Help with EASY transition

[bebenoby]

My lo is 4 months old now and he is ready to transition to a 4 hourly EASY but my problem right now is his naps. When he turned 4 mos. he started napping for 45 mins at a time. There are days that he will have 2x45 min naps and then 1x 1.5 hr. And I just realized about it now that the 1 longer nap happens when I nap with him in our bed and catch the jolts/waking time. Also this past weekend I finally weaned him off the paci so everything in his routine was a bit thrown off. He is cranky and hard to put down for naps, spends about 15 mins to settle him for naps and then turns out he only naps 45 mins. Please help. do i work on his naps first before working on the trnasition?

[~Alexa~]

Hi bebenoby!! I also have a 4 month old and I'm starting the transition too!! For the short naps, I have used w2s (wake to sleep) and it has worked pretty well.  I get into my LO's room after 30 min nap and hold him through his jolts.  This helps him get into the next sleep cycle, so he sleeps longer naps.  After a few days of doing it, you may start letting him get through the jolts by himself. 
If w2s doesn't work, and he wakes up, I shpat him and he goes back to sleep for other 45 min. You may try it and see if it works for you.  Here's a link with a better explanation on w2s.
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64168.0

He may be having short naps because he needs more A time, so I think you should start the transition to a 4 hr EASY, this may help him with the naps.   Here's a link with an example of a transition plan.  I like the 5 min increments because you avoid OT.
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=120362.0

Keep me posted!!
Alexa

[bebenoby]

Thanks for the advice. I started the w2s yesterday and today on his first am nap, i missed the window. He was wide awake and even if i shh/patted him and pu/pd it didnt work. So what do I do when i can't extend the nap any longer and it's about an hour to the next feed?

[* Paula *]

Alexa has given you some great advice.

One thing to remember though is that W2S / Pat /Shhh will not work if your lo is UT i.e if your lo is undertired he is going to wake at the 45 minute mark.

Your lo may be ready for some more A time.

Can you post what your routine currently looks like so that we can see if we can help you to tweak it?

E
A - How long
S - how long including wind down routine.

[bebenoby]

My lo is still on a 3 hour EASY and varies most days; he has days when he has 1x1.5 hr nap and 2x45mins naps, then there are days when he is just napping 3x45mins, there are day when he naps 1x2hr nap, 1x1.5hr nap, and 1x45 min. But lately he has been napping 45mins....

A 6:30 (wake up and plays in his crib)
E 7:00 am
A 8:45 am
S 9:00 am (sometimes falls asleep with shh/pat around 9:10 and last 45mins)
A 9:45-10am (playtime in crib as I cant extend it)
E 10:00am
A 10:15-11:00
S 11:30 (naps for 30mins)
A 12:00-12:30
E 12:30-12:45
A 12:45-2:00
S 2:15 - 3:00
A 3:00-3:30
E 3:30 -3:45
A 3:45-5:00
E 5:00-5:30
A 5:30-6:30 (plays with DH)
bath at 6:30, bottle at 7pm  bed at 7:30

thanks for all the help.

[jana224]

Looks like your second nap is after only 1.75 hours of A time, but your first morning nap is after 2.5-275 hours of A time....  At 4 months, the average A time is 2 hours, but some can do less and some can do more.  Getting these A times consistent will probably help with naps, in general.  How much A time does he seem to reasonably handle?  (A time being all the time he is awake.)
It looks like he's awake from 3pm until bedtime - how does he do with that much A time?

Also, does he sleep from 7:30-6:30 uninterrupted? 

[bebenoby]

He wakes up at 1am then at 4am so I feed him on both wakings. Also the A times are inconcsistent because I follow his cues when he is tired and maybe when I catch that first yawn and do my WD routine it is too late. Should I go by the 2 hr mark for A times all the time eventhough he is not tired or tired? And yes, i am amazed as to how he manage to stay awake from 4 to 7pm. He gets fussy around 6:00 so I end up putting him to bed a bit earlier. He just probably want to stay up to play with daddy a bit and then off to bed.

[~Alexa~]

Hi bebenoby!!
I agree with pps!! Your A times are not consistent.  I would try having all the A times around 2 hrs and see if that works better. 
Usually there is a catnap before bathtime, so LOs can hanlde their bath until bedtime!! Have you tried having a catnap around 5-6 p.m?

Hugs,
Alexa

[* Paula *]

I agree with keeping your A times consistent at the 2 hour mark for now, and see how your lo gets on.

It seems your lo is taking 45 minute naps no matter how much A time he has.  I would stay in his room for the first few naps, and observe what he does.  When he starts to stir, you can apply a little pressure and start pat / shhh to get him into the next phase of sleep.  If you catch it right and are able to transition him into the next phase, he should take a longer nap for you.

[bebenoby]

question: does the A time include the wind down routine for naps?? or do I start the wd after the 2hr mark? what if he is showing tired cues before the 2hr mark? 

[* Paula *]

Yes A time includues your Wind down routine.  A time is all the time that your lo is awake.

If your lo is showing tired signs before the 2 hours, start your wind down routine early.  Follow your lo's cues.