Help with second nap of day and also general schedule for 6mo

[helspells]

I posted last week as my LO was doing 45. Minute waking for naps. Kara very knidly replied to try extending A time to 2.5hrs.  This has worked beautifully for 1st nap of day nut she woke at 30 minutes for second nap today. Should I reduce her 2nd A time perhaps.

Also we are struggling at bedtime as she is getting overtired. She doesn't have a catnap at the moment so I wonder if I should introduce one or just put her to bed early!? Schedule as follows:-

0630 wake and bottle
0730 solids
0900 nap

1030 wake and bottle
1130 solids
1300 nap

1430 wake and feed
1700 bath
1730 bottle
1745-1815 bed with a lot of resistance as poss OT

[Ima shel Alon]

she woke at 30 minutes for second nap today.

Was it just yesterday that she woke up from second nap at 30min? How did she do for the other days? How is she waking up from this nap - chatty and happy or crabby and crying?
If it was a one time thing then I imagine it's a one off and maybe it's just a regression hitting and it could pass. If you experienced her waking from her second nap after 30min for a while now then the A times might need adjusting (but I wouldn't necessarily say that she is OT).

When have you dropped the CN? And can you tell me why you decided to drop it? I am just asking because usually the transition to 2 naps a day works when LO can manage close to 3h A time, otherwise, like is happening to you, the day is too long. There is more information here: All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months
HTH .

[helspells]

Thanks Ima - I've just read the 3-2 transition and had no idea that I shouldn't drop catnap yet. So thanks for highlighting that. Really struggling to see how I can fit one in though on 4-hr EASY...

[Ima shel Alon]

I think she IS in an appropriate age to drop the CN and that perhaps you need to start and increase A time in order to drop it pretty soon.
Your BT right now is very early, so you can fit a CN there, like around 17 till 17:45 and then have BT at 19-19:30. It might even make you WU in the morning a bit later .

[helspells]

Thanks Ima - great point re later bedtime helping in morning. She has again woken after 30 mins for her second nap. Happy now but was crabby and rubbing eyes before I put her down. I guess she must be UT if is 30 minute waking though??

[helspells]

Also would it be normal for baby to do 2h30 A in the morning then 2h45 A in afternoon?? Or am I getting it wrong somewhere else. She has just woken smiley and wide awake after 30 mins...

[Ima shel Alon]

Also would it be normal for baby to do 2h30 A in the morning then 2h45 A in afternoon?? Or am I getting it wrong somewhere else. She has just woken smiley and wide awake after 30 mins...

My DS always had his first A shorter than the rest of the day, and there are many babies who prefer it like this.
If you increased to 2:45h A time for the second A time then it could be that your LO is still getting used to the new A time. If not then it could well may be that she is UT for it.
You see, 30-35min would usually be OT for most babies but if you say that she is waking up happy then maybe she is UT (some babies do 30-35min *UT* naps...). IIWY I would still leave it as it is for a few more days and if it's not changing then I'd try increasing A time again, but I would increase all of her A, not just the second, because I think her first A is pretty short right now.

[helspells]

Thanks so much for your help Ima. I managed to resettle her after about 20+ minutes today and she went on to sleep for another good hour so perhaps she is OT!? Or habitual waking perhaps.. But I think you are right, I will stay put with 2h 30 A time all roud then see what happens!

[Ima shel Alon]

Sounds like a good plan. I actually think the waking after 20min is UT and a total of 1:20h nap would also be that. After 3-4 days that you stuck to 2:30 you can increase the A again to 2:40h A time and stick to that for 3-4 days.

[helspells]

So morning naps are still going great after 2h30 A time, though she is really fussing before hand when I sit with her for 5 mins in darkened room until she is drowsy which she doesn't normally do. Fussing and crying fidgeting and gurgling but then has gone straight off once I've put her down. She is still waking early from second nap (and again fussing before I put her down as per nap1) but yesterday she did 40 mins before she woke not 30...  So today at nap 2 I waited for usual sleepy signals which didn't appear until exactly 2h30 so I immediately took her up for nap and head hit the pillow (as it were) at 2h40. She fussed but went straight off when I put her down so now waiting to see if she wakes early.... Will update presently!!

[helspells]

....and she woke at 45 minutes...? So is under tired I guess?? So I think I should be trying to push her out to 2h 45 for second nap?? Is that right?

[Ima shel Alon]

Yes, like I said:

After 3-4 days that you stuck to 2:30 you can increase the A again to 2:40h A time and stick to that for 3-4 days.

Increase it now to 2:40 or 2:45h A time. I personally would work on increasing the first A time as well as it's a pretty short one for her age. It might back fire at you later if you don't.