4.5 month old - set nap times?

[haleytreat]

I have a 4.5 month old. I am very confused at her napping schedule. One day she will nap perfect and the next day she is awful. I don't know what to change as the perfect day starts out the same as the awful day. I am tired of always trying to figure out and tweak the A times but I am confused at how set nap times work. How do they not get OT if you don't have the A time right? And if they do get OT won't that mean loooong days of crabbiness? Also, since A times always increase, how do you know when to change the set nap times as they get older?

Thanks in advance!

[haleytreat]

Here is a little background:

Wednesday will be two weeks of being on an EASY routine. She is formula fed. She is 20 weeks. The first 4 days of starting the routine she did perfect, taking 2 hour naps and sleeping 8-7 (actually having to wake her up at 7). then last monday everything went crazy. Seems every other day she sleeps well. We are doing 2 hr A time. If she naps short I will shorten the A time to compensate. She does use a pacifier but doesn't wake during the night when she loses it. I will replug her at naps to try to extend. Sometimes I replug her every 45 min. and sometimes it doesn't work. I just don't know what to change with A times as this morning started out great. She went down very well after a 2 hour A time and slept for 1.5 hours without waking to be repluged but when I put her down for the second nap 2 hours later it took her 40 min to fall asleep and then only slept for 30 min. also she isn't swaddled. She likes her hands I am just getting really frustrated with her sleep all of a sudden and I don't really know what to change.

[lauradj]

I'm not sure if I'd venture into set naps quite yet.  I used them with DS1 but not until he was almost 7 months, their A times can change so rapidly in the first bit, I found it too difficult.  You should know that this is prime time for the dreaded short naps.  The previously beautiful napper starts to sleep for only 30-45 minutes, no matter what you do.  It's awful BUT it does pass.
What I can suggest is, I never actually tweaked the A time if either boy had a short nap.  I just kept them up for the allotted time and went from there.  I can't recall if Tracy actually suggests tweaking the times or not but that's just been my experience.  It made it a little easier to get out and on with my day and as I have two boys under two, I need to be able to move on with my day  .
If you're keeping a consistent wind down routine, and she's napping well 5 out of 7 days, I would just do my best to ride it out because the short naps really do come to an end.

[haleytreat]

Thank you! So if she naps for 30 min do i start the two hours from when she woke or not put her down until she was suppose to get up? This is my problem. Seems like I can do both things and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I don't know if my EASY routine is wrong or what. But I guess you saying this is prime for short naps no matter what could be my answer since one day it works and the next it doesn't.  It is just so frustrating. It would be different if she woke up happy but she is tired but just won't sleep. She also isn't eating very well all of a sudden. I just throw my hands up! I don't know what to change anymore!

[lauradj]

I start from when he wakes up.  So if DS2 goes to sleep at 10am, but wakes up at 10:20 (as he does when we nap on the go, little buggar) I aim to have him in bed by 1:15pm.  Sometimes I will lay him down a smidge early.  DS1 takes his nap at 1pm, and then I'll lay DS2 down immediately after.
The tired crankies due to lack of sleep are REALLY frustrating.  Why don't you post your EASY and we'll just double check to make sure everything else is taken care of. 

[haleytreat]

ok thank you! That is what I do sometimes but then it backfires on me and then sometimes it works like a charm! Why can't they just stick to the schedule 

10-29
wu - 7 (woke up at 5 but I gave her the paci & she slept till 7)
E - 715 - 4 ounces
S - 1030 - 11 (normally this is at 9 but I went to bible class so she didn't go to sleep till 1030)
E - 1130 6 ounces
S - 1235 - 2 (put in crib at 1220)
E 315 6.5 ounces
S - 4-515 (in crib at 340 - had to give paci again at 450)
E - 645 4 ounces
S - 8 (in crib at 710 - took a lot of settling)
E -1045 6 ounces
slept till 4

10-30
woke at 4, 5, 6 (gave paci till 645)
wu - 645
E - 645 6 ounces
S - 840  - 11 (in crib at 825, woke again at 920 & 1015 but gave paci till 11)
E - 11 8 ounces
S - 1- 240 (in crib at 1245 & had to give paci every 45 min)
E - 310 6 ounces
S - 505 - 540 (in crib at 450)
E - 710 6 ounces
S - 815 (in crib at 750)
E - 1040 6 ounces
slept till 6

10-31
woke at 6 & gave paci & i had to wake at 7
wu - 7
E - 715 5 ounces
S - 915 - 10 (in crib at 910, tried to give paci but was really restless)
E - 1115  7 ounces
S - 110 - 2 (in crib at 1250)
E - 315 6 ounces
S - 5-530 (in crib 425 - took long time & had to give paci a lot)
E - 720 6 ounces
S - 840 (put to bed late for daylight savings - in crib at 755 - took long time to go to sleep - not fussy just thrashed around a lot)
E - 1130  6 ounces
slept till 430 (430 being daylight savings time so really 530)

11-1
woke at 430, 530 and gave paci till 7
wu - 7
E - 3 ounces
S - 853 - 1125 (in crib at 845, woke at 10 & gave paci)
E - 1130  6 ounces
S - 125 - 3 (in crib 123, woke 215 & gave paci)
E - 320 6 ounces
S - tried to do cat nap at 5 but she wouldn't sleep
E - 630  6 ounces
S - 725 (in crib at 7 - had hard time, not fussy but just thrashy)
E - 1045 8 ounces
slept till 530

11-2
woke at 530 & gave paci & slept till 650
wu - 650
E 7 5 ounces
S - 852 - 1020 (went right down - i started giving paci and wind down routine where as before I would put her in bed without it and let her fuss and then give it to her)
E - 1050 - 5 ounces
S - 110 - 145 (in crib at 1225 - hard time going to sleep)
E - 245 4 ounces
S - 335 - 520 (in crib at 3 - hard time going to sleep - gave paci at 415 - hard time going back to sleep so picked up till went to sleep and put back in crib till 520)
E - 630 4 ounces
S - 715 ( in crib 640 - hard time settling)
E - 1020  8 ounces
slept till 530

11-3
E - 230 4 ounces (i wanted to try this to see if she wouldn't wake at 530 - didn't work!)
woke at 530 & gave paci & slept till 645
wu - 645
E - 710 - 4 ounces
S - 855- 925 (in crib at 850 - woke at 925 but stayed in crib playing/little fussing till 1035)
E - 11 4 ounces
S - 1-3 (in crib 1255, woke at 230 & patted back to sleep, woke up crying & hungry)
E - 3 6 ounces
S - tried to do cat nap at 455 (she fell asleep in car 5 min from home) but when i transferred her into crib she wouldn't fall asleep
E - 630 6 ounces
S - 655 (in crib at 650 - went right down no problem)
E - 11 - going to feed her now

Thanks for looking into this for me! Also, these past two days she has been fighting me to eat. She also had a low grade fever today, so maybe starting to teeth?!?!?!

[lauradj]

Definitely a possibility!

[haleytreat]

how does my routine look? Or should I post it on the EASY page?