ideas

[Penut's Mom]

HI - wondering what suggestions you might have for a short PM nap.

My lo is 8 months and is having no problems with her first nap. in fact I am waking her at the 1 hour mark with an attempt to get 1.5 -2 for the PM nap. Our history includes 45 min naps... but since the 7 month mark she has been correcting this all on her own consistently for the am nap. If am lucky I will get 30 min in the afternoon. I have tried extending her A time and either I have not found the right amount or that is not the key???

typical day...
7wake & BF
8 Bfast
10-10:15 am nap
11 - 11:15 wake
11:30 bf
12:15 lunch
2:30 nap
3 wake & wonder how we are going to make it till 7/7:30
4bf
5 dinner
6:30 bath
7 bf
7:30 bed.

if we do not get her extra sleep between 3-7:30 then she will likely wake between 8-10. If she hears us going to bed at 10:30 she will wake. I've been working hard at letting her get herself back to sleep but sometimes she will get a feed here.

depending on if she is fed at 10:30 she can sometimes get to 7 without another feeding. if she does not feed at 10:30 then she will wake somewhere between 12 - 2:30.

We've also been experiencing some early wakes... I am not stressing about those. They happen when we have company over late and things get out of whack.

so...... my original questions ... how to cope or get through to bedtime with a short PM nap when MORE sleep is definitely needed.

Thanks, Tiffany

[debo620]

Hi there,
I think that if the afternoon nap is only 30min, then bedtime needs to be no later then 7pm. sounds as though she is probably OT by 7:30.

[Penut's Mom]

so you wouldn't attempt to help her get more sleep...ie car ride?

[debo620]

hmmm, well ideally the afternoon nap would be longer versus another catnap before dinner.
is she waking at exactly 30min or is it more like 40min?
30min is quite often overtired and 40min can be undertired.

have you tried to have the nap at 2pm instead?

[skatty]

I have very similar problems but have had some success in the last few days by extending her A time in the afternoon. I know it's not reccommended but I find that pushing her to almost exhaustion helps her pm nap, for example today we were at our mother and baby group and she was giving all the sleepy signals but then some of the babies were going for a dip in the paddling pool so my DD's eyes lit up and she had 15 mins of splashing and then was dried and dressed and then went down for her nap and slept nearly 1½ hours whereas she would normally have 30 mins.

[Penut's Mom]

have tried nap at 2. rec'd advice a while back about trying to get her more A time in the afternoon.

will relook at things again tomorrow. She is up now after 30 min. So... overtired it is. She didn't seem tired and even fought going to sleep. hmmm she is such a little monkey. Hard to read her sometimes.

She is cutting another tooth too! just felt it this morning. thanks.