Holiday time with a LO (naps and bedtimes)

[BlueWolf]

I couldn't think of a better title, so it doesn't quite express what I'm looking for.

How do you manage your LO sleep schedules and routines during the holiday time when there's family parties and get togethers?

DD goes to bed early (currently around 8, but bed time routine starts at 7. We're going to try moving bed time up an hour too), and we've learned that she cannot miss her naps or her bed time or we pay for it with a super cranky, out of sorts baby for days. So how do you find a balance between putting in appearances at family get togethers and keeping the LO well rested?

I do baby wear with an Ergo, and DD will cat nap for maybe 15-20 minutes in it. But is not happy if you sit down or if you're still while wearing her.

[bezark]

Normally we have a pretty rigid nap/bedtime schedule. For holidays and busy family days, I let DS sleep whenever he wants. Bed time is normally around 7:30; if we're out and about, we just treat it like a nap.
If we're at someone house where I'd feel comfortable using their bed (parents, grandparents, etc), I'll lay with him and nurse him to sleep. If not, he sleeps in the Ergo.

Usually, though, there's so much going on that he doesn't want to sleep.
On Thanksgiving, he took his last nap at 3pm (40 minute napper) and refused to sleep at all until we got home at 10pm. That is a completely unheard of stretch of time for him to be awake, but he was fine. He slept like a rock as soon as we got home, and slept pretty late the next morning, but it didn't ruin his schedule.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by BlueWolf

I do baby wear with an Ergo, and DD will cat nap for maybe 15-20 minutes in it. But is not happy if you sit down or if you're still while wearing her.

Same here on this.

...and

[mamamillet]

If it will really mess your lo up then I would just stay home. We are going to my dad's work holiday party tonight--it starts at 7 which is baby's bedtime...not to mention she is sick at the moment. I told my dad we would put in an appearnce but would not be staying long.

[Ldavis24]

DD really enjoys the social settings and I bring the ring sling in case she needs a break from the people and wants a nap. Like a PP though at thanksgiving she was awake from 10am to about 7pm without a nap! This was crazy but she was just too into things to sleep and she didn't cry once. As soon as we got in the car for the 2 hour ride home she slept the entire way of course and still went right to bed when we got home...

If she is really having a hard time, I just excuse us and we go into a quiet room where I will nurse her and see if she wants to sleep for a bit (works for me too when I need a break from a party!)

[Mal85]

DD has handled it pretty well so far. My mom has 3 cribs set up at her house and luckily, DD will sleep in them (usually longer than she'll sleep at home). Her naps do get thrown off, but she'll get really exhausted, then sleep 2 hours there.

We're never at my IL's long enough for it to be an issue. On Christmas, we'll go there after her morning nap, come home for her afternoon nap, then head over to my aunt's until it's bedtime.

I'm more concerned about Christmas Eve mass, it's at 8:00. There is a 4:00 one, but we do all the caroling at the later one and have the church dim and pretty. I'm gonna try to get her to take a short nap in the evening before we go. If it doesn't work, I'll hope the dim lights will make it easy for her to sleep through church... we'll find out.

[YayJennie]

My son goes to sleep around 6pm each night, bedtime routine usually starts between 5-5:30. Talk about an early sleeper! And he's on a 2 nap a day schedule where he sleeps wonderfully and is so pleasant to be around if I follow his lead and make sure he gets enough sleep. If I don't, he's a cranky beast. He does not sleep in the car seat, he only catnaps in the ergo (and then wakes up crankier) and he's so big it kills my back to wear him for a nap in the moby. It's not worth it to me to screw up his great schedule to run around to parties and see family (neither of which I really enjoy anyway).

We did travel three hours round trip for thanksgiving, and I just excused myself to hold my son someplace quiet for his nap and we left right after dinner to get him to bed at a decent hour. But for the most part we're homebodies anyway. If we have a choice of going out or staying in, we generally stay in anyway, so that works well for my son. Plus, it's only going to be like this for this holiday season. By next year, staying up late a few nights or missing a nap won't cause the meltdown that it does now.