Not Napping Properly!

well, it depends on how old she is. My daughter will alter her sleep pattern if she gets vaccines, or is sick. If I dont help her get back to her normal schedule within a few days, she is all screwed up and cant/wont get back to it on her own. So maybe you need to help her a bit with getting back on track. or maybe she wants to start taking a few 1 hour naps. observe her for a few days see when she gets tired, and help her get back on track from there.
good luck

I agree it depends on how old she is. If she's older, you're probably lucky to get the hour, if she's younger and acting tired, then you do need to help her out. You might also try quiet time instead of nap time. Set the alarm or teach her what a certain time looks like on the clock and then tell her she may get up at that time. In the meantime, she can read or play quietly with one or two toys in bed.

I know exactly how you feel. My son is now 3 and has had this issue as well. Since I work at home his afternoon nap is essential. There are several things to consider:
- how much sleep is she getting at night? She might be meeting more of her sleep needs then. Because I need him to take a nap during the day, my son goes to bed at nine and I let him get up whenever he is done sleeping (for him that's anywhere between 6 and 7 am). So it's a trade off -- daytime sleep instead of one long nighttime sleep.
- how active is she in the morning? If I let my son watch too much TV (more than 45 minutes or so) then he doesn't take a very long nap. He takes his longest naps when we are up and active, especially if we go outside and play.

Because she is still taking a nap (you didn't mention if she is hard to get down for a nap) I assume she is ok with naps. If she won't sleep longer, just let her know that you both need quiet time until 3 pm and get her a clock that she can read. If she wakes up before then have her play quietly in her room.

Good luck to you!

How old is she? A lot of kids reduce sleep time during naps around 3, try putting her to bed at night early then. Can you do your work in the evenings? I know it is a big relief for us moms when they nap but depending on her age her sleep will change a million times. Maybe putting her down earlier? If she is over 1 years of age a 3 hour nap can be too much. You figure if she went down at 1 and got up at 4, then she has to go to bed in a few hours so she has shifted gears. A lot depends on how old she is. Also if she is still young, if she wakes up from a nap don't run to her right away, sometimes they drift back to sleep. Make sure her room is cool and dark too.
Good luck, hang in there.