A time for 9 month old---HELP...I've got it all wrong!

[babyboy26]

Last night he went to sleep at 7:30, and slept until 6:25 this morning.  That was about 3 1/2 hrs A time before bed.  Today went very well, I'd say!

Nap 1 :  9:55 - 11:30 (1 hr 35 min...woooo hooooo!!!)
                              ***I think the 3 1/2 hr A time for morning is the key!

Nap 2:  3:20 - 4:20 (1 hr...after 3 hrs 50 min A time)
                            DH put him down at 2:55, but he played for a while.  He did wake up crying at the 1 hr mark. 
                            We just got him up, since it was already 4:20.

Is this too late for the PM nap???  If the PM nap goes later, bedtime should be later, right?   Sorry I'm always asking so many questions...I'm just trying to get this right!

[mom of two]

My lo is a bit  younger than yours, but I think he is  starting to need a bit less day time sleep than he had been.  So your nap lengths don't look too short to me.  My lo has always been on the lower end of average sleep needed.  He seems to do better taking a short am nap then I get a really good pm nap.  His routine has looked like this lately:
7- wake
10- nap
10:40- wake
2:30- nap
4:40- wake
7- bed

If he sleeps an hour or an hour and a half in the morning then I will only get an hour in the afternoon.  So I don't try to extend the am nap as he usually wakes happy.  Then I get a long pm nap while his sister is napping   So you could keep offering long am time for a longer am nap, but you might not get a long pm nap.  Hard to tell what your lo will do.

[babyboy26]

Thanks, mom of two.  I don't think I want to make any adjustments to the am nap, since I have just seemed to get the timing right! 

It's great that your lo sleeps 12 hrs at night!  Mine used to sleep 11 1/2, but has been more like 10 hrs 45 min lately.  I'm not sure why...guess I'll have to figure out that A time too!

[babyboy26]

Here's yesterday (Monday):

Wake:  6:20
Nap 1:  9:50 - 11:10 ( 1hr 20 min after 3 1/2 hrs A)
Nap 2:  2:50 - 3:45 (55 min after 3 hrs 40 min A...woke up crying, could not extend)

Bed:  7:15 - 6:10 (I think!...He actually started moaning quietly at 5:55, then it got silent.  At 6:10,
                          wide awake & chatting loudly.  Then began crying at 6:25.  I usually don't get him up
                          until 6:45, but he was really crying, so I got him.  I laid him down in the bed with me
                          for a little bit, because I wanted to see if he was hungry, or just still tired.  He did
                          begin to dose, but was restless.  I didn't let him fall asleep, and fed at 6:50.)

I'm not sure what the problem with the PM nap is.  Since he woke at 55 min crying, I am thinking he was OT???  So maybe the 2nd A time should be 3 1/2 hrs as well? 

[LucySol]

what was he like after the 55 min nap? happy or miserable till bedtime? when my lo does 55 mins she is UT.its hard isnt it! dont be disheartened,you are getting some better naps,those 2 naps are still decent naps -well i think so anyway

[babyboy26]

Well, he wasn't totally unhappy, but did demand more attention, got bored easily with activities, etc.  So, I'm not quite sure.  Will try for same A time today, and see what happens.

[babyboy26]

Today was weird...

Nap 1:  9:40 - 10:45 (1 hr 5 min, but he woke at 35 min & I had to extend.  Tried to extend again, but
                              was not happening!  This was 3 1/2 hrs from 6:10, so I am thinking he actually
                               WAS up since 5:55...which is the earliest he's woken up   So, I think he was
                                OT for this nap)

He fell asleep in the car from 12:40 -12:55 (I guess b/c he was OT from this morning)  Since  he took this little 15 min nap, and seemed happy, I kept him up until 2:40.

Nap 2:  2:40 - 3:50 (Woke up crying at 3:50 & could not extend.)

So, now I am wondering what bedtime should be???  Last night he went to bed at 7:15 and woke early at 5:55 (that was on a 3 1/2 hr A). 

[babyboy26]

Well, I put him to bed at 7:20 last night (3 1/2 hrs A)  He was restless...no NW, but just seemed to move around quite a bit.  I heard a moan and squirming at 5:50.  I went in to check this morning, because yesterday I think he was up and I didn't realize it.  He was asleep.  At 6:05, heard him again.  He was definitely up by this point.  I think he saw me, because 5 min later, he began crying.  He usually chats for about 30 min before I get him up, but he was really crying.  I tried to settle him back to sleep, but it wasn't happening.  After 10 min, I left to go make his bottle, and then he began chatting happily.   I left him until 6:45, as he was happy and that's what time we normally start the day.

