Specific situation - Advice on Working out of the house mother/mornings

ABombard12

So we have been wracking our brains trying to think of a way to do this and I thought I would see if any of you have a similar situation or some advice...worth a shot Nothing major...but...here it goes. So both DH and I work outside the home and LO goes to daycare (an at home centered licensed provider).  Our normal routine is getting up between 6-6:30am we all get up. LO wakes up and we all are up getting ready to leave. I leave the house with LO about 8:15/20 to get to daycare for 8:30-8:45 ish Well in the midst of getting ready I can always tell LO is tired and ready for a nap around 7:30am... we get in the car and he passes out most days and sleeps until we get to daycare (some days I will drive around to get him to at least a 20 min nap because I know he needs it). Well the other day daycare wasn't open until noon so DH stayed home with LO in the morning. He was up at 6:00 went down for a nap at 7:30 and took a 2 hour nap! When he got to daycare she said he had the best day ever! He is never really fussy but she said he was just great and made a joke about seeing me at 7:30 am tomorrow ha she was joking but it has me thinking...he needs that nap but I cant seem to figure out a way to get him that sleep in the morning. There is NOOOO way I can get him there for 7:30 and then if I do, its a long day at daycare because he wont get picked up until 5;30 and I really don't want to do that.... NOt sure if anyone has any similar experiences or if I am kind of just stuck and just need to keep driving around in the morning around 8:am

JenLovesDesign

It sounds to me like he needs to go to bed earlier.  What's his bedtime?

ABombard12

It is consistently between 7-7:30 the latest.... any earlier and I wont see him much after work (home at 5:30 most days)

tlc11934

That's plenty early!  My DD goes to bed around 9!  Do you notice that he needs a nap around 2 hours after waking?  That seems to be the pattern we're in.  On weekends she does nap, on weekdays she takes a 20 min nap in the car on the way to school and wakes up when we get there.  She just adjusts accordingly. 

Livvyloo87

I know it sucks but I think he needs to go to bed earlier - say 6:30.  We have the same problem with work and daycare and we get babe up at 6:30, at daycare by 7:30 and I get to work shortly after that.  I skip lunch and pick her up around 4 so I have a good 2.5 hours with her before her 6:30 bedtime.

Essentially I start work early and finish work early - is that an option for you? OR could you let him sleep in at home and get daycare to give him breakfast etc? 

missliz53

Could you let him sleep longer and wake him up just before leaving and have the daycare get him dressed and feed him breakfast? My mom did in-home daycare when I was growing up and she had a few kids that came in their pj's and she would get them dressed and they ate breakfast with us. 

ABombard12

I don't wake him up at 6/6:30 he is the one who gets up ha I think I may try putting him back down in the morning instead of opening the shades, etc.  There is no way I can leave work earlier or do the lunch thing ... I work through lunch as it is and some does depending on deadlines I don't get to pick him up so DH does. 

@tlc11934 This is us right now. Do you feel that adjusting your LO gets enough sleep? On the weekends he is up same time then naps from 7:30-9:30ish then is ready for another after lunch about 12:30...the rest of the naps during the day aren't as long as the first on the weekends but there are about three (the one long 2 hr one and then a couple little cap naps 40mins). Just feel during the week he isn't getting all of these...but I guess your right he adjusts...he isn't fussy or anything during the day. I just want to be sure hes getting enough sleep.

ElleMF728

Is it possible to put him down for a nap as soon as he gets to daycare around 8 am? My personal opinion is that I wouldn't worry about this particular issue or try to change anything schedule-wise.  It's really likely that your morning wake time will naturally increase in the next few weeks since 90 minutes is actually pretty short for this age so It would probably be surprising if it lasted too much longer. 

ABombard12

@elleMF728 I would love for daycare to go down for a nap when we first get there... however he is a mister nosey rosey and is ready to roll when we get there ha plus he has his little cat nap in the car (10-15 mins).  Good to know about the 90 mins! thank you!

keggen

I don't have any advice, but I know what you are feeling.  My LO spends a lot of time at daycare based on crazy commutes and I am sure would nap better if at home longer.  My LO is also a mister nosey so I think fewer naps is just part of the daycare life.

tlc11934

I think my LO is getting plenty of sleep. It's the aggregate of naps and overnight sleep.  I don't care much about a schedule or routine.  I feel like the baby will let me know if she's tired, upset, etc.  good luck! @ABombard12

kmcshane0211

Yes. At this age, I do think your LO could stretch that morning awake time. I say roll with the schedule as is for a week or so and stretch that morning awake time by 10-15 minute increments every few days. So, in a week or so (at this age, assuming LO is 9/10 months) wake up will be 6:30ish and nap will be 8:30ish when you arrive at daycare. 

ABombard12

Thank you everyone for your thoughts! I have paid attention to the aggregate time he is sleeping (whether it be little cat naps on the way then the nap at daycare, cat nap home, etc) and he is getting a good amount. So I think I will just let it roll.   Funny thing is now the past couple days he has been sleeping until 8:00am!? Love how they just switch things up on you in an instant!

FatPony

^just when you get things figured out, the little buggers change it up on ya