adjusting to 2 naps

[brummum]

Hi all, would like some fresh eyes on this.
My little man is nearly 9 months old and I have moved him to 2 naps in response to longer A times. He is able to do around 3.5hrs A time. However, we have never had 12 hour nights (on a really good night 11hrs!) and a month back had to move bed time to half 7 otherwise we were starting the day at 5- 5:30 latest. This has worked and we are now up around 6ish, a little later if lucky. So we have ended up with a 13.5hr day which I am fine with. My difficulty is that he usually does 1:15 nap in morning (most 1.5) and then the afternoon can be 30min - 1hr (if lucky), this often leaves a 4 hour stretch to bedtime that he can manage at a push but I think is a bit much for him really and makes for an interesting bath and bed time! He has never been a brilliant sleeper and we never really had 2hr naps, ever! so I don't think this is an A time issue. I have thought about bringing his afternoon nap forward as this looks like a OT nap as he wakes crying (impossible to resettle) but this leaves an even longer stretch to bedtime and increases day sleep which then brings on the EW. If he gets anymore than 2:30 day sleep it affects his night sleep so I think he's generally a low sleep needs baby (darn it!!). So my question is how best to structure the day so we don't have that long stretch before bed??? Trying to work round a 13.5hr day is tricky!
Thanks very much in advance! x
Yesterdays EASY below

6am wake
7am bottle
9am breakfast
9:45ish depending on signs - nap
11 wake
12:00 lunch
2pm - bottle
2:30ish depending on signs - nap
3:30 wake
3:30 snack
5:30 dinner
7:15 bottle
7:30 bed (and asleep immediately)

[jessmum46]

IIWY I'd increase his first morning A time a bit - it sounds like he is just a touch UT for it if most of the naps are 1h15.  How about putting him down at 10am instead of 9.45?  Tired signs can be very unreliable at this age and LO can start to show cues just because they are used to going down at a particular time of day.  If you push that morning nap just a little later and get a 1.5h nap, then your pm nap will be slightly later too and it won't matter so much if it is short - WDYT?

[brummum]

sounds like a plan, was reluctant to push A time and risk even shorter first nap which is the only one I can rely on! Will give it a go. Thanks for your help!

[brummum]

just want to say a big thank for advice, I have pushed A time slightly to 4 hours in the morning and 3:45 in the afternoon and have had a few good days of 1hr nap in the morning (no change) but 1.5 in the afternoon! Wowza! This makes stretch before bed much more managable so big thanks. Hopefully will continue.... until transition to 1 nap!

[jessmum46]

Great job