Nap schedule-Work days versus at home days (Long..SORRY)

[TDR'smom]

Hi All,

Hoping to get some advice!

I work 2-3 mornings a week at a local gym in their playroom watching children who's mothers/fathers are exercising.  I am fortunate enough to be able to take my ds along with me.  He has been going with me since 4 months old.  He is now almost 13 months.

The hours I work are from 9AM-noon.

Here is the problem, until a few months ago he would always nap in the playroom for about 30-45 minutes.  Just enough to get him through the morning and then take a good long nap in the afternoon when we got home.  Now with him being so mobile and aware, he absolutely refuses to go down for any type of nap while I'm at work.  I have tried rocking him (bad I know), bringing his lovey and blanket with me...nothing works.  So what happens is that he get a little fussy towards the end of my shift and then falls asleep either in the car on the way home or right when we get home.  Then because he is overtired he wakes up in about 2 hours (normally a great nap but not when it is his only nap of the day) because then we have trouble keeping him up till his normal bedtime.  We are afraid to put him to bed earlier on those days for fear he will be up early the next day and mess up his routine.

Here is his routine for when we do not go to work...

6:30-7AM-wake
7:30-Breakfast
9:00-Nap (1-1 1/2 hours)(Usually closer to 1 1/2)
Noon-lunch
1:30PM-Nap (1-1 1/2 hours)(Usually closer to 1 1/2)
3:30PM-Snack
6:00PM-Dinner
7:30PM-Bath, Bottle, Bedtime by 8PM

This has been his routine when we go to work:
6:30-7AM-wake
7:30AM-Breakfast
9-noon-At work (lunch before we leave)
12:15PM-Fast asleep from being up so many hours
2PM-awake from nap
3PM-Snack
6PM-Dinner
7:30PM-Bath, Bottle Bedtime by 8PM

Between 3PM till Bedtime, he is extremely whiny and fussy as he is still tired.  Tried to put him down for cat nap around 4:30PM but does not work.

At work, I only have a little bit of time to try and get him to nap as we are attending to other infants and children.  Even if I had more time, I think that he would not nap there. 

Any ideas from you wise Baby Whisperers on how to adjust his routine?  Again, I am only there 2 mornings a week, sometimes 3. 

Thanks to any of you who read this entire post!

 

[TDR'smom]

Any Advice anyone?!?!?!??

[HeatherC]

I think that at his age you are going to find it hard to get him to nap in such a busy environment (unless he is an angel temperment).  Therefore, you should go ahead and put him to bed earlier on the days he misses nap time.  I seriously doubt that it will cause him to wake earlier simply b/c he is making up on lost sleep.  I have always put my dd to bed earlier on days her naps were short for whatever reason, and I still do at 16 months old.

[TDR'smom]

Thank you HeatherC and congrats on the pregnancy.

So does your dd still take 2 naps?

[HeatherC]

Thanks!

No, she's on one nap, but some days even now she's more tired than usual and I put her to bed early, like 30 mins.  I'd like for her to nap for at least 2.5 hrs, and some days it's only just under 2 hours.  These are usually the days she will go to bed earlier.

[TDR'smom]

So do you think that it is all right that DS is on 2 different schedules depending on if I have to work or not?  Do you think it is harming him in any way to miss that morning nap 2 days, sometimes 3 days a week? 

He does not get overly fussy, but I can tell he is really tired.

[HeatherC]

Many babes of working parents have different schedules for work days versus non-work days.  At his age, I think he can be fairly flexible and able to go with the flow.