Help with 8mo naps/schedule

[okinawama]

My little one has never been a good napper. I thought that it was a phase, but we have been fighting this phase for 5months and we'd get a few days of good naps and it would all go to pot again.

He currently sleeps between 10-11 hours straight at night, but his naps are usually around 30 minutes long. I put him down drowsy,but awake (however currently I lay him down and pat his butt because he's started standing in his crib, and if I pat his butt he usually will fall asleep with in a minute or two), he has an early bedtime ( no later than 7) and does not have a paci.

I'd like to go to set nap times, ideally 9:30ish and 1:30ish, however, with these short naps he can't stay awake long enough to get to the second nap. Do I jsut push through the tiredness in hopes that he'll get the idea? Right now every day is pretty much different. He wakes at different times, therefore has naps at different times and for different times. I still feel like a prisoner to his (lack of ) sleep. Also, I SO worry about over tiredness, and don't want to get stuck in that trap, so I worry about just pushing through and having him possibly only sleep an hour the entire day. So, any advice?

[rmhefner]

You have to try to keep him awake longer & longer each day by about 15-30 min until he's going down at a good time. At 8 months my DD was waking about 6:30 or 7am. 1st nap started at 9 or 9:30 & lasted 1 hr & 2nd nap started at 2 or 2:30 & lasted 1 hr. Her bedtime was at 8. Sometimes if they are sleeping solid & long at night, they just won't be good nappers. But a naptime routine is important too. Just keep trying & see what happens!

[okinawama]

Thanks for the reply. Right now he can stay awake for about 3hrs 15 minutes, and it's been getting slightly better, so that's good :)

I have always read and found to be early to bed, later to rise, do you think that's true? I have found it to be true for us, for example... Recently after a night out, we put our LO to bed at 8:10, and he was awake by 5:10 the next morning (normally sleeps 7ish -6:15...11hrs 15 min). I thought for sure the naps would be good that day, but they continued to be about 30 minutes, and he was just crabby from the shortened night sleep. Do you think long term it would help or would he just end up over tired?