7.5 month old and naps have gone from 45 min to 30 min

[jonihoadley]

My 7.5 LO has never been a great napper. She has consistently taken 45 minute naps for the past few months. We try to get her to sleep longer, but she almost always wakes up happy so we haven't worried about it too much. In the past week or so, however, she's started sleeping only 30 minutes and seems clearly overtired. She is sleeping okay at night... not great, but better than she has in the past. Here's a typical schedule:

6-7 a.m.  Wake u
7 a.m.     BF
7:45 a.m. solids
8-9         A
9            nap
9:30       A
11          bottle (she's in daycare during week)
11:30     nap
noon       A
2:30        nap
3            bottle
5            solids
6            bath
6:15       bf/bottle
6:30       wind-down
7           S
11          dreamfeed
3           BF (and at this point, she starts with frequent NW, every hour; we've started CIO at this time)
6           wake up

Believe it or not, her night sleeping has greatly improved so now we really want to focus on her naps. 30 minute just doesn't seem like enough even though she seems very happy during the day.

Any suggestions?

[♥ MaryAnn ♥]

I would definitely check out the FAQ's on the naps board for this.  Have you tried W2S?  I don't know how to do the link, but go to the naps board, then the FAQ's, then "What is wake to sleep and how do I do it?"

Big Hugs to you! 

[marensmama]

As you may be aware, the BW philosophy does not encourage CIO in any form, as it causes the LO to lose trust in the caregiver.  Tracy always said there was a gentler solution to the problem, it was up to us to find it.  I'm sure you'll find that if you get her routine and any prop issues sorted, she'll settle on her own and the NWs will also improve.  It's clear with the 30 minute naps that she is OT.  When they have short naps, you need to decrease the following A time to compensate.  Extending a short nap will help immensely, but isn't always possible.  Pat/shh is a great tool for that, but babies this age may not respond well to it.  PU/PD is another tool that you could use, and certainly that's one for those NWs after 3 am, instead of CIO.  W2S is another great tool, I've never used it personally, but lots of people have success with it.  The key is to pick your method and be consistent.  Are there any prop issues that you're aware of?

An earlier bedtime will also help, since she's got 4 hours of A time during that last block, which is just too long at this age unless you can fit another 30 minute nap in there somewhere.  It's great that she's happy during the day, though, it certainly makes it easier!

HTH, let me know how you make out!