Naps... Help?

[RenF]

I wonder if anyone can help me? Or even reassure me!

My daughter is 10 mths old. Day time naps have always been a bit of a mystery to me. Currently she is having three half hour naps per day. But she frequently changes her napping routine, seemingly regardless of what I do! Quite recently she was having two at least hour long naps per day, occasionally having two hours in the afternoon. When she was very wee she would sleep for three hours in the morning and then not the rest of the day!

I try not to let her get overtired, and put her down for naps when she is tired, we have a nap time routine, and I've spent days and weeks at home trying all sorts of things to establish better naps (ie this mythical long afternoon nap I hear others speak of!)

I genuinely wouldn't be bothered if she didn't nap at all, but she basically struggles to stay awake for more than two hours at a time, and then only has these tiny naps, which really make going anywhere or doing anything quite difficult.

She sleeps pretty much 12 hours at night so nothing to complain about there.

So- can anyone relate/explain or advise? Or, should I just leave well alone and hope starting nursery at the end of the month sorts it?!

Thanks...

[Bumpkin]

Being well past this, all I can say is if at 10 months she's sleeping 12 hrs at night time I wouldn't care what she did during the day!!! I wouldn't worry too much about timing of naps in the day - can she nap in the buggy so that you can get out with her? They change routine quite rapidly over the first 18 months and get more into the longer lunchtime nap once they are walking in my experience.

[minder]

I think I would accept the erratic daytime naps for now. As Bumpkin says once your daughter is more mobile I think you'll find she will have one long nap (probably after lunch).

You're very lucky that you have a 10 month old who is sleeping 12 hours!

[RenF]

Thanks Bumpkin- I know the 12 hours at night is brilliant and I'm sure lots of people will think I'm being overly picky... But, it's not that I want her to nap for my sake, more her own. She just seems so tired throughout the day, she struggles to sleep in her Pram unless it's constantly moving and often by the time we've got to an activity or group for her, she's ready to sleep which is a bit frustrating, so we spend a lot of time at home.

[snowboarder]

At home nap times does she settle herself to sleep in her cot?

[RenF]

Yes, sometimes she struggles (ie if teething, as she is now), but 9 times out of 10 she settles after a cuddle.

[snowboarder]

Hmm. Maybe find a quiet week and try to be really strict about timings? Like a 9am and 1pm sleep. The challenge is to do a morning nap - go out for a bit to park/group, get back for lunch (without crashing in buggy!), lunch and then down for nap. If she wakes after 30/40 mins maybe don't rush to get her for and see if she will settle back?

[RenF]

Hi snowboarder, thanks, I've done that a couple of times and occasionally manage to get a slightly better routine going, but eventually she just seems to end up exhausted, and I feel like I'm forcing her to do something unnatural.

Yes, leaving her when she first stirs does sometimes result in a bit more sleep so maybe I will persevere with that.

It's quite strange and I don't really know anyone with babies the same age who nap like she does!

I worry a bit about nursery because I just can't see her getting through the day without a complete melt down as I think they'll struggle to let her sleep so often. I'm kind if hoping they might know some magic to help her nap more efficiently!

[snowboarder]

To reassure - my first son (now 3!) napped like that, generally in his buggy. At 11m I launched nap-gate, and persevered with an iron will (but he did not self settle and did not sleep at night, so the stakes were somewhat higher!!). It actually took about a month of being tediously regimented about it, and then remained failry strict on napping mostly at home etc. Having an early lunch helped...

Good luck...we didn't have to face nursery but I understand they keep going much better there!!

[RenF]

Thanks Snowboarder, good to know she isn't the only randomn napper!

[Annie456]

Mine had 3 x 30 mins per day and at around 10 months he dropped the late afternoon one. It wasn't until he started walking that he really went for long and regular naps though and you'll only be a few months away from that sl possibly wait and see what happens then..and nursery will definitely sort things out. 12 hours a night...ahhh we've just had our first 12 hour night after 13 months..long may it continue! X

[Cheryl_M]

I have a 10 month old and I never know from one day to the next when she is ready for a nap! She's at nursery 2 days a week and most of the time when I pick her up, they tell me she's only slept for 30mins the whole day which is so weird because when she's at home with me, she will do what your little one is doing, have a few little naps. Maybe I'm boring company for her lol!

I know what you mean, its a struggle if they are a bit whingey because they are tired but I think the other people are right in saying that when she gets more mobile she will settle into a better routine. Thats what I'm keeping my fingers crossed for! Good luck.

[KateW]

Part of me thinks that if she is sleeping 12 hours at night, I wouldn't change anything! BUT, I know when my daughter was that age (she's nearly 2 now), I relished those lovely 2 hour+ naps after lunch. At 10 months old, my DD was on one short nap in the morning and a big nap after lunch. The logic being that a quick cat nap kept her going in the morning and a long nap after lunch meant she was nice and refreshed and ready for an afternoon of fun, plus she ate well at tea as she wasn't tired and cracky. Also meant she went to bed easily as not overtired. BUT, it meant waking her from her morning nap, and not everyone is prepared to do that. (Why, I don't know!) Anyways, I would put her down in her cot around 9.30am, she'd nod off after about 15 mons and I let her sleep 15 mins then woke her. This meant we were out of the house just after 10am and had the morning to do stuff. Home by 12pm, lunch then in bed about 12.30pm, took about 10 mins to nod off, then woke her after 2 hours (she sometimes stirred, but I would leave her to resettle, which she did 9/10). If I had let her sleep for longer in the morning (so half hour or more), she would have only slept for one sleep cycle (35-45 mins) after lunch as she would not have been tired enough to go back to sleep. She would then have been cranky all afternoon. At 14 months, we dropped her morning nap and brough her lunchtime nap forward slightly, until she got used to it, then it was about 1-3/3.15pm for ages, now at 2 years, she has an hour from 1.30-2.30pm. I still miss her lovely long naps! (We cut it shorter when she started waking earlier in the morning).

Hope that helps! (BTW, you may find that if she does the above, she might reduce her night time sleep, as she'd go from 1.5 hrs to 2hr 15 mins naps, which might reduce her night sleep).

[RenF]

Thanks for the replies all- a few bits to think about for sure, and interesting to hear that she's not the only one who has done or is doing the short/randomn nap thing.

I've always been a bit nervous of waking her up from naps, although I know some people find it a really effective way to get a good routine going.

I think with nursery starting in three weeks, I might see how that impacts on her and take it from there.

Edited to add: Oh, and sods law- she's been asleep for an hour this morning so far, so looks like another change is on its way. Funny thing. :)