Wake up earlier each day.

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

I am not sure if this belongs here or on general sleep issues so please mods feel free to move.
We have been working on an 8 to 8 schedule which went like this

7.30/8.00 A E
10.00 S 45 min
11.45 E
13.00 S 2 hours
15.30 E
17.20 ish Cat nap 25 to 30 min so
17.50 A
18.50 E
19.50 Bed and usually asleep by 8 or 8.15 latest

When ds woke around 7 I kept the same schedule and let him nap an hour in the am.
However our wake up is getting earlier and earlier, this morning was 6.30 am which throws the whole day out. It's now 9.10 am and he is showing no tired signs though I will put him down for a nap when I finish here.
He used to oaccasionally go back to sleep when he woke but not any more. This morning I left him chatting happily until 7.25 so he was there an hour before he wanted to get up and he seems tired when he gets up but then it disappears.
My thinking is it may be the catnap? But I cant see how to get rid of it yet? Or should I try? But then do I have to cut out or cut down the 3.30 bottle as he will never be ready for another bottle in time for an earlier bed time?
He is also desperately trying to crawl so lots of developmental going on.
Any ideas please? Or do I just have to ride it out?
Thanks,
Fiona

[vadensmommy]

This is about the age that my dd dropped the catnap.  I'm thinking that his first nap is pretty short, and that is throwing off your routine.  I think he is ready to do more A time in the mornings, as you are posting that he isn't tired at 9, but you're going to put him down anyways.  So I think that points to him being undertired for the first nap.  His A time between the am and pm nap is 3 hours, and he takes a good pm nap.  Maybe try a 2.5hr A time in the morning before putting him down for his morning nap, and if you can get a better AM nap out of him, that will push the pm nap later, cut out the catnap, and move bedtime up just a little if he seems really tired for a few days until he adjusts to just 2 naps. 

EW's do often signal that your baby is ready for more A time during the day, and I think that may be where yours is coming from as well.  Let us know how you get along!!

[lilmonkey]

We are going through the same thing right now.  I'm beginning to think that ds has too much day time sleep and need to cut back.  He used to wake at 7/7:30 now it is more like 6/6:30 am.  I'm not sure if I want him to drop the catnap in the late afternoon just yet as I need that time to feed dd dinner.  Oh well...I guess I have to experiment for the next few days to see what works. 

Will be lurking to see more suggestions.  I has been so long since dd was 6 mos and during that time I was able to transition her to two naps by driving around during the catnap time.  Hard to do now with dd.   

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

I am so confused now honestly. I put him down at 9.20 and he slept for 30 mins so I am thinking overtired? Then he was up from 10 to 1, woke at 35 min mark, went back to sleep, woke again at 1 hour 35 min mark then woke again at normal time. Went for cat nap at usual time, usual bed time and then woke briefly after 45 mins?
VadensMummy I deliberately keep the morning nap short in order to get a long lunch time one as its when dd comes home from school and I need some time with her for lunch etc. Also kind of going on the plan for when it comes to drop to one, the am one will be first to go if its shorter, thinking way too far ahead.
If he does a 2 hour nap and wakes at 3 then I am thinking he should almost be able to do until 7? To make things worse he has his shots tomorrow and we are moving house and country on Friday.........happy days 

[vadensmommy]

Whew girl!
You make me tired just reading all the things you've got going on in the next few days/weeks!  They seriously need to make a sleepy smiley face, I would use that one a lot!
I do think you are looking a bit too far in the future with the dropping the 1 nap.  He may not do it for another 6mo to a year. 

It does sound like today he was OT, because those are the same things my dd would do - esp the waking 45min after being put to bed, and the EW's.  And no, I don't think if he wakes at 3pm he'll be able to make it to a 7pm bedtime.  My dd STILL doesn't go 4hrs awake. 

Until you get shots, and moved, I don't know how well you'll be able to implement anything in the mornings to stretch the A times.  Once you get a bit settled where you are going, I would think something like this might work ok for him:
E 7 (you would adjust everything earlier if he wakes earlier)
A 7-9:30 - maybe a little longer depending on cues
S 9:30-11

E 11
A 11-1:30 or 2 depending on tired cues
S 2-4 - this is how you would get your later bedtime - because nap would be later

E 4
A 4-7
E a few minutes before bed - 6:45ish
S 7 for the night

DF btwn 10-11 if you do one, if you don't, ignore this.

That is about what our routine looked like at that age.  That would give him 3-3.5hrs of daytime sleep and that is a really great amount.  If you find that you are having problems with the afternoon nap once you've let the am nap go a little longer, I still wouldn't wake him from the am nap until he is a little older, I would just allow him a little bit more A time between the am and pm nap.  I don't think I started waking dd from her am nap till more like 10mo, although some moms have to do it around 8-9mo, I just still think he is a bit young to limit that am nap to less than 1.5hrs, but every baby is different!  So I hope that helps you figure out a plan of attack when life settles down a little bit for you!

I hope that your move goes smoothly, and that your children will adjust to life in a new home and place very quickly!!!  Good luck, and let us know how you get along!

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

I know it's all becoming a bit of a mess and until I move I cant do much. However I could give this schedule a go but there is one prob, dont you just know it. Anyway ds is a refluxer and no way can eat so soon before bed. He is also on 4 bottles 3 solids a day so our last 2 are 3.30 bottle and 6.45 pm bottle and solids with a 7. 45 pm bedtime. Any idea how to fit that in? Am thinking I would probably have to drop the 3.30 or cut it in half to make sure he is hungry for bedtime? DD was so different at this age, catnap gone and did at least 4 if not more wake time in the pm, I know they are all different. Hoping for a normal wake time tomorrow. Thanks for your advice 

[vadensmommy]

As far at the bottles go, I would not probably limit his milk intake because that is the more critical calories than the solids.  Not sure what to suggest about having the last bottle.  You may check out the reflux boards, or the bottle feeding boards and see what they suggest, because I am at a bit of a loss.  How much time before bed does he need to take his bottle in order for it to not cause him problems at night?

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Well we had a 3.15, 5.30 and 6.30 wake up, unheard of in the last few months, he settled himself each time thankfully and woke at 7.45. But his day is all off now cos he napped late due to his shots.
Anyway, he would need to have his last bottle about an hour before bed so will have to see what I can do when we finally resettle. The paed kept pushing me to give his solids first and decrease his milk and even cut out a bottle which I am not happy with, I may reduce his lunch time one slightly but will leave things as they are for the moment or for as long as ds is willing to keep them that way 

[vadensmommy]

 
What is up with pediatricians pushing solids, and dropping bottles?  Sometimes I wonder if they really went to school! 

Yeah, an hour before bed makes it trickier.  Something that I had to start doing was split dd's 3rd bottle of the day because she was waking early for her pm nap hungry.  So our afternoon looked more like this - following the same am easy that I posted earlier

E 11
A 11-1:30 or 2 -I would feed part of the 3pm bottle here before the pm nap
S 2-4

E 4 the rest of the bottle I started earlier
A 4-7
E 6 full bottle
S 7 for the night.

You'd still run into feeding him right before sleep, but it would be right before the pm nap instead of bedtime, although I don't know if that would make a big enough difference for you?  Just a thought about how you might be able to tweak!