Nap time

If your child has 1 nap per day, what time is it and how long does it last?

We get 3 hours some days but more often we are only getting 40mins.

2 months ago it was soooooooooooo hard to get Elle to 1 nap and by 11.30 she'd be out like a light. Now she is still going a million miles at 12.30 and when I put her down she plays then only sleeps 40 mins.

I think I must be missing her sleep window and getting her overtired. This nap is not long enough and by 5 she is a crying mess.

She usually does 2.5 to 3 hours but the 40mins have JUST started in the last 2 weeks (she does them at her Nana's and has done it three times now at home).

She was going down at 11.30...now it is more like 12.50 so I think the naptime is too late and she is getting overtired. Overtired = short naps.

Yeah so I probably am letting her get overtired. We go out in the morning and I take the opportunity to squeeze in as much as I can but then it backfires with an overtired child. I use her naptime to do work too so need her to sleep! She definately needs 2 hours.

Will try to put her down when she first shows tired signs around 11.30.

I just hope 2 weeks of going down closer to 1pm doesn't mean she won't go down earlier!!!!

Stupid me. GAH!!!!!   I get so stressed when she gets overtired as she gets so upset in the late afternoon.

I'm so angry with myself as now I'm behind with everything, have an upset tired child AND have had to cancel dinner plans at the in-laws 'cause Elle will be a screaming mess by 6pm.

Edited by FionaS

Thought I'd reply too, my DD usually naps around 1:30-2pm, for an average of an hour and a half or occasionally two. When she is in care and I'm at work though, she'll sometimes go down as early as 12:30 and sleep for roughly the same length of time. We've also just moved her bedtime from 7:30pm back to 7pm and there haven't been any issues with this yet, she is 20 months.

We were naughty and Elle was up until 12.30 again and we've ended up having to put her back down now as she wouldn't stop crying as she was so tired.

I am a bit scared that she will be so used to going down close to 1 and only doing 40mins that we won't be able to undo it.

I'll try being more strict from tomorrow and hope like crazy she goes back to her good nap. I so hope I haven't created a monster.

We've had to cancel our plans again today. That is 3 times this week that our plans have had to change because of a short nap.

Edited by FionaS