5.5 month old nap routine, please help.

[pmitchell]

Hello,
I posted here about a month ago and I really appreciate all the insight and help. My 5.5 month old had been sleeping thru the nite since he was 7 weeks. He recently (last week) started waking a couple of times per nite for the paci as he is teething. However, my biggest concern is with his naps. They are too short, he wakes up cranky and if the first nap "goes bad" the rest of the day is difficult.

He has been on a 3 hour EASY schedule, but it was more like EASAE.  We decided to try transitioning him to the 4 hour EASY but it is not working well. He winds up falling asleep directly after a meal as he exhausted from not sleeping long enough the first time.  In the morning, he wakes up around 6:30/6:45. I have been putting him down around 7:45/8 and he typically falls asleep around 8:15.  I am wondering if I should keep him up longer/shorter? I looked at sample EASY schedules but really could use some help....When he is really tired he rubs his eyes, but he does not do this consistently.

Any help is appreciated....
Thanks-Pam

[laurencopenhaver]

Hello I'm having the same trouble guessing when to put my son down.  He's going to be 5 months next week and I usually put him down about 2 hours give or take 10 after he wakes.  I'm struggling with when to put him down too b/c he doesn't show cues.  I would try one day putting him down 15 min earlier than usual, just to see if maybe he really is tired just doesn't show it.  And the next day for the same nap try 15 min later than usual.  B/C like you said the rest of the day is thrown off and you won't really know up from down by then.  At least if you do it the same nap period the next day you should be able to read him and tell which one worked best.  Hope this helps.

[Mom2one]

I know that most books say that they should have A time of 2hours, but honestly, my daughter would be back down for a nap after 1.5hrs.  She would wake at 7am and be back napping around 8:30-8:45am and she would only take a 45 min nap in the morning.   
She is now 8 months old and her morning nap is now at least 1 hr, if not 1.5hrs. 
I honestly think at 5 months their nap schedule is still trying to sort out. 

[EsMum]

I agree, I think at 5 months some babies are still sorting out their sleep and most will be ok by 6 months, if not before.  We recently spent several weeks extending A time and trying W2S to extend naps but it didn't work for us, her naps stayed right at 45 mins, so I gave up.  Now my LO goes back down after 1.5 hrs awake and she puts herself to sleep easily without crying (most times).

She turned 5m yesterday and for some reason had 2 long naps throughout the day - don't  know if this is a sign of things to come, but if so I will happily start extending A time again.

Good luck!  Hope you can both work it out.

[pmitchell]

Thank you all for your responses. Yes, I guess he is still figuring the naps out. I appreciate all the feedback!