Help consolodating naps please!

[mayabee]

Hi! My lo has trouble still with getting past 45 minute mark naps during the day especially her late afternoon nap. She's averaging only 3.15 hour nap time total per day. We're working on getting her on a 4 hour easy now - she's almost 4 months. Any advice and routine examples greatly appreciated!
Charlotte's Mom

[lilac83]

My daughter turns 4 months in a week. Here's what her "perfect" day would look like:
Wake and E: 7:00am
A: 7:00am - 8:45/9:00am
S: 9:00 - 10:30/11:00am

E: 11:00
A: 11:00 - 1:00/1:15
S: 1:15 - 2:45

E: 3:00
A: 2:45 - 4:45/5:00
E: 1st cluster feed 5:00
S: 30 - 45 min cat nap

A: 5:30/5:45 - 7:00
E: 2nd cluster feed 7:00
S: 7:15/7:30

I don't do a DF, it never worked with her. HTH!

[marensmama]

Hi there!  Here's a link from the EASY FAQs that provides sample routines for your LOs age group.

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=10385.0

45 minutes usually mean UT, but can mean OT in some cases.  If you post your routine as it is now, I'd be happy to take a look for you and see what's going on.  A good tip-off as to whether baby is OT or UT, is how she wakes up from her nap.  If she's happy and raring to go, then probably more A time is needed.  If it's OT, she'll likely be crying and crabby upon awakening.

[mayabee]

Thank you!
Ok here's a good example. Today she woke at 6:15 and cooed loudly and happily in her crib until 7 when I changed and fed her. Normally she takes a good bf here but she woke at 4:30 am and had a feed so this one was extremely short. (She's still not hungry now and it's 9:30! )Trying to work those calories into her day and stop that 3-4 am feed. I started wd at 8:00 but she wasn't tired enough yet I noticed because normally she falls asleep within 10 min. She didn't fall asleep until 8:30. So here she's been up 2.15 hours and she woke up again just now at the 45 min mark. I was in the room at 40 min noticed her stirring and put hands on shoulder and thigh - which works beautifully yesterday to put her back into another sleep cycle, but I think I didn't keep my hands on long enough because she fully woke and is cooing again (quietly) in her crib right now. Could this mean UT? I don't usually do any pysical A time with her in the morning before her first nap. She just hangs out and cuddles with us and her toys. (Her crib is in our room until she is 6 months).
Please advise on UT. I didn't think she should be going much longer than 2 hours at four months.
Charlotte's Mom

[marensmama]

Hi there.  Well generally LOs her age can handle 2 hrs max A time, but that is just a guideline and some babies can handle more...  2.15 seems pretty long, so maybe cut it back and see if that helps.   Has she always been a short-napper?  Those babes tend to wake happy from short naps and just need more in the day to prevent OT.  If she used to take longer naps and now is taking short ones, I would think that the A time needs to be adjusted somehow.  Are you able to extend with pat/shh?