Keep the same naptime/bedtime for 16mo?

[Bera]

Hi all

I’ve read the suggestion to fix naptime and bedtime at the same time every day, for older babies and I’m wondering whether to apply this for my spirited 16mo. Our average routine is

WU 7.30
A 5hr
Nap 12.30-14.30

A 6hr
BT 20.30

I’m happy with that routine but it can vary, WU can be anywhere between 7-8.15 and the nap length can be 45mins - > 2hr (I usually wake by 2.30 at the latest to preserve bedtime, as he needs at least 6hr Atime after a good nap before he’ll settle to bed). If he wakes up significantly earlier or later than 7.30 then I tend to find that the day goes awry & the nap usually ends up being too short and the whole routine is thrown off.

Shall I stick to 12.30 nap and 20.30 bedtime regardless of WU and nap length? I do find that stretching him past 5 hrs in the morning is a real struggle. As a side note, he’s a good sleeper, sleeps through the night with an occasional WU around 5-6am (goes back to sleep after drinking water) and self settles at bedtime. 

[Haribo2012]

Hi id say your day looks very good, we did fax naps and BT at this age but with movement of 15 mins Ish either way if night was bad or nap short.

[creations]

WU can be anywhere between 7-8.15 and the nap length can be 45mins - > 2hr

To me this indicates your LO is self regulating his sleep which great - but he might manage even better on fixed nap and BT because he will know exactly when it comes each day. At the moment you are regulating nap and BT too so whilst you both have the same aim you might not being working in total harmony which could lead to the odd time you see the very early or very late WU which throws your day off.

I did set nap and set BT from 12 months. That doesn't mean it never ever changed...when he showed me it wasn't working for him (ie UT nap resulting in short nap) I would move the nap later and set it again. Set doesn't mean being rigid with something that isn't working.  And if there is illness then all bets are off but usually you can return to the set routine times reasonably well afterwards.

[Bera]

Thanks for your replies, I was having problems logging into my account for a few weeks so I gave up trying! Seems to be working again though 😊

We have pretty much fixed naptime at 12.30 +-15mins, which seems to work well bc we get long naps most days. But our wakeup seems to have moved from being 7.30ish to 6.30 which im struggling with. I’m not sure whether to wait until the clocks go forward in a few weeks and that might solve it or whether to tweak things. Our routine at present is

WU 6.30
A 6hours
Nap 12.30-14.30
A 6hours
BT 8.30

Ideally I would prefer WU 7/7.30 & bedtime 8pm but he just seems to need a long A time before BT to fall asleep and stay asleep. Shall I try an earlier nap instead? 12-2 so BT isn’t too late. Or try capping the nap at 1.5hours?

[creations]

If it was me I'd put up with the earlier time until the clocks change and hope that fixes it otherwise you have a whole routine shift to do now and then un-shift it when the clocks change.

In terms of the day length it looks like your LO is doing very well with a shorter night and longer nap. You might not like those times but it could be the most suitable for your LO and therefore offer you the least amount of fuss at nap/BT, the best length of sleeps and best quality sleeps meaning his mood is better too.  If it was me I'd accept the long nap and shorter night if my LO was in a good mood and easy to handle.
But yes you can try to tweak the routine. Many LOs are fine with a capped nap so you could reduce the nap by 15 mins and see how it goes for a week or two, then perhaps cap further if needed.
I wouldn't do an earlier nap to be honest as it looks like he might wake even earlier in the morning, but a set nap at the same time (or set at 15 mins later) but 15 mins shorter could help bring BT earlier and the night longer.

[Bera]

Hi Creations

Thanks for your reply. I think I’ll go with your first suggestion and wait for the time-change. After that, if it still needs a tweak then I’ll try your other suggestion.

You’re probably right about me accepting the long nap/shorter night, he is easy to settle at nap and bedtime and he mostly wakes up happy as Larry, so I can’t complain. I know some parents have babies who wake up much earlier than my LO so I have a lot to be thankful for 😊

[creations]

I know some parents have babies who wake up much earlier than my LO

Yep, mine was up at 5am for a long time, and sometimes 4.30am.  It took me a long long time to get him to 6.30am and that was bliss for me.  That said though I didn't ever plan a BT later than 8pm.  Only during a period from 25 - 31 months when he was preparing to drop naps altogether, he couldn't cope on short nap so I had to accept  earlier morning and later BT but it was only a few months and then he dropped the nap and did a full 12hr night.