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Hi Elen,
I hope you enjoyed your trip away with your extended family!
Regarding your little one’s naps, have you noticed if there is a consistent time she poops after lunch? It might be helpful to note the time she eats and the time she poops to see if there is a pattern. This can help determine if you need to shift her nap time later or her mealtime earlier.
Each child has different sleep needs, so while some children can handle being awake from 6:30am until 1pm, for others it may be too long. To determine if this wake time is too long for your little one, look for signs of overtiredness. These signs include being more clingy than usual, crying or becoming upset more frequently, increased clumsiness, or rubbing her eyes etc. If she exhibits these signs, she might benefit from an earlier nap time.
However, if she’s mainly talking to herself when you put her in the crib and then falls asleep around 1-1:10 pm, it suggests she’s not overly tired. In this case, try shifting her nap time to 12:45pm/1pm to see if she falls asleep more easily.
Napping for 60-90 minutes is okay, especially if she’s happy in the afternoon after waking up (not necessarily immediately, as some kids take a while to wake up!). If she’s grumpy all afternoon (and not unwell), it suggests she’s still tired, and would benefit from a longer nap.
At this age, 12-15 hours (+/- 2 hours) of sleep in 24 hours is typical. If your little one is generally happy, it suggests she’s getting the sleep she needs and may have a lower sleep requirement, which is perfectly fine.
Since the 5am wakes have just started, it’s hard to say if it’s a pattern yet. But if you notice that she continues to wake at 5am and doesn’t go back to sleep even after a feed or comforting, it might suggest she’s had all the sleep she needs overnight. In that case, you might need to reconsider her bedtime and possibly shift it to a later time.
Does this make sense?
Emma