Naps..?

[snowboarder]

Sorry - I know there have been discussions on this before, but as part of big attempt to get babySB to sleep better I'm looking at a nap overhaul too. So the 2/3 rubbish half hour naps in the buggy are OUT. Cot sleeping is in. He's 11 months old - and I think I should be looking at 1/2 daytime naps. I tried 2 yesterday and it went badly wrong, and I ended up with a baby who slept from 9-9.30am, and then not again till he went to bed at 7 as had to abort the afternoon nap due to hysterics!! Today tried for one nap but again only 50 mins, albeit in the middle of the day, but had to physically stop him falling asleep in the buggy. Some advice please on what other babies of similar age do and when would be fab.

All so tricky and would be good if we could fit in our usual morning activities too!!

Sorry to bang on about sleeping again...!!

[candj]

Can you try getting him to sleep right after lunch at around 1pm? I remember my kids outgrowing the two naps in the day at around that age (used to sleep from 9-10 and then again about 1-3). Keep him awake in the morning and partake in physical activities like running around in the park, playdates or softplay, etc., so that after he is fed lunch he'll be tired and ready for sleep.

I hope it works out soonest.

-C

[melbourne groover]

Well this is just my experience...

It will take a week or so (obviously quite painful) to get truly into the swing of it. But once they are over 5 months I have found 2 naps a day an early one - approx 2 hrs after first get up (should not be too long at 11 months), then another one straight after lunch at around 1 - 1.30 for approx 2 hours. After approx 12/15 months just one nap straight after lunch.

Try not to let them sleep after 4pm.

Perserverance is the key mainly for your own sanity. That big nap is my saviour, get stuff done, play with older child (hmm possibly not as much as I should), cook dinner etc, even (whisper it) an occasional nap when desperate (i.e epic teething/sickness bugs currently being experienced).

All kids are different, but most can be coerced into the nap routine. This then means your playtime is the same is everyone elses (approximately) and those catch up coffee's etc are all possible.

Hang in there. You will make it ;-)

Good luck.

[Ann]

This takes me back. I can't remember exactly when mine went to a one nap a day schedule but it's probably wise to let that one be decent one if you want the child to last without a further nap. I agree with melbourne groover, a decent one to two hours can be a real lifeline for getting things done or having a well earned rest.

I remember my childminder telling me with delight that my (then baby) daughter had had two 2 hour sleeps in the day! I couldn't blame her for allowing it, if I was a childminder I'd have done the same.

All I can suggest is that you allow the post lunch sleep to be a good one, avoid a mid morning sleep if you can and don't take him out in his buggy at those 'vulnerable' times.

Good luck snowboarder. On a lighter note you wouldn't believe the decibels my voice reaches when attempting to extract my sixteen year old daughter from her bed on school days. That may seem like a luxury to some of you with very young children, I'm not saying it gets easier, it just gets different!

[Fuschia]

Sorry I forget the ages but for a while 2-3-4

(Nap no later than 2h after waking, then again 3h after thatm then bed 4h later)

so up at 7, nap at 9-10, nap again 1-2.30, bed 6.30 onwards

Then later the first nap went and we ended up with a nap from 12-2 every day.

I think naps sort of got into a pattern from about a year old, and the lunchtime only nap, from about 17m

[snowboarder]

Basically I would LOVE to have a chunky post lunch nap. Tried this today and had to bolt home at 11 as he was so sleepy, had to carry him to avoid sleep in buggy (broke back practically) and then he crashed before lunch and only had 50 mins sleep. Yesterday the 2/3/4 schedule which I think is more acheivable due to short napping tendancy came a cropper when he refused second nap. Suppose just need to settle into a pattern but grrr!

[alibo]

My little one started nursery this week and he is already into their routine, which I am going to copy this weekend. I had not managed to do this myself, and he definitely would not sleep during the day in the cot, but they have done it no problem.

