should i wake dd tomorrow morning?

[ilovetochat]

dd is 2.4 and normally naps 2-4pm and i wake her at 4pm or she would sleep longer, then she sleeps 9pm till 7am so 12 hours in total.

lately she is napping later and is harder to settle.

today i put her in the cot for her nap but she wouldnt settle, was very lively and when i went in she said light on please ive had a rest now, so i got her up and she hasnt slept all day.

tonight she went to sleep at 9pm despite starting bath at 7.30 (had visitors or would have been earlier).

do i wake her at 7 or let her sleep 12 hours (if she will)?

Sleep patterns are learned habits and can be reprogrammed. DD is a 'sleeper' so your problem is easier than if she found it hard to sleep all night. Set the routine that works for you- at 2.4 it is not unreasonable to replace the long afternoon nap with an after lunch quiet time- sitting/lying with her, reading to her etc. If she was at nursery she would be active most of the day. I suggest a 7pm to 7 am routine. This will reap benefits as she gets older and establishes good sleep habits and no bedtime staying up battles. If she does not have the afternoon nap she will be ready for sleep earlier in the evening.
It seems she has got used to the comparitively late bedtime which is why she resisted sleep last night- yes, wake her up at the normal time and gradually reduce daytime sleeping. She is already telling you she is ready for this.

thanks for the reply, , well i woke her at 7 as i want her to get up early and go to sleep earlier than she has been.
at 2pm i put her in the cot but she said she wasnt tired, so i gave her a book and milk and told her to rest and i left her there 20 mins (not sure if this is a reasonable thing to do) while i hoovered. after 20 mins she was wide awake and shouitng so i got her up and she sat and played while i cleaned up a bit (stuff i normally do during her nap) so she hasnt slept again all day.
wasnt expecting this tbh, suddenly to swap 2 hrs a day for nothing is drastic, but maybe she will sleep a couple of times a week? so she is in the bath now and we are aiming at an earlier night, fingers crossed.