How to fit in 2 naps with a 6 month old

[Mum2lucy]

Hi,

I'm looking for some help with the 3-2 transition for my lg. we are def in the transition with most days having two naps. Her easy was going quite well with some good morning naps. Afternoon naps were always shorter but I was fine with it as she seemed happy.

The problem is that I've somehow lost the big nap in the morning. I was getting 1.5 - 2hrs but now it's 40mins. Her a time was 3hours 10mins and tried upping it to 3hrs 25mins but it hasn't extended the nap.

My main problem is that she can do 3hrs 25mins without seeming that tired and if she does 40mins it doesn't even seem to shorten her next a time. That means that my second nap is really late at 4pm so it is beginning to push my bedtime back, making it longer than a 12 hour day.

Yesterday easy looked like:

E 7.10
A 7.30
S 10.30 - 11.10, 11.40 - 12.20 (really had to do a lot of shhhh patt to extend this nap)

E12.20
A 12.30
S 15.50 - 16.40

E 17.00
S 19.15 bed for the night

My concern is that as her A continues to increase, I'm going to struggle to fit in a second nap? Help!??

Thanks

[lauradj]

Hi there!  I noticed that your afternoon A time is longer than the morning, by about 30 minutes.  What if you push out the morning A time to 3.5 hrs and cap each nap at 1.5hrs? 

[Mum2lucy]

Thanks for the reply.
I did 3.5 a time this morning and got a 25 minute nap. No idea what is going on with her! 😥 I couldn't get her to extend it so I had to giv me up. She then fell asleep after a 1.45 a for 30mins!

I'm not sure if 3.5 in the morning is too much or too little for her. Should I hold it here for a few days or shorten the a in the morning? Trial and Error just now?
Xx

[~*Nicole*~]

Anything else going on? Developmental stuff, like crawling, timing, rolling, to pull up?? Teething?

I only ask because my 6 month old fluctuates A times depending on what is going on. Right now she's all congested with a cold and she's trying to crawl and dragging herself all over the place on her belly so her A times are short. I have to guess based on her behavior more than watching the clock on times.

I remember a good indicator was that 30 minutes or shorter naps generally meant overtired and 40/45 minutes or so generally meant not tired enough. That used to help me sort my other LOs out.

[Mum2lucy]

She learning to sit and practising rolling but that's been going on for a while now.

The last two mornings I've gone back to 3hrs - 3hrs 10mins and I've got a nap of 1hr 10mins but I can't seem to get past this time. The afternoon nap is still short at 40mins.

She is also waking around 4am wide awake and I'm not sure if that is linked to the nap issue. I've been feeding her (ebf) at 4am but she isn't taking much.

[~*Nicole*~]

I do find that too many day time naps or a very late nap can cause longer night wakes over here.

[jessmum46]

Just on the alternative side I've had a lot of OT 40/50/70 minute naps with DS as we've gone along.  I wonder have you tried shortening the As again for a while to closer to 3h just to check that out?

[lauradj]

Yup, I agree with PP^^ If the 3.5 hrs of A time are not working, dial it back and hold for a few days.
With my eldest, his morning A time was always the shortest.  With my youngest, the opposite is true so you really have to test things out to find the right formula. 

[Mum2lucy]

I have been trying the 3hrs 10mins but I'm getting a consistent half hour nap. When she wakes at 30 mins, she is full on screaming. She is getting herself in to a state crying, coughing and gagging. The last two mornings, she has woken at 30mins and I've done 20mins of pupd and she has gone back to sleep for a further 40mins.
No idea where I am going wrong! 😳 X

[jessmum46]

Still sounds OT to me, I'd pull back further to 3h or even a touch less x

[~*Nicole*~]

I agree. The behavior of screaming when she wakes and the fact that she will actually fall back to sleep sounds OT. None of mine would extend when UT caused a short nap, ever.

[lily_layne]

I also agree. I went through similar with DD and pulling the A time way back really helped. Both of my LOs did best with 2h30/2h45 min A times at that age (and for months afterward).

[lauradj]

Agreed!

[Aliceandlily]

I think your LO sounds overtired too. I'd try bringing the morning nap earlier, and then as a knock on effect, she'll want an earlier and perhaps longer, second nap.

[Mum2lucy]

Just a wee update... Today I got a morning nap of 1hr 20mins. Might have been a once off but yay! I think she isn't showing any tired signs in the morning. She was asleep by 3hrs 10mins with not one tired sign. She was perfectly happy and alert when I started the wind down routine.
Will try this again for a few days and post with the outcome! 😄

[~*Nicole*~]

These LOs, always keep us guessing.