naps and A time making bedtime late for 9m old...what to do?

[mamatoto]

Hi,

Not sure if im posting in the right place so feel free to move this!

My DS is 9 months old today and we're experiencing some mix up with our days in the sense that it means bedtime is pretty late, some 8/8.30pm. I will post a typical EASY, here goes:

wake 7/7.15am
E - bf followed by breakfast half hour or so later
A - til 10.30/45
S - til 11.45 ish (used to be a 2hr nap in AM but changed to 1hr to try to stop EW's)
Y-
E- 11.45, solids 12.30 or bit after
A- til 3.15
S - for 2hrs (til around 5.15pm)
Y-
E- on waking, then supper half hour later
A- til 8.15pm (including bath then breast feed)
S- by 3.5 hours later

Seems really late for bed but i think he needs those 3 hrs sleep during day and the 3.5hrs A time between naps generally or he wont go down.
Anyone notice anything i can change?

Thanks! x

[Shiv52]

We tended to have a 13 hour day-11 hour night at this stage otherwise as you say we couldn't fit it all in...she needed the A time to nap properly but needed the A times to be long enough for her to be tired to sleep. 

You could cut that second 2 hour nap a bit shorter and then bedtime could be earlier by that amount but he probably will need the longer A time before bed especially after a 2 hour nap IYKWIM? 

Have you this?

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=95670.0

You probably are starting 2-1 switch.  Did shortening the first nap help the EWs? 

If it did and you are happy enough with the 8pm bedtime you could leave well enough alone and he'll let you know soon enough if he needs less day sleep. 

[~Karen~]

Shiv you posted the same time I did!  This is what I'd written.......

Looks like he's on a great routine to me.  A 13 hour day is fine.  All you can do is cut the second nap to make bedtime earlier but if it's working and you don't mind him going to be at 8/830pm then I'd leave it be.  

[Shiv52]

Great minds eh?!!

[Mrs Coops]

Hi Megan.

I would consider bringing his afternoon nap forward and shortening his morning nap if necessary. If I let J sleep past 4pm he'd have a late BT, I don't think he'd ever go to bed if he slept past 5pm!!!

Currently J sleeps for 1hr 30 in the morning, from 0930-1100 and the afternoon nap from 1400-1530, with BT at 1930. He struggles with 3hrs A time though, would P go down earlier in the morning to bring his day forward?

I know you're having long NW'ings too, so perhaps he does need less than 3hours sleep during the day?

[mamatoto]

Hi ladies,
 
so sorry im only just replying on here now! i did look at replies before then meant to reply the next day but have kept forgetting since. Bad me.
So to update. Getting about a 7.30 or 8pm bedtime now but in last few days he has seemed tired before bedtime feed but then half way through feed he sits up and starts wanting to play! have tried not to indulge this or just put him in the cot and let him muck about and me just sit still in chair next to cot until he decides he wants more milk and then is drowsy enough for sleep. What should i be doing in these instances? i think he really is needing more A to bed time. Tonight we had a 4hr 15mins A time before bed and he went down really well so perhaps that is the trick.....
I thought EW's had gone (we still had atleast one night waking but these were improving) but now we are waking between 5.45 and 6.15. i suppose it's not horrific but he was better in the past so i know he can do it! Last few nights we've had a waking around 12.30am/1am and then one just before or just after 6am. When he wakes around 6am that's him up for the day usually, although i do try to get him back to sleep, it just ends up being pointless!
Do you think it's better to have shorter nap in AM or PM? i cant decide which works for him better so would love some advice/thoughts. He wont generally go down earlier in AM no, he only wont to go to sleep when ready.
I think the 2:1 nap transition is beginning gradually yes...grrr! i will read that link thank you any other tips/pointers for this time would be great!

Hope all is well with you and yours!