They are following Melbourne Groover's advice above with an early nap about 9 to 9.30 and then a couple of hours straight after an early lunch so 12.30 ish.

The nursery does have a very full routine though which I think is quite hard to follow when you have things to do during the day and may be a factor. This means they are pretty shattered when they get home as well, zonking out at 7.30 now and sleeping until 6, he hasn't got any time for me anymore!

[Belle]

Fuschia - when do you do lunch with a 12-2 nap? This is what am struggling with at the moment - today it meant lunch was at 2.30 so he wasn't v hungry by tea. We're all out of sync as he's v poorly so not representative but curious to know how you fit it in.

(Sorry SB for quick hijack!)

[snowboarder]

No no, am interested too as babysb always seems to be tired and hungry at the same time - hence neither sleeps well nor eats well.....!

[pebbles]

SB - when he slept in his pram, if you were to keep moving would he stay asleep for longer than 50 mins? I don't know whether this is right but i'm thinking it's better for him to learn to sleep for longer than 50 mins and once he's got to grips with that then he should learn to go to sleep in cot!!!

So, perhaps if he does stay asleep in pram then you would need to walk walk walk for then length of time he wants to sleep in the hope that he stays asleep. Perhaps when this has happened and he is used to sleeping for a bit longer then you can approach the cot option?

If however he doesn't sleep for longer than 50 mins in pram even when you're moving then agh, i'm not sure.

I pray you find a solution that works.

Good luck

[snowboarder]

pebbles Wrote:

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> SB - when he slept in his pram, if you were to

> keep moving would he stay asleep for longer than

> 50 mins? \

Sometimes yes, mostly no!! Just need to let things settle I suppose, but tricky when need to get on with life too!

[nunheadmum]

Would it work to give him a morning nap and then a slighly later lunchtime nap, more afternoon nap? I remember my youngest was on this kind of schedule for a while - sort of 9am and then 2 or 3-ish. Was awful for socialising as eldest went down at 1-3 and then youngest went down as she got up. But it's what seemed to suit her.

[Moos]

Moosling always napped in his pram in the early days, never got beyond 45 minutes, ie one sleep cycle, while I marched grimly round and round the park. He only started to sleep properly (and now he's a great sleeper) once he started to nap at home.

If he's exhausted by 12, would a 15 minute mini-nap at 9 help him tide over till lunchtime?

And really agree with candj about fresh air and exercise in the morning. Suggest when he wakes after one sleep cycle try to encourage him to back to sleep. Hopefully if you persevere he'll get the trick.

Best of luck!

[The Nappy Lady]

SB, I think if you stick with it he will start to sleep for longer than 50 mins, this is probably linked to the learning to resettle - after 50 mins he probably came into a light sleep and woke up, and isn't yet quite sorted in terms of settling back down....but if you keep going with it he will be. Also, my girls lunch time nap varies from 1 to 2 hours (and today was a rubbish 40 mins, down to molars coming), so it can vary anyway.

Re lunch - what I do now is - breakfast at 8am, then off to playgroup where all very busy, but there is food on offer - fruit, toast, milk so baby tends to be snacking most of the morning. If not there I'd offer her similar snacks anyway at about 10/11ish.

Home for 11.30am and usually between then and 1pm she will crash out (was always 11.30 to 12pm but has started to be able to last longer).

Then up after say 2 hours - must be by 3pm latest for school run and to ensure bedtime is not affected.

Depending how much she has eaten in morning I will offer another snack - can be something like a fruit pouch if need be as she can eat this on way to school in the buggy.

Then dinner is at 5pm and will be a proper meal with the 'big girls' - always seem to have a gaggle of children here after school these days. I find she eats REALLY well now at 5pm and I actually think it has improved since not trying to sit her down to a 'proper' lunch as well.

It took me a while to work this out as I too was a bit stuck for a while on how to work around the big nap.

Molly

[Moos]

By the way, I know what you mean about restrcting your life...it is fun being able to be out and about whenever you like... But honestly it will be worth it!

