Afternoon nap rpoblems for 9 month old...

[debo620]

Hi there, I need help with the afternoon nap....I am always getting the timeing wrong it seems and my LO is just not settling well..
I have absolutely no idea if he is UT or OT or what...he is just really fighting sleep..this has been going on for about 1 week..he started crawlng about 1 week ago and things got better when that happened (he was fightig sleep when trying to crawl)..once he started crawling his first A time went down by 15min or so..

this is what Im trying right now-wake time varies by 30min either way but I try to keep the A time consistant:
wake 6:30
windown at 9:30--and then in crib for 9:45, 3.25hr awake time and asleep within 5-10min...then sleeps 1hr-1hr15...

then the 2nd A time is absolutely crazy..
I have tried 3hrs awake time and he just ins't tired enough..
today I tried 3.25hrs..he let out a big yawn during windown..hopeing he would be asleep within 5min or so..but instead he has been on and off fussing and crying...interspersed with talking.
I went in there once to try and resing my song..he calmed while i was singing and sucked his thumb but cried when I put him down...so I tried to patt him a bit, but he just kept getting up so I left and he cried when I left the room but stopped quickly and has now been doing the fussing/crying/talking thing again...it stops and starts .hes been up  about 4hrs now and I am sure he is OT but Im not sure what to do to help him--I am sure I will end up AP of some sort but my toddler is here and haveing to occupy himself..

[Tobysmum]

What's the "average" A time for a 9 month old (can't remember and don't have time to look it up at the moment - sorry!)   Do you think perhaps he could really handle a longer A time for his second nap given that he has such a good am nap?  Just a thought.  You could try and experiment with that - and see what happens?

[debo620]

well today,

woke 6am
nap 9:25-10:35
nap attempt at 1:50---finally asleep at 2:55. I went in at 2:50 and fed him to see if that was the problem but he didn't feed to sleep, cried when I put him down, sucked his thumb and settled  and I then actually had to wake him at 4:15..

so maybe its time to cut the am nap to 45..

[marensmama]

Hi Deb.  A times for LOs his age vary from 3-4 hours, and some babes can handle more.  You could cut the am nap back, but then don't forget to shorten the next A time so he doesn't get OT.

Cute new avatar, BTW, his blue eyes just pop! 

[debo620]

thanks Nicole,
does he sound like he is OT for that 2nd nap?--he spent the hour sort of fussing, crying and talking--off and on..
cant decide if this OT or him fighting the nap..

if he was OT wouldn't he just go to sleep and wake 30min later crying? (maybe not--maybe hes to wondoup for that)
but if he was UT wouldn't he play happily for a little while before going to sleep.. (maybe not--maybe hes cryign because he doesn't want to sleep yet)
this was crying pretty much straight away. yet he doesn't seem OT, just starting to get a bit fussy and definately not rubbing eyes during windown, all I saw today was a single yawn..

[marensmama]

No, he sounds UT to me... they get bored in their crib and then that makes them crabby and then their crying stimulates them and then they get OT and cry more.  I think if he was OT straight off, he'd be crabby going down, and wake up crabby after a short nap. 

[debo620]

hmm, ok thanks...

[marensmama]

Let me know how it goes!

[debo620]

well Stacy agrees..she thinks I should do a 45min am nap and then down 3.25 later for pm nap

.....Im scared.

[debo620]

LOL Stacy,
I here what you are saying, but there are also time when he he does play for 20-30min and then falls asleep--like at bedtime...or the other day he had a 1hr15min am nap, put him down at 3.25hrs and he played til the 3.75hr mark without any crying or fussing at all.

so yesterday his nap ended at 4:15 and he was asleep about 7. woke crying at 2:45--so I just assumed hunger and fed him once, we do still have that one night feed. but when I put him back down--he started playing, so I left him...well he shook his crib  rails and talked for 30minutes or so...and was then up about 6:35 or so...
wondering if that night time playing was from too late of a nap yesterday afternoon.?

so asleep this morning at 10am, so his full sleep cycle is about 38minutes....so if I wake him at 45min vs wakeing him at 1hr or him wakeing on his own at 1hr--is there a big difference?

[debo620]

ok so is there a difference btwn a 40 min and a 45min? I mean should I just be wakeing after 1 sleep cycle?

I chickened out today and woke him at 1hr and am going to try 3.25hrs and see how he acts and how long he sleeps..
then its on to 45min tommorow.

[debo620]

well I had him down at 3.25hrs and he quietly played and chatted..I barely heard him---just the occasional crib kick etc and absoluely no crying ( very different to yesterday) and he was asleep at about 3.75hrs--2:45pm, so Ill see how long he sleeps...

[debo620]

so he slept about 40--woke happy at 3:25 or so..
at least its not too long til bed...

[debo620]

I put him to bed last night at 6:30 and he was asleep at 7, woke at 12-BF and then slept til 6:10am...
so it seems like we are getting about 11hr nights even though yesterdays naps only totalled like 1hr45min.
so with that 6:10 wake, did windown and in to bed at 3.25hrs at 9:25 or so, asleep about 9:35---
ok , so this where I struggle...
if I wake him at 40--its only like 10:15 in the am and next nap would be 1:30pm--now if this is 40 min too then Im in trouble for bedtime.

so if I plan on a 40min am nap am I better to push out his morning A time a bit?--or does this then mess up the next A time anyhow...

[debo620]

ok, so really if I just let this nap go longer, and just accept that he will only take a 40min pm nap--then at least I dont have to stress about him wakeing early from the pm nap.

I mean really as long as he sleeps again, then what difference does it make?
he can handle a normal A time on a 40min pm nap..so as long as that pm nap is over by 3:30/4 then?

part of me just feels that until his am awake time is pushing 4hrs--and then Im finding it hard to fit another nap in---like the pm nap isn't starting til 4 or something then maybe I should just let things be.