8 month, just starting EASY, naps 30-40mins only!

[SalBow]

Hi there,
Last Friday I started pu/pd with 8month son with appalling sleep habits. Have had incredible success with nights, but struggling with naps. Here's our routine:

Awake: 6.00 - 7.00
E: 7.00 BF
E: 7.30 Solids
A: 7.45
S: 9.00 ish
Wakes 30mins later
E: BF 11.00
A
E: 12.30 solids
A
S: 1.30
Wakes about 40mins later
E: 3.00 BF
A
E: 5.00 solids
A:
6.30 Bath
E: 6.45 BF
S: 7.00
Wakes 2.30 - 3.30 BF
 
I think I should be aiming for a nap at 10am for 1.5hours and another at 2pm for 2 hours, he always seems tired at 9.00, and then by midday again as he's not napped for long enough. If I then stretch him til 1.30 he's probably ot.
Help, it all starts from the morning nap. If I could crack this, I think we'd be sorted!
By the way, when he wakes from pm nap, he's screaming and v hard to console. Have tried pu/pd for naps with no success. Try for 40mins ish then take him out of bedroom.
No props.
Any ideas where I'm going wrong please?
Thank you

[magda1461]

heres a thought but why do u do solids so early in the morning after his BF?
have you tried when he wakes feed at 7am BF, then wait till about 30mins before his first nap so around 8.30ish to give him breakfast solids, then put down for a nap,. then give him a BF as soon as he wakes up so that he knows he will have a BF then. also it may be time to increase his A time in the morning, mty 8 mth old was also decreasing his nap time in the morning so i increased his A time to 2.5-3 hrs, and now he sleeps 1.5-2hrs!!! ...
your nights look like mine and thats pretty good so i think its just some minor daytime routine tweaking.
if u get the first nap right the next one should fall into place.

[SalBow]

Hi Magda, thanks for your reply.
He always used to have his solids at 8.30, but when I started EASY I changed as I thought I wasn't supposed to do the E too soon before the S? Also, from checking out other people's routines. But that was before the nights had improved so dramatically, so if you don't think I need to feed solids this early I would happily change back to 8.30!
I think you're right about stretching his A time in the morning, he just starts showing signs of tiredness about 8.45. Will try 9.30 tomorrow and see how it goes. I agree that if I could get the first nap sorted, then the rest of the day would fall into place.
Funnily enough, the 2nd day after I started pu/pd he slept for 1.5hr in the morning and 2 hr in the afternoon! I thought well that's it then! But unfortunately not!

[marensmama]

I think the screaming indicates that he is OT, as do the 30-40 minute naps.  LOs his age can handle 3-4 hrs A time, but less if they're not napping well.  So when he wakes at 9:30 after 30 minutes and doesn't go back down until 4 hrs later, he's got to be sooo tired.  I'd put him down 3 hrs from his wake time, and if he has a good nap then 3-4 hours from that wake time.  If he short naps, I'd look at 2.5 hrs A time to help him catch up.  Does pat/shh work at all?  My 8 mo DD2 still lets me use it to get her back to sleep if she's woken in the middle of a nap, I just have to sometimes cut back on the shh'ing.  His evening A time is way too long also, if he wakes at 2:15 and isn't going to bed until 7, that's just too much for him.  I'd try a 30-45 minute catnap at 5 pm to get him through to bedtime if he's short-napped all day.
HTH!

[SalBow]

Hi Marensmama,thanks for your reply! Yes, sorry I meant to say that I have been giving him a catnap in the afternoon when it's been this bad. For instance, yesterday, he had 30mins at 9.00, then he was so tired I put him down at 12.30 when he slept for 40mins. I managed to get him back to sleep by picking him up (he was crying) and holding him till nearly asleep (I don't always do this, only after trying pu/pd for the last few days for 30-40mins). He slept for another 20mins. Then had another 30mins at 4.15.
The trouble with this is that this is what he has always done prior to me starting EASY a week ago. He was used to napping on me and would sleep longer in the afternoon on me. He's responded extremely well  to pu/pd at night.
Today he woke at 6.00! I put him down at 9.00 after 3 hours of A time and he still slept for 30 mins. I went in and tried to get him back to sleep. He fell asleep on me (I know I shouldn't!) and when I put him down, he woke up.
The problem is how do I get from several short naps a day to two decent ones without him getting so ot in the process? He goes down easily 1st time but won't go back to sleep with shh/pat (or just pat) or pu/pd. Should I try w2s do you think?