Hi there,
My baby girl is 6 months old and she is definitely ready for a longer activity time. She generally can stay up about 3 hours before she shows sleep signs and needs a nap. However, if she takes a longer nap (1.5 -2 hours) then that is 4.5-5 hours between feeds. Since she has lengthened her activity time, I have noticed that her naps have gone back to 45 minutes and she wakes up crying, grumpy and hungry (which is not the norm for her at all). She has only just started solids and doesn't eat alot yet so I'm concerned that she isn't getting enough food to help her last so long between feeds. I've also noticed that she seems really hungry at the 3 hour mark when I am trying to put her to sleep, she often keeps trying to suck on my chin or cheek insisently. She doesn't have a pacifier and isn't fed to sleep, so she has a sucking to sleep association and that's why I am wondering if she is hungry.
Before this started, she would go down for her naps so happily. I've tried shortening her activity time back to 2.5 hours but, then she fights going to sleep in a big way and will only sleep for 30 minutes and then I think she gets into an UT/OT cycle. In fact, even with 45 min naps for the last week or so, I feel like we are trapped in an OT cycle.
Can anyone offer any advice on what they would do?
