Naps on the go?

[Chloevalentine]

My mom often invites us to her house which is about a 30/40 min ride and my lo
Who’s 19 months old naps from 1230-230 so it’s hard to go there to visit. He never sleeps in the car so I’m not sure he even wound. What do others do?

[becj86]

You can only try, right? IIWM, I'd probably go in the morning and jump in the car at 12:15 to go home. That way, he'd get a slightly earlier nap if he fell asleep in the car on the way home and you could try transferring him to his cot when you get home or you'll be home 15mins after he'd normally nap and he'd probably nap ok at home then.

Either way if it doesn't work out well, you can plan to be able to do an early BT that day.

Shifting your thread over to Sleeping for Toddlers.

[Chloevalentine]

I just don’t think that if he didn’t fall asleep in the car for an almost 40 min ride that he definitely wouldn’t then go down in his crib after being still for so long in car if that makes sense. How early of a bedtime if he didn’t get a nap? With school being out for his brother his naps are already difficult to get him down for these days.  Sometimes Id rather just decline the offer

[becj86]

Sometimes Id rather just decline the offer

Well this is the other option, or you could invite your mum to visit you...

If its difficult to get him down for a nap, why would it be more difficult if he was up for a bit longer? I often found the extra energy used in visiting relatives meant DS slept a bit earlier which is why I'm suggesting he might fall asleep in the car. I guess if you're unwilling to try and see what happens, that's your call but you'll also never know if it could work.

I would do a very EBT, say 2-2.5hr earlier than usual - it has to be drastic to have a chance at working because if it happens, the OT waking has to happen early enough in the night that its unreasonable to get up and you're motivated to resettle rather than sitting on the fence about it.   

[Chloevalentine]

I will probably see if he falls asleep on the car ride home. I know I can’t transport him to crib for sure but even a short snooze in the car is better than nothing. It happened once before where he didn’t fall asleep in the car and then I tried to bring him in to crib for nap and it took forever to settle then a short nap and he woke crying.

[Chloevalentine]

Do you think ot would settle in at this age after just missing one nap?

[eva026]

Personally, I’d leave early to get there for his nap. Put him down at your moms and then help make lunch.
Or decline the offer for lunch and just come for coffee and cake leaving after the nap. Mine never slept in the car more than 30min and would then sleep another 30min in the car back and ofc would refuse BT and we’d end up with her going to bed really late.

[becj86]

Maybe, you know your child best. Do you have loads of issues with OT?

[Haribo2012]

You have to live life so as much as naps are important so is seeing family. At that age mine would’ve  done mini 10 min CN on the way at say 9.30 then I’d give lunch there and set off home at nap time, but if you say he won’t sleep in the car I’d do nap at your mums and come home after.

[Chloevalentine]

We don’t have a crib at moms so I can’t put him down for a nap. Tbh we never miss naptime so I don’t know how he would handle it! I’ll probably just leave to come home around his naptime in hopes that he might doze off in the car at least for 30 mins and maybe do bedtime a bit early.

[Chloevalentine]

We ended up taking a 20 min snooze in car from 135-200. He usually naps 1215/30-230 and goes to bed around 730. Think I’ll try getting him to bed before 7?

[Haribo2012]

Good plan,