3 month old won't take a 3rd nap

[mmom]

C is 14 weeks (I think....) and we are finally starting to get some decent naps.  I work on getting 1 independent nap in the crib daily and the last 3 or 4 days we have gotten that.  Some days we even get 2 naps.  But that 3rd nap is a nightmare.  Sleep after 4 pm in general has always been hard.  When that was a cat nap, it was difficult too.  I always AP'd this last nap however I could get the nap it, since he screams the house down and will not sleep. But the past 2 days, he won't even be AP'd.

I have been journaling our EASY for the past week and here are the past couple of days.:
9/4 NW: 3 am, ssshed back to sleep
Wake and eat: 5 am 7 ounces
S: 5:30 - 7
E: 3 ounces
S; 8:45- 9:25 sshed back to sleep 9:35 - 10:45
E: 7 ounces @11:15
S: 12:30 - 2:45 (out, so fell asleep in the car seat)
E: 6 ounces @ 3
S: 4:40 - 6:10 crying out here and there, continually ssshing in swing
E: 7 ounces @7
bed: 7:54

9/5
NW 4 am wouldn't resettle: 6 ounces
S: 5- 7:15
E: 7:45 3 ounces
S: 8:45 - 10:15
E: 7 ounces @11
S: 12:45 - 2:50
E: 5 ounces @ 3
S: 4:40 - 5:10
E: 6:30 7 ounces
Bed 7:35
We were out this night and I tried to get him to sleep more and earlier and it wouldn't happen.

today:
NW: 2 am - resettled
NW 3 - wouldn't resettled - 4 ounces at 3:30
S: 4 - 7:10
E: 6 ounces at 7:30
S: 8:50 - 11:05
E: 5 ounces @11:15
S: 12:55 - 1: 20 in stroller, then 1:20 - 2:35 in swing
E: 6 ounces @ 2:45
S: 4:24 - 4:55
E: 6 ounces @ 6:15
bed 7
Tonight I tried a longer A after the 2nd nap.  He did go to sleep in his crib, which he never does.  But he woke screaming 30 minutes later.  I tried all forms of AP to get him to sleep: swing, carrier, rocking, etc.  Nothing would work.

He wakes on his own every morning.  I don't wake him and he always wakes in the 7 am hour and of course never wants to eat, because he just ate.

It is getting difficult to deal with this last nap, especially on nights like tonight while I am by myself, I am trying to make dinner, and I have a toddler who likes to cry like his brother now.

So what can I do?  Can I let him sleep longer for the first couple of naps in case this happens?  I do wake him from both naps.  He could easily go 4 hours between feeds.  I just don't know how to manage this part of the evening. 

I am sorry this is so long.  I just need help.  Please and thank you!

[mmom]

Well, even after struggling with the last nap and being OT at bedtime, we had a good night.  He slept from 7-6.

I am still looking for suggestions on that last nap though...........

[Chicane]

Hey Kara

sending hugs. We always struggled with the CN. It never happened for us so I gave up trying to make it work when DS was 4 months. I wonder if some babes just are not into it...I did early BT for ages and ages to compensate...it all worked out in the wash. I think you seem to be working on your routine pretty well and its great that LO is self settling...keep going the way you are, you are going to get there.

To refresh yourself check out the samples here http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164253.0

if in a few days things are still tough post up another typical day...

hugs x

[mmom]

Thank you so much for replying.

I don't get it though - shouldn't a 3 month old have 3 naps?  So shouldn't I be aiming for a real nap here?

[Chicane]

yeah, I know, i thought the same thing, and you are right, but we could just never ever get it. For us the CN was always such a battle and it ended up being so stressful that it just didn't seem worth the battle to simply get a Cn out of him a few times a week. I don't know what to tell you because theoretically I should be telling you to keep trying for it but in my experience it didn't work...if you feel you can keep trying for it then by all means go ahead and I will support you all the way. I just wanted to let you know what our experience was and to say that you shouldn't feel bad if it doesn't always work cause it happened to us too and its quite a common issue...hugs

[Gypsymom]

We used to be able to get the CN in the swing, but lately that's been failing us too. I guess we should try to move his bedtime earlier to compensate, but I don't want to add an extra NW!

[mmom]

Shannon, that is how I feel about the NW!

Chicane - When you were going through this, did you lengthen naps at all?  I could easily let my LO sleep longer and lengthen the day that way, but I am not sure if that is the 'wrong' thing to do.

[Chicane]

hmmm...yes, I did lengthen them...but we had some issues with 45 min naps. We got over it but I am not convinced it was my work that did it, I think he just grew up a bit and got better at it all. I think if you have a longer nap in the day that it can compensate for the lack of CN...In my mind it was all about trying to keep the A times right so in order to do that we had early BTs for a long time. If your LO is able to get decent amount of sleep in two naps and keep A times at the right length so that he doesn't get OT (so you may still need to do an early BT) then I think it can work that way...what does your gut tell you about that way of doing things? Do you think it could work out that way? Maybe give me a sample of how you think the say would look if you did it that way...xxx

[mmom]

Well, the last couple of days have been different, since I am back at work part time and someone else is watching the boys.  We have managed a cat nap, since the naps haven't been that great all around.  Not too bad - just not what they were with me.  We seem to get 1 good nap and the rest are shorter.

When he is with me and he seems to be sleeping, I may try lengthening 1 or both of the naps if he goes back to refusing the last nap.

I have a question though - I seem to remember when DS#1 was older, that if we didn't have enough A after the CN or if the CN was too long, that we had EWs.  Will this be the case at this young age?  I am having a hard time determining if these random NWs we are having are routine based.

We have also been leaving the tips of his hands out of his Woombie, since he will suck on them before he goes to sleep at night.  But then he will break out of it completely and wake himself up in the middle of the night.  So he is clearly not ready to not be swaddled, yet he likes his hand to go to sleep.  So I don't know what to do about that either.

[Chicane]

hey mmom

you will need to keep the CN short so there is a decent A time before BT. You may find the last A is always shorter but if the Cn is too long it could be interfering with night sleep.

As far as swaddling - have you seen the Aussie Swaddle? Allows them to suck on their hands but still keeps them wrapped...worth a try http://www.bugnbelle.com/how_to_swaddle.html if you do it with a muslin it seems better...x

[mmom]

Thank you - I will check out the Aussie Swaddle!!

Also, as far as the last A, how short?  Just follow cues? 

Thanks again - I appreciate the help!

[Chicane]

well, i followed cues at that point....for example if DS was doing on average As of 2.5 hours more or less then that last A always seemed to ba around 2 hours more or less...otherwise by the time it came to getting into pajamas after bath he was well cranky...