what to do when we miss the nap time?

[nicolas]

Hi all,
overall EASY is going well when I can plan my days well. Jordan follows it very closesly. But when something happens (as it often does at this time of year) and he misses his nap slot, I am not sure what to do.  For example, there have been a few times that it was 30 minutes before his next feed and he had missed his nap. He was obviously exhausted, so I tried to put him down, but it got to close to feeding. He bf and then went straight to sleep after burping.

How do I get the day back on track when that happens.  Obviously, prevention is better, but when things don't work out, what is the best remedy?

Thanks so much, and merry christmas!

Liana

[~Sara~]

Hi Liana--Yeah, some days are just like that.   I've found that when things get off, some days will right themselves and others, we just make it through until bedtime.  What I've always tried to do is stick to the Es, and build A times/naps around those as needed. 

I think you did the right thing in just feeding him and letting him go down for his nap.  Once he has a full nap under his belt, he'll be able to do a full A time again.  Let's say that your LO sleeps for 1.5h.  That means that his day probably looked like this:

Awake at 7
E: 7
A: normally ~1h20 (right?)
S: normally ~8:20

But, he did this:

A: until 9:30
E: 9:30
S: 10

Something like that.  So, he'd sleep until about 11:30/12.  Just feed him at 12:30 (or 3 hours from when he last ate), and do have him asleep 1h20 after he woke.

Because every situation could be different, it's hard to say exactly how to get the day back on track.  But, by sticking to E times, trying to get full naps in, and making sure that you're doing what you can to avoid more OT/OS, then that's what's best.  Don't be discouraged if you just have an off day.  Just start afresh tomorrow!