Going from 3-2 naps

[First Time Mom]

I'm hoping someone can help!

My lo is just over 5 months and on 4 hour easy, her morning routine is fantastic and her she goes to sleep at night with relatively no problem. For a few weeks now she has fought her 3rd nap yet seems too tired to go until bedtime.

Here is her routine-

7 wake and bf
9-11 nap, has bath just before 1st nap
11 bf
2ish-3 nap, will nap for up to one hour
3 bf
6:30 bf (this feed is anytime 6-6:30, depending on when hungry)
8:10 sharp, she falls asleep. Pd in crib at 8:05, if I pd earlier- she screams.
10ish, df by bfing, often will wake when I switch sides but falls asleep after the 2nd side.
sometimes there is a nw between 3-4 and I bf and she falls asleep immed. Many nights she sleeps until 6:30ish.

I've added a cluster feed to this at 7:45 (just started 2 nights ago) as she will now often not wake in the night for a feed and she is excl bf'd, she is a small baby in weight so I don't want to go under 6 feeds plus I do not pump so need to keep flow up.

She fights a nap after 3 yet is it not too long to be up from 3-8:10? She doesn't get too cranky yet I can tell she's tired. I have tried a 3rd catnap at all times between 4-6 and she looks tired but fights them most of the time. She has always had longish wake times after the age of 6 weeks.

When younger, she went to bed at 6:30, this gradually got pushed ahead to 7:30 and now for the last month it's been 8:10, she will NOT fall asleep any earier.

[tracefo]

I got over this problem by just putting my daughter in the crib for a rest.  I put her mobile on and she stayed quite happily for about 30 minutes. She didn't sleep but this got her through to bed time.
Tracey

[First Time Mom]

Tracefo, I try putting her in her crib and she starts to crank out and fight. I don't have a mobile- she was spirited for her first 2 months, maybe I should get one now?

Stacy, 3 is her feed time! What did you do when your ds's feed was due at 3:30? I can't put her feed later unless I adjust the entire day? I have put her down later in the morning- at 9:30 for a 30 minute shorter nap but then she can't seem to go until 2, she will then instead go down at 1:30 and sleep until 3. Is it still too long for her to go 3-8:10?

[*Natasha*]

Totally agree with Stacy about giving a quick top up before the nap.
Could you move his bedtime forward a little?

[tracefo]

My mobile always seemed to entertain my daughter and it kept her quiet.  We also let her have her soother.  It worked great for us.  Is there anything else that you lo will do that keeps her relaxed and quiet?  Stroller maybe?  It was only a couple of weeks we had to do this and then she just got used to the longer awake time.  For me, you can't force them to sleep so you do what you can to keep them happy!  Good luck.

[First Time Mom]

Tracefo, we love the paci around here for naps and sleep! Milena is happy to stay up after her 3pm feed and play solid until 8:05 and you guys are right- she crashes at 8:10 regardless of what her naps are like. I never thought of it as "crashing" I just thought "oh, we're so lucky, dd goes to bed with no wind down and falls asleep on her own if we wait until 8:05"

Stacy, sorry to pester, but I need to make changes! When you did the top up, how close to the nap was it? I'm concerned about "feeding to sleep". Also, can they top up if bf'd or are they just getting the foremilk? Can you post your routine? If I'm going to let her sleep later than 3 she will go longer than 4 hours w/o  a feed so I'll need to change the entire day but I'm not sure how.

I tried to put her to bed earlier- what a disaster, but she did pass out at 8:10 . I've now posted under general sleep to see how to move her bedtime up.

Thanks ladies for still trying to help us!

[First Time Mom]

Stacy, I'm thinking of switching back to 3.5 hour feeds (so I can keep the # of feeds up) and adjust the naps to-

7 wake and bf
9:30-10:30 nap (I know she can go to 9:30 and I'll just wake her early)
10:30 bf
1:30 bf
2-4 nap (I've woken her at 3 so I'm hoping she'll sleep until 4, if not I know how to w2s- I did this long ago for her morning nap w/ success)
5:30 bf
7:30 bf
8:10 sleep
10:30 df


8:10 seems to be her natural sleep time as she has proven. I want to keep the feeds at 6 as she is bfing and has decided to kick out her night wake most of the time, she is also only 12 pounds (she's wee) so I want to keep the supply up and her calories maxed out if possible.

[First Time Mom]

Oh Stacy dear, why do you have to make my brain think?!

Now you make me question my want to feed her more often! I looked back in my daytimer (I have tracked every feed, nap, poop, and you name it since dd's 5th week) and noticed that she has refused a 3rd nap solid for the past 2 weeks. This is in direct time response to a visit at the doc's where I found out she was gaining weight very slow so I worried that it was because she dropped her night feed (on her own). Interesting, for the first 2 weeks of no night wakes I did not up her feeds, she was at 5 feeds, and she had the 3rd catnap. All has gone haywire since I added a feed in the day, an evening cluster feed, this has been for 2 weeks now. Also, went to the bfing clinic today to get her weighed and her gain is the same as back when she was on 5 feeds (3oz per week) so you're right- she's not taking more.

Since she's so close to 6 months and solids I'm going to (try) eliminate the cluster feed I was doing and see if it makes a difference, also try for the catnap in her stroller during a walk. Fingers crossed!

Thanks again Stacy!