Last nap and bedtime trouble

[newbie_momsie]

Hi all,

So I increased her A time to 2.5 hrs and I think it is helping. DD wakes up most days between 5am to 530am so I let her try to settle by herself by 6am. If not, we get up to start her day.

So today her EASY is

520am wakes up but stay in crib

600am Eat

745am nap 1 (A time counted from 520am is 2 hrs 25 mins). She napped for 2 hrs

945am Eat

1150am Nap 2 - 2 hr 15mins A time. She fell asleep within 5 mins of WD but then woke up afyer 45 mins nap and wont fall back to sleep. I should have stuck to 2.5 hr A time

130pm Eat

315pm Nap 3 - kept this cat nap to 1 hr.

530pm Eat

630pm wind down for bed

645pm put into crib awake but she hasnt fallen asleep yet. It is noe 7:08pm as i type this right now. She is rolling in crib and babbling. I can't tell if this is considered OT as she has been awake since 415pm so 2.5 hrs A time after only 60 min cat nap. Should I have put her to bed even earlier? I worry about NWs if I put her to bed any earlier.

i can't seem to get to the right amount of A time length after a cat nap in order for her to go to bed as easily as her day time naps. I really need to figure what is a good bed time for her especially if she wakes at 530am and starts her day at 6am. Please advise! TIA!!!!

[newbie_momsie]

Just a little more info....

This morning she woke from 420am to 5am. I didnt go into her room and she self soothed herself back to sleep. But now she is more fully awake at 548am.

Is 420am considered a NW? Would this be due to too early or late bedtime from the night before?

BW 4 hr EASY shows catnap between 5pm to 6pm with bedtime 1 hr 30 min later at 730pm. I guess i am not sure if DD can fall asleep 1 hr 30 min instead of her usual 2.5 to 3 hrs after a 60 min cat nap.

[anna*]

For me anything before 6am is a NW and I will feed back to sleep if necessary. I would do a shorter catnap and an earlier bed - to me, an hour is really a full nap and would need a full A time after it.

[newbie_momsie]

Hi Anna,

I used to feed her and put back to sleep but then get her up at 7am but then she wont eat again and that messes up the EASY routine. Also i didnt want to not feed her until the next feeding which would be 11am if she was on a 7am to 7pm routine.

So Anna, even though i increased A time to 2.5 hrs, today her second nap only lasted 30 mins

does this mean I should bump up her A time to 3 hrs? i am wondering if she is ready for the 3-2 transition for naps. She is 5 months and 3 weeks old today.

[anna*]

Maybe over 2.5 hrs is too much? I don't know, you can't make tweaks based on just one nap, really, only if it becomes a pattern over several days.

[newbie_momsie]

Today we kept A time 2.5 hrs and for her 2nd nap she still woke up after napping 35 mins. This is the 3rd day. I worry a pattern is starting. What can I do To resolve these short naps. Her first nap she pretty much condistently naps for 1.5 hrs. It is just the 2nd nap I am having trouble. Thx!

[anna*]

Maybe she needs a slightly shorter second A?

[newbie_momsie]

I tried 2 hr 15 min 2 days ago and she napped 45 min.

Should i go back to 2hrs?

This is so tricky...

[anna*]

Tbh I wouldn't go lower. 45 mins is under tired. I'd probably puah a wee bit more and see if it's enough to help her go back to sleep.

[*Liz*]

Remember that getting hungry can start being an issue once the A time is over 2 hrs. If they nap at 2.5hrs A, that makes the transition at 3h 15 A, and sometimes they are getting a bit hungry so can't do it. Not scream the house down hungry, just peckish enough to fail the transition. It is completely relevant at 3hrs A.

My middle kid never napped longer than 45 mins unless fed before a sleep (breast fed). whereas my boys need a bit of a gap due to reflux/ wind issues.

[newbie_momsie]

Ok i will try 2 hr 15 mins again and see.

Liz: my DD fights every time it is feeding. Well ...most of the time. It is very frustrating to feed her. after a month and a half trying to breastfeed since birth and getting lots of help from breadtfeeding clinics, public nurse and lactation consultant we still cant get her to latch plus i have somewhat of inverted nipples She is bottle fed and she has phases of refusing to drink or if she drinks she doesnt finish her bottle   . If she was hungry she would eat right? So i dont know if hunger has tp do with her short 2nd nap

Trouble feeding is a whole other issue which i cant force her to drink so i just have to let her be is what all the sources i read...not to force her....sigh...i feel helpless...worried....frustrated

[newbie_momsie]

My baby takes a 30-45 min cat nap and then 2hr A time before bed but she rolls around her bed for another 30 mins so total A time is 2.5 hrs.

Should i increase her cat nap since her last awake time gets pretty long? I put her in bed by 630pm because she is a 530-630am baby. Also cuz i know she wont fall asleep by herself until about 7pm or even later.

[anna*]

If she is happy rolling in her crib I would leave the A time as it is. Is she 6 months now?

[*Liz*]

Is she a bit refluxy? Fussy feeding and tendency to short nap makes me think of it.

[newbie_momsie]

Anna - yes...she turned 6 months today.


Liz - since A time is about 2.5 hrs now her naps are 1 hr 15 to 1 hr 30 min now for the first 2 naps. She hasn't been diagnosed with reflux and i dont see any signs of it besides being a fussy bottle eater. She always resist feeding but eventually will eat. It is a waiting game with her. She cries (no tears), turns head, clamp her lips sgut but eventually will open up to drink. Sometimes i just stick in the teat while she whimpers and she stops crying and drink.