Anyone want to talk about the 3-2 Nap transition? Part 2

[lily_layne]

I have no advice about the pram issue (DD does the same, but I'm a homebody so it doesn't bother me to stay home all day) but I have read that some LOs keep that 3rd nap until 9 months.  I've also read that it can take until 8 or 9 months for some LOs to do more than 2 hours of A time.  If you are getting good naps on 2 hours of A time, I wouldn't mess with it.

[Clairehv]

Thanks LilyJane. Yes our days at home are fine and maybe I just have to accept that if we are out her lunchtime nap won't be great but that she'll hopefully make it up on her third nap of day.

[lily_layne]

That's the good part of her still having a third nap!  I would definitely do a longer third nap if the second one is short.

[ArielG]

Hi everyone,

I'm jumping in here and I have to laugh. We are all in the same boat, aren't we??!

We're making the 3-2 transition with an absolute refusal of a CN. EBT everyday and so much OT-ness, it's crazy. Every day is different, I find myself moaning to DH, "I just want more than one good day in a row!"

I have a sneaking suspicion naps are an issue until they aren't required anymore. Until then....

[ZacsMumme]

Ariel, naps are an issue till your on 1 nap I found with my first

[ArielG]

I totally agree, ZacsMumme! Even though this is my first.

I do have a question though, since she sleeps 11 hours no matter what, it leaves us with a 13 hour day to contend with..on 2 naps!

I have her out to 2h35+m in the morning and 3h before her second nap (thanks to your advice on another thread) but her naps are hovering right around 1.5 hours and rarely longer.

She's been doing 7pm-6am consistently but then she started refusing the catnap. When she did that, I started doing an EBT but that just got her to wake up 11 hours later which was super early. I tried to get her back down but...no way. She was excited to start the day at 5am. Ugh.

The problem is that I still have a super long day if I want to get her down late enough to sleep at least until 6am. What can I do to try to enforce (for lack of a better word) a CN? She seems pretty wired (i.e. tired) that whole stretch after nap #2 but just won't go down. It's hard for me to figure out when a CN would be feasible, not too early, not too late.  Any advice?

Here's our ES more or less:

6am wake, BF
7am Solids snack
8:30am nap
10:00am BF
11:00am Solids
1:00pm nap
2:30pm BF
4:30 Solids
...This is where it gets tricky, it's either an attempt (or several) at a CN or an EBT no later than 6:30pm
Bath/bottle/bed by 6:30/7

If her second nap is 2 hours (which it rarely is) she can more or less make it 4 hours before bed but it's tough. She gets too crazy tired to nurse so we've been doing a bottle of breast milk instead so it's easier for her.

My gut says a tiny catnap would work wonders, it's just getting her to take it.



 

[ZacsMumme]

How old is she?
I think you need to gently push out that first A time and your day will start to balance out more

[ArielG]

She is 6.5 months.

[ZacsMumme]

I would try to gently push the first A out closer to 3 hours - then hopefully the A to bed is not so long and she is less OT by BT. Is a messy few weeks!

[lily_layne]

We had the same problem for a long time.  We could often get a 10-15 min CN in if we rocked her but that was the only way she was going for it.  The other thing that helped was letting her have quiet time in her crib after she woke up from a nap (up to half an hour) - I found that she could do a slightly longer A time if I left her alone for a while and it really helped lengthen the day without her getting too OT until she could handle a longer A time.

[Clairehv]

Hi All,
Arial! Wow a baby that can stay awake 3 hours. My little babe is 8 months on Monday and for the first time ever today stayed awake for 2.5 hours between nap 1 and 2. Trying to push her gently on.
She definitely needs that last catnap. I often go for a walk at that time so she naps in the pram or in the horrible weather that we have been having she goes in her cot but I don't let her have more than 30 mins. This sometimes means BT is more between 7-7.30pm but it seems to work as she goes down for me no problem ( daddy is another story!)

It's hard to know if she'll just drop the last cn or if I'll have to push her.
I really wish she was awake a bit longer as it would be less restrictive, but then if we are at home her sleeps are so good that at least I can get on with things. ( I need to be careful what I wish for!)

Claire x

[Claire_BarnabysMummy]

Hi all,

I have a quick query. I've been having issues since DS turned 4 months (he was 5months yesterday), we've had Growth Spurt, Wonder Week and teething to deal with and I've managed to solve most of our issues with suggestions to other posts however....

