5 mth old naps getting shorter. extend A time?

[centrestage88]

my 5 mth old's naps are getting shorter and shorter. I read that it may be because he is UT. he goes down pretty Fuss free.

His A times are 2hrs.

But I only put him down to nap when he is fussy And yawning. Is he UT ? Do I still try to keep him awake longer before I put him to nap?

[becj86]

Yep, average A times increase from 2hr at 4 months to almost 3hr by 6 months, so he could well need up to 2.5hr+ by now.

He's probably used to the A time, it'd be a habit by now, so increase by ~10min every few days and see how you go. Fussy and yawning can also be boredom - maybe try a change of activity rather than a nap

[centrestage88]

How much A time extension can a lo take? If I don't carry him, he gets fussy and wants to be carried ard 2 hrs. I usually take this as a sign it's time to nap.

So today I tried to extend his A time. I picked him up at ard the 2 hr mark when he got fussy and carried him around, expecting him to get fussy after a short while. But  after an hour of carrying , he was still happy and I finally put him down at an A time of 3 hrs. he was calm and went to nap quickly, but promptly woke up 45 mins later. Was he OT?

[Buntybear]

Hi - i would extend the A time by 10-15 mins at first. See how he goes. That 45 min nap could well have been slightly OT. x

[centrestage88]

What am I doing wrong? I put him down 15 mins later. A time of 2hr 15 mins. He did not show signs of being tired. Upon putting down, he protested and continued protesting intermittently for the next 20 minutes. Finally I patted him to help him sleep and he eventually Went to bed after an A time of 2hr 50 mins.

Woke up crying after 1 hr 10 minutes, then fussed and is now playing by himself in the cot.

I am lost at what to do. Was he OT or UT when I put him down?

[Buntybear]

if that a time was too short then go for 2.5 hours today. It is hard when they shift their sleep needs to find the sweet spot when they are that age.

[Shiv52]

It can take a bit of playing about with at this age. At pp said I'd do 2.5 hours and see how that goes. By 5.5 months both mine were on 3 hours A time and two naps as the CN was getting in the way and we only used it if we'd short naps. EBT didn't work for mine so I did pretty consistent bedtime x

[*Liz*]

He was prob UT and shouted at you as he didn't want to go to bed  .

Lots of babies wake up in a bit of a grump and it is nothing to do with anything. One of my kids used to cry for 20 mins after every sleep, and even as a 5 year old she is a BEAR for an hour in the morning  . She sleeps deeply and wakes groggy.

[centrestage88]

Thank you. I will try an A time of 2.5 tomorrow.

[centrestage88]

His nap were in a mess today. Will try again tomorrow. Hopefully he will be happier when I put him down to nap tomorrow.