Gus is 7.5 months now. I thought I'd start a new post as things have started to deteriorate again
and I need more help. Things have been pretty good for the past 2 weeks - we got down to one night waking to feed (great) and we were having regular naps - and both baby and toddler have napped together (a cross over of an hour as toddler naps much longer than baby). Perfect.
BUT!!
For the past few days it's got progressively worse, we are back to at least 2 night wakings and naps are getting progressively worse too. We still have the problem that we don't really know when he wakes in the morning - I just haven't been able to rectify that one.
Basically, he is never going to be a long daytime sleeper - I just don't think it's in his nature. He seems to be best on a total daytime sleep of approx 2-2.5 hrs max. I have accepted that fact! Also, he is never going to do 2 equal length naps - which actually suits me better to. So, his first nap is generally 30-40 mins long and if he sleeps any longer he only has a short lunchtime nap. That said, because he only has a short morning nap and not a particularly long afternoon nap, we often have a VERY long A time before bed. 99.9% of the time he still goes to sleep very easily at night.
Our day has looked similar to this for the past 2 weeks or so.
A??? Possibly 6.30? Some days it's earlier, or sometimes it can even be later if he feeds in the early morning and then goes back to sleep.
E BF I always feed him when I get him up in the morning - sometimes can be 6.30, 6.45 or 7.00 - but I feed him so he knows the day has started.
E 8.00am - solids (rice cereal mixed with water and 1 ice cube fruit)
S He will be asleep anywhere between 9.10 and 9.30 and generally sleeps for 30 mins (although he usually wakes up at the 30 min mark wide awake and happy, on the occasion that he sleeps longer, I don't et him sleep longer than 40 mins anymore as he will then not sleep well at lunchtime I have found).
E BF 11.00
E 12.00 Solids (3 ice cubes veg and 1 ice cube fruit)
S He's asleep anywhere between 1.00 and 1.30pm. Has been sleeping for between 1hr and 1hr 30 mins (did 1hr 50 mins one day!!) - My toddler goes to nap at about 1.15 (I usually make sure Gus is asleep before I take Toby the toddler upstairs). Gus is usually awake anywhere between 2pm and 2.30pm so that's a very long A time until bed.
E BF 3.00
E 5.00pm solids (3 ice cubes veg and 1 ice cube fruit)
E BF 6.20/6.30.
S 6.45 - he's usually asleep between 6.45 and 7.00.
Then we have 2 night wakings generally (rarely wakes in the evening but woke 3 times yesterday evening and then twice in the night). I have reduced his solids as I was told on the breastfeeding board that he was probably getting too many solids and that's why he wanted more milk at night. He is now taking a bit more in the day I think.
A times for the first nap are usually around 3hrs 15 mins (I have tried all sorts of A times and seem to still get a 30-35 min nap most of the time).
A times for the second nap are usually between 3hrs and 3hrs 25 mins (the day I got the 1hr 50 min nap was after 3hrs 25 min A time!)
A times after the second nap until bed can be between 4.75 hrs (if he woke at 2pm for example), or 3hrs 45 mins (if he woke at 3pm).
I do tend to put him to bed at the same time each day (I find it difficult to get him to bed any earlier with a toddler in tow!) We are usually feeding by 6.25pm.
I know his A times are long - the funny thing is that he's happy, rarely cranky (still very rarely shows tiredness signs).
Do you just think he's getting OT after having too long A times for a couple of weeks and now it's getting worse as it's catching up with him? I am still confident that he can handle 3hrs + A times. The problem is that if I put him down any earlier for that first nap, then the second nap has to move earlier and because he doesn't sleep very long, we'd have a long long A time before bed.
Any ideas appreciated - I'd like to try and improve things before they get really bad again.
Feel free to ask any questions.
