Quick question - need your advice please

[sonimusical]

Hi Moms -

My daughter is almost 15 months and has avg sleep needs. She usually sleeps 11 hours at night and 2-2:30hr nap. ( She is on one nap since about a month now ). Things were going perfect until about 5 days ago with her routine. This is what her routine has been since she's shifted to one nap:

A: 7am
S: 12 noon - 2-2:30pm
Sleep for the night : 7:30-8pm

Her morning A time was 5 hours and after nap A time was 5hr30mins and we had a good routine. However it looks like both her A times are increasing. Since past 5 days she's taking longer to go down for her nap and wants to play. For example, her A time this morning before her nap was almost 5hr30 mins and she slept for 2hr30mins - She was up from her nap at 2:30pm but then evening A time again she didnt want to sleep, she wanted to play. She was tired, but not enough tired to sleep. She finally slept at the 6hr A time.

My question is that considering that she slept at 8:30pm today and will most likely wake up close to 7:30am, that puts her nap around 1pm and if she does her usual 2 hrs or 2hr30 mins, this will push back her bed time at night too. How do you guys make this work ? What is the minimum length of nap should I cap it out at ?

Any suggestions ? Also as they grow older, their A time increases, does that shift their bed time later and later too ?? I would really like her in bed no later than 8:30 at night !!! How much sleep does a 15 month baby need - day time and night time ?

Thanks in advance !

[*Becky*]

Hi there,
I think you have 2 choices really. You can either push out the am A time to 5.5 and then let her have her usual nap and a later bedtime or you can cut the nap back to 2 hours.
As they get older what tends to happen is that their nap gets gradually later and shorter so at 2.5 for example, they might be napping at 1 or 1.30pm for an hour.
I have to say that it does all depend on the lo. Some get OT much more easily than others, some do longer nights and shorter naps and some do the opposite.
15 months is still quite young so I think I would push that first A out to 5.5 A and then try and keep 5.5 after but maybe have a active afternoon and see if that helps. If she is still taking a while to settle then I would cut 15 mins off the nap.
What do you think?
Becky

15 month olds generally need an average of about 13 hours in 24. My lo was doing about 13 at that age, never more but he is on the lower end of sleep needs.

[babybarr]

I agree with Becky, I think if you are getting an 11hr night then you may have to cap that nap to 2hrs and see if that helps?

[sonimusical]

Thanks for your msgs. Here's my update - Since 2 days now, we're having EWs. I believe that they are UT EWs because she is waking up babbling and in a good mood. She is sleeping 10.5 hrs at night.

Day before she napped for 2hr30mins so yesterday I cut her nap by 15 mins and still this happened so today I guess I will cap her nap at 2 hours and then give her 6 Hr A time because at night she's taking longer to sleep.

Her evenings are busy enough I thought - She is in the park for almost 2 hours, then play time at home with her dad, dinner, bath, bottle, brush and sleep...Anything else I can do to get her more tired ?? LOL, I'm usually so tired by her bedtime already !

[*Becky*]

Day before she napped for 2hr30mins so yesterday I cut her nap by 15 mins and still this happened so today I guess I will cap her nap at 2 hours and then give her 6 Hr A time because at night she's taking longer to sleep.

Try that and let us know x