I believe in the CIO method but in reality....it doesn't always work. I have kids who have thrown up from crying so long, who have screamed bloody murder and woke up every single other child (and I'm sure every other child on the block!!) and than 2-3 children are crying and children who have climbed out of the playpen because they weren't sleeping.

When you have a child like the above, it's not enjoyable and there is no way in Hell I can listen to that every single day. It is not relaxing to me to listen to 1-4 children crying and just leave them there and I also don't think it's fair to the children that the screaming child woke up. I have a white noise machine, play soft music and have one separated from the group. It doesn't always work IME. I do have some that I know will cry for a bit and than fall asleep again and I have others that I know won't go back to sleep...I use my judgement on the individual child, the time and how the day has gone already.

I think having her sleep away from the group is great. The days where she naps long are fantastic and the days where she sleeps for 30 mins, I would let her CIO for another 30 or until it got too extreme. If you know her routine and know that she won't go to sleep once waking up than having her CIO for another 1.5 hrs is pointless IMO. It's only going to disrupt the others and your quiet time. I would rather just go get her and have her do quiet activities. I don't think she will learn that this is the "norm" and that her longer naps will cease. Perhaps she is sleeping shorter on the days she's had a longer night's sleep.