Occasional early waking and tired bedtime

[Conniesmummy]

Hi, lo is now 6 months old and the last few days she has been exceptionally tired at bedtime and struggling to finish her milk. She has got a bit of an upset tummy today so I'm not sure if it's that or if she needs an earlier bedtime.
Her naps are hit and miss, she's a serial catnapper unless she naps with me, which I try to do at least once a day so we at least get some quality awake time! She self settles no problem overnight, naps have always been hit and miss, even tweaking awake times doesn't seem to help.
With help she can have 2 decent naps of an hour and hour and half and a half hour catnap.
Her last nap ends at 17:30 and we start bedtime routine at 18:30, this consists of bathtime, bottle and down awake around 19:05-19-10, she's usually asleep by 19:30 at the latest.
She normally sleeps until 06:30-07:00 in the morning, but last few mornings she's woken anytime from 06:00 onwards, not always sure as she is quiet when she wakes most days. I set my alarm just to make sure I'm awake, but I usually am!
Any suggestions greatly received.

[Martini~]

Can you please post your routine in EAS format? All naps and feeding for the whole day? If her last nap ending at 5:30 it seems exceptional that she is tired at 7pm (even with the whole day of catnapping), so maybe we can tweak something.

[Conniesmummy]

Hi, it's a bit tricky at the min cos we are trying some solids but this is a typical day.
A 6:30-7:00
E 7:15 offer some cereal about 8:15-8:30 just starting so not much.
S 9:30 can have an hour with help though sleep cycle
A 10:30 ish
E 11:00 will offer some solids finger food about 12
S 13:00 I put down for a nap if we are going to a group to tick her over, usually 30 mins
E 15:00 just milk for now
S 16:00-16-30 but usually 16:00 til 17:30
A
18:30 bath
E 18:40
S down in cot awake at approximately 19:10 asleep before 19:30
It's hard to fit naps in around activities.  I refuse to live in the house all the time.

[Martini~]

Is it the last nap which is 1.5h long?

[Conniesmummy]

Hi, yes it generally is cos most of our activities are in the afternoon.

[Martini~]

Hon so that's the problem... You can't have such a long nap so shortly before BT and hope for a peaceful settling:). Kiddos that age would need at least 2.5h to 3h to go down after a long nap of 1.5h.

[Conniesmummy]

It is 2 hrs from when she wakes until she sleeps, bedtime routine starts after an hr. There is no way she'd stay awake any longer she's pooped. She settles herself and sleeps all night. It's almost like she adds up her daytime sleep in her head and whatever she's missed earlier she will make up before bedtime. Last night was even less cos she had a really short last nap, which meant her total day sleep was 2 1/2 hrs and she normally does 3!
Which knows, she's happy enough and I'd I've learned anything so far she doesn't like you interfering with her routine, she knows when bedtime is regardless of anything else.

[Martini~]

I get your point, but I am missing the problem Hon. You started from the point that she is shattered at BT. The case is that after 1.5h nap in the late afternoon she is UT, but probably after the whole day she is OT. At 6mo this late nap is really messing the whole routine as it's really too late for a long nap.
If I am to make any example, if it's you who are tired after early waking (what happens to her now) and you'd take a nap at 6pm and get up at 8pm, you still wouldn't be rested at 8pm. But you would still probably have problems with going to sleep again at 9pm, as you would need "some" time to get tired after a long nap from 6 to 8pm. And in the effect your day is loooong and your night is short, and on the next day you are still tired.
What is happening right now with your DD I guess is her wanting to end her day around 6pm (after 6am WU and short naps during day), but that's the moment she is waking from her nap so she needs some time to get tired once again. And she ends where you can see her.

So my advice would be at this age to try to extend her midday nap and give her two shorts ones in the morning or afternoon if she needs them. What do you think?

[Conniesmummy]

I see your point but as she will only nap with me at home for longer than 30 mins, a linger nap midday means we are stuck home a lot :-( I can't see any other way round it so will probably have to just carry on as we are on days we go out and try a longer lunchtime nap on days at home.  I was very isolated and now have a nice group of mummy friends so I want me and my daughter to socialise.