What time Bedtime?

[laurenhendo]

Hey All,

Just wondering if i could get a bit of guidance re: my LO's bedtime.
Paige starts her day at 6:00 most mornings, always has. She is now 6 months old and we have dropped the catnap. She is on a 3 hour EASY eg. up at 6, bed around 8:45 - 9:00. Any earlier and her naps become very short. The only problem is, is that for the last week her naps have become shorter by themselves. I have been putting her down at the regular time (roughly 2 hrs 45 mins - 3 hrs after she has woken) and instead of the usual 1.5 hr nap, it is now regularly 1 hour. When this happens, it means her bedtime has to be very early. For instance, if both her naps only last for 1 hour each, then her bedtime is 5:00pm?! when i put her to bed that early, well, safe to say she wakes up around 4:00am and wants to play!

Any idea why her naps would be off? On the days that her naps are poor, should i let her have a catnap?

I have posted her routine below.

6am - wake + bottle.
7am - Solids
9:00 -nap
10:30 (although 10:00 lately) wake + bottle
11:30 solids
1:30 - nap
3:00 (although 2:30 lately) wake + bottle
4:00 solids
5:00, bath, then bottle and story.
6:00 - bedtime.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Lauren H

[momofclaire]

At 6 months she should be on a 4 hour easy.  I think that 3 hours of A time in the morning is too much.  I would try for a routine that looks a little like this.
6:00 wake and eat
8:00 (or 8:30 if she can handle that) nap for 1.5-2 hours
10:00 eat
12:30 nap (1.5-2 hours)
2:30 eat
4:00 cat nap (30 min)
6:00 bedtime

If she can handle 2.5 hours of A time then you might be able to leave the cat nap but I bet that the nap problems are due to overtiredness.
Does that help?

[laurenhendo]

Thanks momofclaire. The only problem is, is that since she was around 5 months. She never slept for the catnap, she either cried in her cot or just played in by herself. On the few times that she actually did have a 45 min catnap, she woke at 5am the next morning? Is that normal?

LH

[momofclaire]

I wouldn't say it is normal.      How as the last day or so been?  What has your routine looked like?
Have you figured out how much A time she can handle?  Like I said, if she can handle more A time then you might be able to drop the cat nap with no problem.

[laurenhendo]

Hey again.

I followed the suggested routine, and the first nap (around 8:15) was 30 minutes!! I tried for 45 minutes to resettle, but she wasn't sleepy. The second nap i moved forward 30 minutes because of the poor first nap, so that one was 12:00. That one lasted 1 hour. Then she had a catnap in the car from 4:00 - 4:30. Bed was 6:00 and she woke again at 10:30, then again at 4:00. Is there something i'm not doing right?

Also the last few days when she wakes up in the morning, she isn't hungry at all! is that strange too?

Arrrgh!!

LH

[momofclaire]

Is she eating her milk feeds well? Is she not hungry for the milk or the solids?  Is it possible that she is getting too much solid food and not wanting her milk but then waking at night due to hunger?

[laurenhendo]

Today has been a real trial! She has not been drinking her milk feeds well at all, and no solids (normally she has a very small amount). She was crying and crying this morning for no apparent reason, she wasnt hungry, but seemed tired after only being awake one hour. I wonder if she is teething and her sleep is disrupted, hence the tiredness and crying. Is 6 months too early for this?
LH

[momofclaire]

Teething somtimes does cause a baby to not want to eat.  Do you breastfeed?  I found that with Claire when her teeth really hurt sucking was painful for her.  If you want you can try to offer a bottle as it is easier.  If you bottle feed maybe try getting a slightly faster nipple flow. How long ago did you start solids?  Could she be having tummy trouble because of them? 
You might want to call you pediatrician. She could have an ear infection or some other minor illness that is troubling her. 

Keep me posted.
Myia

[laurenhendo]

Hey there
I bottled feed her and she has been having a bit of solids here or there on her 'hungry days' since she was almost 5 months, so i dont think it's a tummy thing. Today she seemed to be back to normal. No crying at all. A bit strange though, we put her down before 3 hours, but she just rolled around in her cot again for 30 mins, then slept for 1 hour and 1.5 hours respectively. Maybe i just need to roll with it and it was a few 'off' days.

  LH

[momofclaire]

Let me know how it goes. Sometimes developmental things can mess with sleep as well and often in that case it is hard to pinpoint the issue.

[laurenhendo]

Thanks MomofClaire. I will let you know how it all goes, and i'm very grateful to have a board to post on... my Sister-in-law has the 'perfect' baby , so asking her for advice is useless...
Thanks again
LH