DS has, for about the last week decided that its cot party time. He will wake anywhere between 3 and 5am and it takes me an age to resettle him (up to an hour) the last couple of nights I have had to resort to feeding him, which I really don't wont to continue as I don't want it to become a habit.

As he is only 5 months is it too early for the 3/2 transition? I read the sticky about the transition and he seems to meet all the criteria. Is this the 3/2 transition or do they go through another growth spurt at 5 months?

Any help greatly appreciated!

Claire

[BeeAnn]

Hi.

My LO is 5 and a half months old and we have started on the road to the 3-2 transition this last week.  She started short napping with 2 hours A time so I have increased her A time to 2hrs 15 and that seemed to solve the nap issue. 

My plan is to increase her A time to 2.5 hrs when she starts short napping again, and by capping naps at 1.5 hrs I will still follow 4 hour EASY with a short cat nap.

When I get her A time to 2.75 hrs then I was hoping to drop the cat nap (I know that you are meant to do it at 3 hrs A time but I think she will sleep for 2 hrs or so). 

So our EASY will look something like this I think:

WU                7am
E (milk) & A   7am
E (solids)        8am
S                   9.45am (2 hrs)
E (milk) & A   11.45am
E (solids)        12.45pm
S                    2.30pm (2 hrs)
E (milk) & A    4.30pm
E (solids)         5.30pm
E (milk)           6.45pm
BT                   7pm
DF                  10.45pm

Does that look ok?  This assumes she can nap for two hours - at the moment I am having to wake her after an hour and a half so I think she will do it if her A time is ok.  If not I can just bring BT forward.

I am a bit confused about her milk feedings though - they will be nearly five hours apart at first and then under three hours gap between her last two feeds.  Is that ok?  Or should I be doing something different with her milk feeds?  Should we be dropping one of these feeds and if so when?

At the moment we have only just started weaning so we are just doing lunch, but I assume that by the time she gets to 2hrs 45mins A time she will be on three meals a day.

I am sure I will be frequenting this thread over the next few weeks!

Claire - read your post and as you can see we have started transitioning at just over 5 months so I would say it isn't too early!

[Clairehv]

Hi Everyone
I was chatting on another thread as for the last three mornings DD has wanted to start the day at 5.30am.
I have been advised that too much day sleep could be the issue but I can barely get her A time past 2hr20 mins. I tried to push her 2nd nap out today and ignored the rubbing eyes and distracted her to get to 2.5 hr A time but then had to rock to sleep after a 10-15 min meltdown.

She is still having a catnap as she can't go 4 hours from 2.30 to 6.30.

Our typical day ( ignoring these hideous early wakes ) are

7am ish -WU
Bottle feed
8 am ish breakfast

9.15 Nap for 1.5 hrs ( I often wake her up)

11.30/12 lunch (solids)

12.45/1 Nap 1.5 hours ( rarely get 2)

3pm Bottle

4.30/45 Nap (limit to 30 mins)
5.30 Tea (solids)

6.30/bath bottle and asleep by 7/7.15.

Usually 1 NW.

Anyway I am not sure how to stretch her A time more than I am doing as she really gets tired. I suppose just a gentle push each week.

Do people's babies stay awake and happy from 2.30pm right to a bath/ bedtime of 6.30-7?

Thanks

[Papaya]

I am a bit confused about her milk feedings though - they will be nearly five hours apart at first and then under three hours gap between her last two feeds.  Is that ok?  Or should I be doing something different with her milk feeds?

As your A times increase, it becomes more of a 4+hour EASY - just feed on WU from nap The last two feeds are closer together, but that's sort of like tanking up for the night. It's recommended to keep four milk feeds per day until one year, although some LOs will drop a feed a little earlier.

I wouldn't be capping her first two naps at 1.5hrs, personally, I'd let her have two hours and cap the catnap if you need to, in order to preserve bedtime - if she does two long naps, she might be ready to drop the catnap sooner than you think. You can always do EBT if you need to when she first drops it.

Welcome Claire At this age I think that catnap definitely has to go hun! I would guess she's waking early because her first nap is too early - but because her nights are a bit shorter than usual atm, she's struggling to go longer for the first A. The best way forward is to push out the first A as you are doing, but I would also try to get rid of the catnap. If she's up at 2.30 after a good second nap, forget the catnap and do an early bedtime of 6pm. Fingers crossed she will tack on and you'll still get the same or even a later WU in the morning, which will mean she's rested after a nice long night and better able to cope with a later morning nap the next day. Does that make sense?