Missing the window - how do I get my LO to nap afterwards??

[Frogzy79]

My 4.5 months Touchy LO has been on a 3-3.5 hour E.A.S.Y. and we are currently working towards a 4 hour routine.  He is doing not too bad, there are good days and bad days for naps, but things are much better than they were before he was on a routine. 

My problem is: how do I get anything done without screwing up his entire day?  The last few times I went on short outings, either to get groceries or grab a quick coffee with a friend, I was unable to get home on time to put him down for his next nap (we're talking max 30 minutes late).  He fell asleep in the car for like 10-15 minutes and, when I got home and tried transferring him to his bed, he was wide awake and completely resisted going down at all.  Today, I tried putting him down 2 more times afterwards, and he again resisted.  He was up for 7 hours straight.

I absolutely see the benefits of having him on E.A.S.Y., but I'm getting more and more reluctant to go out and do anything, by fear of having to go through days like today again.  This is a bit isolating!!  Any suggestions???

[~Lori~]

(((HUGS)))  I hear you, as a mom to a nearly 12 week old Touchy.  I have been feeling "trapped" in my house for fear of going through a crazy day when I do decide to go out.

Do you have a baby carrier you could wear him in?  Sometimes when I go out and I know I might be longer, I'll put him in the Beco carrier I have and he'll fall asleep in there.  I sometimes just stay out (whether it's shopping/out with friends) until he wakes up and not have to do the transferring thing.

[Frogzy79]

I do have a carrier, but he only likes facing out so he can see stuff.  So he doesn't sleep in it either.  I did consider driving around longer today so he could sleep, but that doesn't seem like the most eco friendly way of approaching the problem hehe

[Papaya]

30 mins late is pretty long for a LO this age hun - and touchies do like their routine! Will he stay asleep in the carseat if you just stay parked in the driveway for a while (with you staying with him, obviously . OR, if it's just a little late, can you keep him awake til you get home by singing to him, giving him a toy to explore when he looks sleepy, etc? He might then be OT by the time he gets his nap but if he wakes OT you've got a better chance of resettling.

If you can't avoid the short nap, the trick is to find the right A time after it when he will be ready to go down again. If he can normally do around 1hr45, I would try for another nap an hour after a really small cn. Keep things fairly low key until then

Hugs, it won't be long at all until he's doing longer A times and it'll be easier to get out and about.

[Frogzy79]

Nuala - he seems to wake up pretty much as soon as the car is parked for a couple minutes.. I could however try and keep him awake during the car ride, thats a good point.  Now dealing with what I believe to be a growth spurt, so his routine is all outta wack.. sigh

[Papaya]

Ahh, everything goes out the window for a few days during a growth spurt Hope it comes right soon!

[Soriah]

I have this exact same problem and was just about to ask about it on the Forum before finding your post!  I'm finding it really tough to get out with my 6 month old because as soon as it gets even close to her nap time, she'll take a CN be in in the car, stroller or baby carrier.  I've been trying to keep her awake until we get home but sometimes it is impossible!  I'm also nervous because next month we will be flying cross country and will be arriving past her bed time on the way there and returning through her nap time.  Any suggestions??

[clazzat]

My first suggestion would be to keep trying to transfer him from car to crib - it is a learned skill that I have taught all 3 of mine, and it removes an enormous amount of stress in the days when naps are paramount. It took ds a long time to learn it, and a fair few busted naps and awful days, but it was really worth it - not least as the naps were busted anyway!

My second suggestion would be to look at the extent to which you can set the naps. Dd2 was/is touchy, and she coped much better on set naps. The easiest way to do it without having to push your lo into a routine that doesn't suit is to start the day at the same time every day - waking if necessary - so that the same a times result in naps being at the same time every day. After a couple of weeks of that, you can plan your day more easily around naps and get out and about a bit. At this age, you probably don't want to be too dogmatic about it if he is not napping well, but if that is what you are working towards you will probably find it falling into place relatively easily.