[Fuschia]

Belle Wrote:

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> Fuschia - when do you do lunch with a 12-2 nap?

> This is what am struggling with at the moment -

> today it meant lunch was at 2.30 so he wasn't v

> hungry by tea. We're all out of sync as he's v

> poorly so not representative but curious to know

> how you fit it in.

> (Sorry SB for quick hijack!)

We havwe to do it at two. Then tea at 5ish.

I would prefer to do it early, and sometimes we do it 11.30 but they go to the creche 10-12 and have a big fruit snack just before they leave and they're not hungry, plus I can't keep them awake anyway, so now we have breakfast 7am snack 11.30am lunch 2.15pm tea 5-5.30 and that seems to suit!!! I know a few mums who dash off from playgroups etc at 11.15 to get lunch in and bed at 12, but I'm not really the sort of person to be driven by routine.

[snowboarder]

nunheadmum Wrote:

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> Would it work to give him a morning nap and then a

> slighly later lunchtime nap, more afternoon nap?

> I remember my youngest was on this kind of

> schedule for a while - sort of 9am and then 2 or

> 3-ish. Was awful for socialising as eldest went

> down at 1-3 and then youngest went down as she got

> up. But it's what seemed to suit her.

Yes am thinking this might work. I'm not very good a reading the tired 'cues' - or I think I am then cross cross cross at being put in cot. As I say though we are on new regime so it has all been change.....and hopefully cot rage will lessen!

[Fuschia]

PS Sometimes tea is at 6, even (when Mr F gets home)

[The Nappy Lady]

> Yes am thinking this might work. I'm not very

> good a reading the tired 'cues' - or I think I am

> then cross cross cross at being put in cot. As I

> say though we are on new regime so it has all been

> change.....and hopefully cot rage will lessen!

He will learn to love his cot in time SB and it is soooo good when they do!

M

xx

[Moos]

What Molly said!

Babies are creatures of habit and they like what they know... once he gets used to it he'll start to think it was his idea.

[snowboarder]

Moos Wrote:

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> once he gets used to it he'll start

> to think it was his idea.

How long will this take, please?!?

[Moos]

I don't know sb... wish I could tell you. With my son it took about a week for the breakthrough after which he slept much better, and after that it was the usual back-and-forth gradual improvement.

During nap time I made him stay in his cot even when he was hopping mad, which was hard to do, just went in and shushed him every couple of minutes so he knew he wasn't on his own. Not everyone's cup of tea, I do realise.

[Pickle]

My two have one 1.5 - 2 hour nap after lunch like most others have already said. In the early days we did lunch at 11.30am, as they were more than ready for bed at 12. These days (youngest 20 months) lunch is any time from 11.30 - 1pm depending on what we're doing, and they sleep afterwards. I never let them sleep later than 3pm.

My daughter took a while to settle into a long lunchtime sleep, but perserverance was the key, and these days she asks to go to bed - result!

Stick with it. Life is definitely a whole lot easier if you can get a bit of a break early afternoon. I always start each naptime with good intentions of doing housework/cooking/washing, but end up sitting watching Loose Women and wasting time online ;-)

[verds]

My baby is 11 months too. She generally gets up at 7, then is back in bed by 10 for an hour and a half. Then she'll grab half an hour's kip at 3.30 - if she misses that we have meltdown by 6.

But that leaves no time for activities in the morning, which is when the good stuff's on. Oh, and I got her into this habit by doing the one thing the books warn against - walking her round the park until she's asleep. In fact, it's only been the last couple of months that she's napped in her cot, and she'll always have a small strop before falling asleep.

It's hard - good luck!

[Fuschia]

I found we could manage mornng activities whle they had a morning nap by leaving very eely.. so getting in the car at 8.45 for scbool drop, or int the buggy, and making our way to the actvity (by which time they'd be asleep) snd then waking them up at 10.30, say