I've always done whatever I can to preserve DD's nap "schedule" on weekends. She is a pretty good sleeper and never misses a nap (only at daycare, on occasion). She usually goes down between 11:30 and 1 pm and sleeps around 90-120 minutes. If possible, we plan to hang around at home or run quick errands in the morning, go home for nap, and save any big plans for afternoon/early evening.
Without a nap, she is a terror by 3 - 4 pm. She will fall asleep in the car if she's tired enough, but almost never stays asleep once we stop. Literally, when I shift the car into Park in the driveway, her eyes pop open. So weird.
Anyway, I'm just wondering if many of you still do the same. Second-time moms, when were you a little more flexible with naps and timing? I know some of you have babies that will sleep anywhere, but that has never been my DD. She will not sleep on the couch, in my bed, on the floor. Even stroller naps are rare and very brief. So I feel like I need to make sure she has an opportunity to take a good nap at home.
Re: How strict are you about naps on weekends?
Nancy James 9.1.12
Calvin Donald 8.27.14
I started getting a little bit more lax with naps for Maya when she started playing around more in her bed during naptime or fighting me on them. That's when I knew that, while she still needs some sleep, she isn't desperately tired and could probabbly wait a little longer to go down if necessary.
We are more relaxed about napping on the weekend. Usually they nap 12:30-2:30 during the week. We try to get them down by 2:00 at the latest on the weekend. We try not to be too set to the schedule because we go out of town a lot and it isn't always possible to be so structured.
That said, I will manipulate her schedule somewhat to fit in activities that are important to me. Ideally she goes down around 1, right after lunch. In reality, I'll put her down anywhere between 12:30 and 3, and try to make sure it's at a time when she can at least get an hour/ hour and a half. If there's a birthday party at 3, I'll do an early lunch and get her down at 12:30. If there's a family get together at lunchtime, she'll get her nap at 2:30. I try to still make sure her physical need for sleep is met, but I also try to make sure she doesn't miss out on social get-togethers.
I would advise you to do whatever works for you and try not to worry about what other people think. If they don't have a problem/criticism with one thing, they will with another. Do what you need to do, they can worry about their own lives. This also gets easier to do when you have more kids. You get too busy/exhausted to give a shit about what your Aunt Tina thinks.
Emma Rose - 9.14.05 Beckett - 5.26.07 Sawyer - 9.22.12 Lennon Mae - 9.26.14
I'm with the majority here. LO MUST nap on the weekends. Usually 12-2ish. We had a few times where he didn't go down until 2 and got woke up at 4:30 by the latest. He also will not sleep just anywhere, he wants to be home. I've also heard the criticism and I don't care. I am not going to suffer through an evening just because I was too selfish to make sure kiddo could nap. He will sometimes fall asleep in the car. But it has to be right at nap time for that to happen. Forget about car trips unless you don't mind him screaming after the 1 hour mark. If sleep happens he is awake within in an hour.
Kid #1 - 09/03/12
Hysteroscopy #10 - scar tissue grew back reblocking my right tube
#11 or IVF with scarring still inside?
1 lone embryo from September 2016 retreival, dx with Trisomy 16, starting fresh
This weekend we are on vacation and we planned a morning activity, took him back to the hotel for a nap (napping now), and then will go back out. Not convenient but worth it.