He used to sleep until 7, then 6:45, then 6:30, 6:15...I am seeing a bad pattern here!  I'm sure his poor naps are affecting his night sleep...I don't know what to fix! 

[babyboy26]

Today = weird...we are regressing!

Wake 6:05
Nap 1:  9:40 - 11:00 (This was not a good nap...woke at 30 min mark, cried out, just as I went, he settled himself,
                               but then I heard him squirming about every 10 min. or so.  Woke up crying at 11:00.  I'm
                               thinking he was OT?  We were on 3 1/2 hrs A, this was 3 hrs 35 min, but his night was only
                                10 hrs 45 min, and seemed restless)
Nap 2:  2:40 - 3:15   (35 min...in the car.  I kind of knew this one would be messy, because we were out visiting &
                               would have an hour drive home.  Was hoping he would sleep for the hour, but no such luck.

Bed:  7:05

I will see what I get tonight, but I'm thinking might not be good b/c OT from the short PM nap.  I was too scared to put him to bed earlier, plus he didn't take his bottle until 6:45 (practically fell asleep on it)

[LucySol]

hi hun,sorry you are still having problems.im goin thru the same so im struggling to help-my mind is all fuzzy with bl***dy A times.Il be back with some help!--bear with me.

[~Alexa~]

Hi there!! You've received great advice from these ladies!!

I must tell you that you don't have nothing to worry about your lo's naps!! He is taking an average of 11 hrs a night, and then 2.5 hrs of daysleep.  That is great!! 
If you prefer to have a longer pm nap so he makes it till bedtime without being fussy, then I would try to cut the am nap to 45/60 min and see if that helps.  A lot of moms prefer a longer pm nap b/c bubs are happier at bedtime and sleep better at night!

How was your night? At what time did he wake up this morning?

HTHs  (((HUGS)))
Alexa

[LucySol]

you are in good hands

[babyboy26]

Thanks, ladies! 

Wed night he went to bed at 7:05 and slept until 6:25 (11 hrs 20 min)...this was great!  He just seems better in the morning when he gets 11 + hours of sleep. 

Yesterday was a little bit off, because we had to go to the dr for 9 month check-up.  Instead of putting him down at home, and then having to wake him after only 30 min, I decided to leave early and drive around, hoping for a good nap in the car.  He fell asleep at 9:40 (Which was only 3 hrs 15 min of A), but he seemed really drowsy upon putting him in the car, so I figured he would be out pretty quickly.

Nap 1 : 9:40 - 10:45 (1 hr 5 min) (in car)
Nap 2:  2:15 - 3:15 (1 hr...woke up screaming!  He did have to get shots, so I'm wondering if he woke in pain?)  I tried to extend, but he wanted to be held.

Last night, we had a visitor, so he didn't go to sleep until 7:20, which I think was too late.  He was a bit restless, woke at 3:00 crying.  he settled back quickly, then was up at 6:05...woke crying. 

So, last night he only got 10 hrs 45 min of sleep.  He's been a wee bit fussy this morning so far.  I may opt to put him down a little earlier than the 3 1/2 hr A that we were getting, if he seems drowsy earlier.

What I can't figure out is...why does he wake up happy sometimes and crying sometimes on the same A time???

[~Alexa~]

Sorry you got an EW!! May be he should have gone to bed a tiny bit earlier! But you had visitors, so that's fine! 

Don't worry about how he wakes up from his naps.  What matter is how his mood is during his next A.  My lo sometimes wakes up crying from his naps, but then, he is pretty happy and chatty for the next 3 hrs.  So what matter is his mood during ALL his A!

HTHs
Alexa

[babyboy26]

Thanks, Alexa.

This morning wasn't good. 

Nap 1:  9:50 - 10:20 (30 min)

I know he was OT, because that was 3 hrs 45 min of A...he had lots of trouble settling, even though I tried to get him to sleep by 3 hrs 15 min A.  I could not extend, so I just got him up.  He was cranky, so I put him down again at 12:45.  He's been sleeping for a little over an hour now. 

I may have to do a 15 min catnap, to get him to bedtime, but I don't know that he'll go for that.