Do you keep your older baby/toddler awake to preserve a nap schedule or let her sleep when she is tired?

Question

ruby has always been an early riser -- too early. i have worked for a long time to get her to sleep (or at least stay in her crib) till 6. when she wakes before 6 (bedtime is 7-7:30), she is always tired within two hours. she'll go back to sleep at 8:30 am and sleep for 2 hours!! because she is 15 months old, i have been keeping her awake till 11 to move her to one nap. otherwise, she sleeps too long in the morning, then sleeps again in the late afternoon, and then has even more trouble sleeping (we have tried a later bedtime -- it backfires). but here's hte thing: some days she is just so tired by 8:30 am, she is asking for a nap. i can't say no. poor thing. as i type this, she has been asleep for almost 2 hours. so, here's my question: is this going to set a bad pattern? will it affect her learning to sleep later in the morning? i haveread/heard that i should keep her awake to get her to sleep longer in the morning, but it seems cruel. she is so tired. and i feel like it won't make a difference? experience?? what do you think???

Answer 1

its tough dealing with naps at all ages, but i have learned that a child has needs that have to be met, but you also have to be a judge of how much is too much, when to and how to meat that need and so on.

in my tracy hogg " the baby whisperer " book she addresses this issue. sure the baby is tired but you have to take out a week or more in your schedual to just work on this problem and no matter how tired she is, just keep her awake untill you feel her nap time should be (11). then put her down. she may or may not resist your efforts to put her down, but you have to be consistant and keep at it- even if it takes till the end of the desired nap time. (say one-ish?)

ie. keep her awake-what ever you have to do -untill 11. try putting her downat that time and keep trying. if shes not asleep by the end of nap time (1) then too bad. keep her up again till the next nap time. she may get extremely overtired and hard to handle but this will eventually teach her body to get used to the change and her body will adjust-even if for a while she cant fall asleep at the time you want. give it time and soon she will have switched. consistancy is KEY

Answer 2

I'm pretty strict about bedtime and nap times. My kids go to bed between 8 and 8:30 and nap time is at 1 to about 3. But on days that I have to pick my kids up from school and my husband can't keep my youngest girl I do naptime from 12 to 2. Sounds like maybe you need to keep her awake and make her take a naptime and then put her down for her bedtime later that night.

Answer 3

I began by trying to do what you are doing when I had my 1st baby...I soon found it so stressful that it was more bother than it was worth....I just let her do what she wanted BUT...bedtime stayed the exact same time every night...no matter how much sleep she had had...so, bed at 6.30 and thats that. It didnt take long for it all to balance out...now with my seciond baby who is 5 months, I just let her do what she will during the day but bedtime is the same....she sleeps through now and has regulated her own naps...unless she is ill of course.