Naps getting shorter with long A

[Mama_Mia]

for the last 3 days my DGS's naps have been getting shorter.

Day#1 - AM nap 2 hours PM nap 1hr10 min

Day#2 - Am nap 1hr15min PM nap 1hr

Day#3 (today) AM nap - 1hr PM nap not taken yet

He has a 3hr15min A in the Am and the PM A has varied due to shorter naps.
Day #1 pm A 3.5hr
Day #2 pm A 3 hr

before these 3 days he was close to having 3.5 hour A time,  and we were getting varying nap lengths, but 80% were 1.5hr. I lowered his A 15 minutes because thats when he starts getting grumpy. Should I go back to the 3.5 hr A and stick with it for a week or are the shortening naps OT?

[Tweakster]

Hi there, could you post the whole day for us?  It could be a) yes he's getting OT or b) he's self-regulating and a bit UT/OT loop going on.  Hard to say.  What are his nights like on that day sleep?  Is he teething?

[Mama_Mia]

He just finished teething. And he doesnt act OT. Which is usually pretty clear with him. His nights are never the same They range from 10.5-12 hour nights.

Heres what happened yesterday..

Woke up at 7:00
S-10:15
A-11:15
S-2:25
A-3:30
S-6:40
Woke 6:45 this morning

So he only had 2 hours sleep during the day and slept 12 hours last night only waking once at 3am. That was the best night he's had in awhile. We were having a lot of NW due to the teething.

Now this morning he had the exact same Awake time but only slept 30 minutes, then he woke and wanted to play. It seems to me that he is UT. But that doesnt make much sense either since he is doing 3.15 A at only 7 months. But he has been on 3.15 A since 6 months. I am so confused as to why his naps are getting shorter and he is staying happy and lively.

[Tweakster]

Hi there, to be honest 14 hrs is not bad, it's more than what we were getting into him at that age - ~13.

Teething is such a big ? that you can't really routine tweak while he's in the thick of it.  It's more about following him and responding to when it's overwhelming him more than other days. 

Waking wanting to play is a sign of UT - our OT naps always ended in tears and being miserable but I do know that it is possible for some OT naps to end happily.  But it sounds like you have a good handle on his OT signs (which I think is FAB at 7 mths!) I think all you can do is try bumping the A time a tad and see what he gives you.

How's it going now?

[Mama_Mia]

His 1st awake is 3.5 hours, his 2nd awake is 3hr15 and his last awake varies depending on nap lengths as I dont want to make his day longer than 13 hours. BUT all his naps are still varied in lengths from 30 minutes to 2 hours. They are NEVER the same. I just dont get it. Maybe he is just a baby that will never sleep the same amount of time no matter what I do.

[ZacsMumme]

I wonder if he is a bit like my LO? When Zac has a good night ie 11 hours+ he needs more A time in the morning (I have no idea why) But if he has his usual 10.5-11 hours then he has his standard A time. If he has a rough night I usually have to put him down 5-10 mins early.

[Mama_Mia]

I dont know anymore and frankly I'm tired of trying to figure him out. Even when he short naps he still has no problem staying awake for the 3hr15-3.5 hour awake time that comes after it. So I'm just going to stick with his A's  I know he can handle and not worry about his naps. He's doing 3.5hr 1st awake,3.15 2nd awake and his 3rd awake is whatever is left of a 13 hr day. I wont keep him up longer than 13 hours. Not yet anyway. I'll have to research and see when they start having longer days. Sometimes I think he is moving twards 1 nap plus a CN. Thats the way our days have been going. The good news is, he's almost never grumpy anymore. except when he's playing on the floor and sees me walk by.lol