Starting own thread about 8 month old long and short nap

[elle99]

Hi,

I was reading the other thread about one long and short nap.  My DD also has one long nap and one short nap.  She's never cranky before bedtime and showing no tired cues but wakes up after 45 min when I put her down for the night.  It drives me crazy!!!  She settles back to sleep easily but I don't know if she's OT (again no signs of being tired) or UT.

This is her now routine.

6:30 wake
9:40 Nap #1 (3 hrs 10 mins of A time) Always 1.5 hours
2:25 Nap #2 (usually 45 min once in awhile 1.5 hours)
Bedtime I never know b/c it doesn't matter when I put her down (2.5 hours of A time, 3 hours of A time, 3.5 hours of A time) always wakes up after 45 mins.  Even if she has a second long nap she treats bedtime like a catnap.

Any suggestions and I guess it's normal they start shortening their afternoon nap from the other posts so I don't feel so bad and I'm glad others are in the same boat.

Thanks!!

[brenda2]

i would push the second nap a bit later.  it's common for the middle A time to be longer than the first A time.  i wonder if she's UT for this nap.  if you push it later by 15 min (so 3 hours 25 min A time) what happens to the nap?  then even if this nap is short at least she'll be closer to bedtime.  especially after a short nap you don't want a long A time last thing.  i'd say 2.5 hours after a short nap or 3 hours max after a long nap.

[elle99]

Thanks Brenda.  Pushing the second time forward has helped and she is now doing 2 x 1.5 hour naps but I'm still confused about her bedtime.  I don't know if it's OT or UT.  Sometimes when she's not tired she wakes at the 45 min mark.  Today she refused her bedtime, she kept pushing off my body and pushing towards the door.  Did I miss her window and she was OT or UT?  When I finally got her to sleep she woke SCREAMING at the 45 min mark

This has been her routine for the past few days

Wake 6:30
Nap 1 9:50 - 11:20
Nap 2 2:50 - 4:20
bath at 7:00 followed by bottle and bed.  Would not have it!  Kept kicking her legs and looking at the door so I ended up turning on her night light and for 15 mins at a time and finally she fell asleep at 8:15 only to wake up Screaming at 9:30.

I noticed she yawned twice at 6:50.  Should she have been asleep at 2.5 hours of A time.  Sooo confused.  She is also going through a few milestones and wakes up all night long!!!  I'm losing my mind as I don't know when to put her to sleep.

Thanks for any input.

[brenda2]

your A times and naps sound good to me.  if she's getting that much sleep during the day she may be able to do slightly longer for the last A time.  all LOs are different, some can do a long A time last thing, my LO always did the middle A time the longest but see what works for you.  the crawling off your lap towards the door sounds UT but the waking screaming is OT.  maybe just 10 more min of A time after nap 2 would have made the difference!

good luck