Advice re: 2-1 nap timing/school run?

[laurenhendo]

Hi all

I have a gorgeous DD who is now 10 months and we are having a few issues with naps, so here goes:

My DD wakes at 7/7:30 each morning (still has a night feed around 4:30/5am) and can easily stay awake until 11am. I have been putting her down at 11am and she's been sleeping around 2 hours, sometimes more (but i usually wake her after 2 hours). So when she wakes at 1pm, she has lunch, a play etc, and we normally go to pick her sister up from school. The issue is that she is not tired enough for a nap until 5pm, which is way too late imo for her to be sleepy at bt.

So what am i to do? I have tried putting her down earlier, but she's not interested in sleeping till around 11. I have tried capping her 11am nap at 45mins/1hr, but then she's due to go down for her long nap around the time i have to pick her sister up from school.

The only solution and what we have been doing is to let her keep here 11-1nap and then let her have a quick snooze in the car around 3-3:30 when we are driving home from picking her sister up from school. What time would i aim for bt if she only has 30 mins of a pm??

Sorry for all the questions...not sure where to go from here!!

LH

[laurenhendo]

Bumping for advice...anyone??

[creations]

Hi there
Sorry you didn't get any BTDT advice.

10 months is likely too early to go to just 1 nap, but it is the time when naps start going off track with the 2 to 1 approaching.

Personally I'd keep to what you are doing now, the long am nap and letting her have a CN on the school run in the afternoon.  You could try as early as 6pm for EBT, she might add extra sleep onto her night.  You might also try letting her have longer for the morning nap too which would help her get through the day...and then, in time, gradually move that nap closer to lunch time so her one nap becomes more like 12.00 - 2.00/3.00 and she wakes in time for the school run.  Just an idea, nothing is set in stone on these transitions and for a while you need to kind of go with the flow.

hope this helps some x

[laurenhendo]

Hey there.

Thanks so much for the advice..it's tricky as i need to leave for the school run about 2:15 which is quite early but school is about 20 mins away....sigh!

Today was a bit nd of a disaster...the CN didn't happen until 4, and i capped it at 20 mins, but even by 7:30 she was still wiiiide awake, which i was surprised at. Not sure at all of what to do tomorrow, one of the mums at school who was a BW mum said she let her LO nap in the car after the am drop off and then they had their long nap from 12:00-2:00, then an early BT...sounds workable to me....do you think that would result in OT in any area???

Thanks again for your help

[laurenhendo]

that is, if my LO is actually interested in sleeping in the car on the way back from the school drop-off....i'm thinking if i take her paci she might be a bit more prepared to have a little snooze....

[creations]

that is, if my LO is actually interested in sleeping in the car on the way back from the school drop-off

I was just wondering this before I scrolled down and saw you'd had the thought yourself

The things is, whatever you find works is what works.  I know that doesn't sound like much help but you don't have to do things exactly the way others have/do.  You might find if you let her sleep as long as she wants for the 11am nap you can get through to BT without a CN (and like I said gradually move that towards 12.00).  It's REALLY early to be going down to one nap but if it works for your LO and your family commitments such as the school run then that means it works.  My DS went to one nap at 11/12 months, it's still not 'perfect' at 14 months as there is an adjustment period and it's to be expected that the routine will go off for a while.  I would continue to offer a CN (either in the car or after you get home) even if it is short and even if it leads to a later BT for a while, keep in mind it is a long transition period not an overnight change.
My DS very very rarely sleeps more than 2 hrs for his one nap so although you need to leave the house at 2.15 this might still be workable when the time comes iyswim.  For a while when he moved to one nap we had only a 1.5hr nap but a 13hr night (brilliant!).  He then sometimes had a very brief CN in the car on the way to toddler group at around 9.15am, something I NEVER thought he would do, so it could well be that your LO also ends up with a brief nap on the way to/from school although I don't think you can make her

[laurenhendo]

Thanks again so much for the advice...my lo took a little nap in the car this morning and then had her big nap from 12-2:15, then early bedtime...and we avoided the OT monster

[creations]

Wow, you shifted that around quickly!
Great day then!

Don't be at all surprised though if it's still bumpy, needs tweaks, gets you all confused etc etc because I think it's pretty normal with the 2-1 drop.
But I do hope it continues to be plain sailing for you and your LO

[laurenhendo]

heheh yes i was thinking yesterday was a fluke, so we will see how we go today