Nap question

AmySmolos

Ds seems to fall asleep consistently on the weekends around 11 or 11:30 if we are in the car. I try to keep his weekday schedule which is nap at 1 so when we get home I wake him and he gets a second wind and then naps at 1. Would anyone do it differently? He wakes up between 5:30 and 6 and and naps at 1 usually for 1.5 hours. Bed is 7 to 7:30. Should we try an earlier nap time? I just don't know if the sitters can adjust it in the week.

SJandVA

That schedule seems ok to me. Especially if he's going down for the night that early.

ccam

For what its worth, I've read (not sure where or when) that if your LO is falling asleep in the car, they're not getting enough sleep. Anyway...our schedule at home is completely different than at daycare. In fact, he's down to 1 nap at daycare but religiously takes 2 at home. I don't know how he makes it until 12:30 / 1 during the week! He's ready for a nap 2 hours after waking up on the weekend. DS wakes between 5:30 - 6:30, naps around 9 and 2 and asleep by 7 while at home. I never saw the need to adapt to daycare's schedule.

AmySmolos

I think if we put him down around 11 that would be his only nap for the day. He switched himself to one nap a day at about 13 months because I was all for two naps as long as possible! He hasn't gone down in the morning in forever but around 11 I think he would. That just messes up his whole eating schedule too. I don't know. I might try it over thanksgiving when I have 5 days off and see how it goes to put him down earlier. I'm just torn because the sitters nap time is 1 and I don't want him too confused.

ccam

I totally get it. I just wonder if you put him down earlier, if he'd sleep longer. 1.5 hours doesn't seem like much but maybe my kid just likes to sleep! DS also seems to make up for lost sleep over the weekend.

PaisleyRuth

If it were me, honestly, I would avoid being in the car around that time, and if it was unavoidable, do everything I could to keep him awake or just accept that his naps would be off that day.  I think falling asleep in the car is pretty par for the course at this age, especially within a couple hours of nap time.  But it generally ruins their real naps for the day.  JME.

PaisleyRuth

If it were me, honestly, I would avoid being in the car around that time, and if it was unavoidable, do everything I could to keep him awake or just accept that his naps would be off that day.  I think falling asleep in the car is pretty par for the course at this age, especially within a couple hours of nap time.  But it generally ruins their real naps for the day.  JME.

austenfan919

That mini car nap and then regular afternoon nap is pretty much what we do every Sunday because of church. Of course, we are mostly back on a 2 nap schedule (9:30 and 2) since the time change. But if he gets 15 mins in the car on the way home from church, he seems OK after and will go down for a normal nap at 2. Doesn't seem to affect the rest of the day or that night's sleep, really.

I would avoid car rides at that time if I could, but I wouldn't sweat it if I were you as long as it doesn't seem to bother him.

cedenton

ccam said:

For what its worth, I've read (not sure where or when) that if your LO is falling asleep in the car, they're not getting enough sleep. Anyway...our schedule at home is completely different than at daycare. In fact, he's down to 1 nap at daycare but religiously takes 2 at home. I don't know how he makes it until 12:30 / 1 during the week! He's ready for a nap 2 hours after waking up on the weekend. DS wakes between 5:30 - 6:30, naps around 9 and 2 and asleep by 7 while at home. I never saw the need to adapt to daycare's schedule.

Ditto this except he's usually up around 6:30. Will nap around 9/9:30 and usually again around 2:30. Yesterday his second nap was really short (Saturday and the previous Sunday he took 2 two hour naps), but I think it was because of his cold and it was hot in his room.

AmySmolos

Thanks ladies. I feel he needs more sleep but he doesn't sleep in EVER and we are lucky to get a two hour nap out of him. I will remind him of this when he's a teenager...