Making daytime naps shorter - is it a good idea????

[mattiko]

Hi,

My daughter is 15 months old and I am trying to get her to go to sleep a little earlier in the evening ( a suggestion my pediatrician gave me). She currently goes to sleep at 9 p.m. and wakes up at around 6- 6;30 a.m., which is deemed not enough sleep.
She has two naps a day still one at 10 a.m. and the next at around 2 p.m. The morning nap can be rather long - around 1.5 hours and she has also managed to do 2 hours too, which sometimes messes up our afternoon, because she'll take a much later afternoon sleep (which in turn means we will have to put her to bed a lot later).
My question: The pediatrician suggested a 1 hour nap in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. This would mean me waking her up, which concerns me slightly as it would interrupt her natural sleep cycle. Will it do any harm in the long run to wake her up after an hour of sleep respectively???

Any views on this????

[saralee]

I would guess your daughter is napping as long as she is because she needs the sleep.

My daughter at 15 months was sleeping 12 hours at night (6.30-6.30) and taking one long 2-3 sleep a day. She is now a year older and still sleeps for a full 11-12 hours (7.30-6.30ish) at night and the day time nap is 2 hours. If I wake her/or she gets woken up earlier, she is very cranky.

Anyway you can can get her to bed earlier? That way the daytime naps should right themselves over time and she might drop either the morning or afternoon nap.

[barbwong_130]

I don’t think it matters when your child gets her sleep as long as she gets it.

For many families in Hong Kong a later bedtime suits them, especially if the father is coming home late at night. For example my husband comes home anytime after 8:00 pm. So I never put my children to bed before about 9:30 pm to 10:00 pm. This meant that they could spend some time with their father.

Obviously because they were not sleeping as much at night they had longer afternoon maps. This also suited me because it meant that I got a rest from them in the day. If we needed to go out then my babies slept in the pushchair.

I would be wary of taking advice about sleep matters from others (including myself) and especially doctors, unless they know your full family circumstances. What works for one family may not work for the next family because they have different needs.

Remember this is a management problem not a medical one.

Best wishes,
Barb

[BLC]

Hi,
My daughter is 13mths and has been going to bed about 7.730pm since she started sleeping through at 3mths. She wakes up 6.15-6.45am. She has a morning nap for 1hr to 2hrs and a afternoon nap 1hr or VV. Sometimes I have to wake her but do it by opening her bedroom door and the little noise will wake her gently.

Unfortunately my husband doesn't always get to see her in the evening but we have always felt that this routine is better for her. The short time my husband spends with her is definately quality time and she is always in a good mood. My friends little boy went to bed a 6.30-7pm every evening and dropped his daytime naps quite early. He is 6 now and still goes to be at 7pm quite happily even though all his friends go to bed much later.

Keep trying with her sleep routine and eventually everything will fall in to place. Good luck.

[spsmok]

My daughter used to take 2 naps in the day, and she gradually dropped one and made it a long 2-hour nap in the afternoon. At that time, I just let her sleep however long she wanted.

And then she wouldn't go to sleep at her usual time at night. I have to gradually shorten her nap to 1 hour. I would wake her up after letting her sleep for an hour. She doesn't want to get up, but is not too upset and doesn't get cranky.

It may not be the best idea to wake her up from her nap - even though she's 2 years and 2 months now. But in my daughter's case, I think it's really necessary. Taking her to the playground to tire her out doesn't solve the problem at all.

I think it really depends on the individual child and the family. A mother will definitely be able to see the pros and cons, and can make the most suitable schedule for her child.

[mattiko]

Hi,

Thanks for your feedback. My fifteen month old is now going to bed at 8 p.m. and my waking her up after 1-1 and a half hours respectively is working out fine. Maybe in time, once we have moved to our permanent apartment (we are in a service apartment currently) things will calm down and I will be able to put her to bed at 7:30 p.m.

Alex