6.5mo naps getting shorter...reintroduce catnap?

[arabesque]

Hi everyone,

DS2 is 6.5mo. Last month I finally managed to get him napping about 1.5h twice a day...perfect! I'd pushed his A time out to 3hrs. He sometimes struggles to make it that long but we were getting decent naps, most of the time. Now however, he's doing one long nap and one 45min nap each day...not really enough! We do early bed when that happens but at the moment we are doing early bed every night!!

Our EASY looks like:

E 7am + Losec
E 8:30am solids
S 10am-11ish (long nap getting shorter by the day!!)

E 11:15am
E 12:30 solids
S 2-2:45pm (short nap here, can't get him to resettle)

E 3
E solids 5/5:15pm
bath
E BF about 6:20
S 6:40

DF 10:15pm

What should I do? If he's doing such short naps, do I reintroduce the catnap?

Resettling is hard because he's an independent sleeper and a thumb sucker. I cant *make* him suck his thumb and go back to sleep, and if I go in he gets more upset wants to get up...and I give in.

Please offer your suggestions

Not much Y time happening here!
Thanks,
Bec

[~Sara~]

Personally, I think that he needs more A time.  When DS all of a sudden started taking short naps (anything over 30 minutes), it was because he needed more A time to sleep longer.

So, tomorrow, I would try adding 10-15 minutes onto that first A time.  We'd like to get him doing 1.5h for his 2 naps.  So, stick with that new A time for 2-3 days and see how he does.

And, yes, if he does short nap during the day, it is completely fine to try to sneak in another catnap to get him through until bed.  Nothing wrong with that!  But, I think giving him more A time should do the trick.  Let me know how it goes!

[donna_issabella]

we still do the occasional catnap if the day naps were too short.

ps: I am way behind in terms of solids!! we haven't even tried it yet, good for you to be so established!

[arabesque]

Thank you both!!!!

In terms of A time, he's struggling to get to 3 hrs, so I was reluctant to add any more. Some days he can only do 2.5 and he's moaning and whingey. I'll give it a try tomorrow though, thanks for prompting me

In terms of solids, he's had a long road with that! At 4.5mo we started on paeds advice to get losec into him for reflux, and we've had huge issues. He's taking laxatives 3 times a day now because otherwise he just can't poo. It's been a nightmare for his reflux too. Some days I wish I just hadn't started! BF is a struggle too, I have mastitis at the moment and after months of motilium to boost supply and now thyroid meds I'm almost ready to quit I feel like I've fought so hard to keep feeding and it's just one hurdle after another.

[~Sara~]

In terms of A time, he's struggling to get to 3 hrs, so I was reluctant to add any more. Some days he can only do 2.5 and he's moaning and whingey. I'll give it a try tomorrow though, thanks for prompting me

3h was a hard one for us, too.  It seemed like DS just trudged along and then once he got there, he needed an increase in rapid succession.  I think they can show sleepy signs out of habit...but if he suddenly starts taking 30 minute naps after you've increased his A time, then we'll know that's too much A time.

I didn't know that he had reflux, so I'd make sure that's under control and isn't causing him to wake up early bc it's bothering him.

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time right now with BFing.  I had mastitis, too.  It's not fun at ALL!!  In an odd turn of events, the antibiotics I took made my supply dry up.  Before I had mastitis, I could pump 5-6 oz at every feed (assuming of course that I didn't bf at that feed); afterwards, I was lucky to get 1.5 oz at each pump.  DS was 3.5 mo and was hungry all the time.  After trying to boost my supply, I made the decision to move him to formula.  We've been happy ever since.  So, don't feel bad if you have to go down a different path.  All your efforts so far and all the time you've given him with bfing has been tremendous.  You should be proud

[arabesque]

Thanks Sara

His reflux seems much more under control now that he's on laxatives...having room in his tummy when he eats is wonderful in helping his food stay down!

Re BF, it's so hard. I BF'd DS1 for 17 months. In my mind anything less than equal for each child is failing. I know it shouldnt be so, and I've been diagnosed with autoimmune diseases in between my pregnancies so my body is different, but it still doesn't feel right in my mind. I have many friends who are FF and while I totally think that's okay, I also want there to be a representative for BF, if that makes sense. I don't want to be seen as following the crowd. I should care less what others think, but I dont. FF is very judged here. If I could get a t-shirt printed with "I BF for 6.5 mo, I have thyroid disease which causes low milk supply, I've tried lots of drugs, and I fought hard to keep going" then I'd probably be more likely to wean Actually, I'm seriously considering it...maybe the mastitis is the final straw. I had mastitis for 4.5mo STRAIGHT with DS1 (7 courses of antibiotics) and I just can't do that again.

Thanks for your advice with A time too. I will stretch him out a bit tomorrow, it will be easier because we are out at play group. But sleep therefore also won't be as easy! He could go down any time after 2 hrs if I went by his tired signs. He's a generally crotchetty baby unless someone other than me is around. I should have mentioned he wakes between 6am and 6:30am but is now happy to rest/doze (I don't have a video monitor so I don't know) until we get him at 7. So potentially he's already having a huge A time. He struggles most with A time between his naps though, rather than morning or late afternoon.

Sorry for the essay. It's just so nice to have someone caring for me today

[~Sara~]

He struggles most with A time between his naps though, rather than morning or late afternoon.

Well, not every A time has to be the exact same length.  Some LOs like less A time as the day goes on; others can handle more...maybe he likes MORE, LESS, MORE?  LOL, they like to keep us guessing.

Wow...7 rounds of antibiotics...I can't imagine.  You get super *hugs* for going through that!  I think you know what your body can do/handle, and any decision you make should be your own.  I think we all feel defensive and judged regarding whatever feeding choice we make; so the only person we can truly please is ourselves.

Hope you were able to get some rest!  How did the day go?

[arabesque]

Hi

Thanks for your encouragement! Today I put him down to sleep at 10:10am and he slept til 11:18am (mind you, we were at play group and it's very noisy so any sleep is good!!) Yesterday afternoon I held him out for 3h10m A time between naps and he slept for 45mins, woke and cried for 2 mins, then did a further 45!! So excellent all round It seems the longer A time is the go. Hard for me, but better for him

How's your day been?

Again, thanks for your support xx

[~Sara~]

It seems the longer A time is the go. Hard for me, but better for him

It's only hard at first, then you just get used to it!  LOL, as you know with your DS1, soon you'll be looking back on those "short" 3h A times

I'm so glad that his naps were so great yesterday.  Hopefully that does the trick and you're sailing in smooth waters once again!

My day's been good--at work, missing my kiddo, though.  But, he's hanging out with daddy, so I know he's getting to do many manly things and loving every minute of it! 

Keep me posted on how things go!