all for the encouragement. I have tried skipping the morning nap and just ended up with a very grouchy baby who was no fun to be with. Perhaps I need to try again in a few weeks. I do appreciate the time I have to myself (for exciting housework and a siesta!) but it does annoy me that there is nothing on mid-afternoon, when I can guarantee he'll be awake.

I could try him again in the pushchair, but the problem I had before was that it would take at least an hour of pushing (with no stopping!) before he fell asleep, by which point I was exhausted.

Or maybe it will all get better if he ever sleeps through the night!

OP posts:

angel1976 · 18/04/2009 11:24

rosiemonster, it will happen. Trust me! I remember weeks of DS being tired mid-morning but would scream if I dare put him in a cot and after lots of 'persuasion' he would sleep for 20 minutes! It's a difficult period what you are going through. DS is now so much easier... Especially with sleeping well through the night too! He used to sleep through but would whimper and make little cries through the night that kept me awake through the monitor. Now he's pretty much dead to the world at night. And I can't believe I am preggers with the second... Argh!