I'm back.
I don't think you are being a pessimist, it sounds far more like you are totally exhausted from having a short napper for so long and having worked so hard to sleep train the nights, and well done you!!
It can seem as though baby will never long nap when they have these short naps every day and Tracy did say in one of her books that some babies actually *are* short nappers, however most of what I've seen on the boards are LOs who are either not sleep trained, don't know to sleep for longer, are UT (under tired) or habitually wake and get up after one cycle...add to that this is an age well known for short napping (I've been there too! Mine was sleeping independently from about 8 wks but I still experienced the 4 month regression of short napping, for us it was from 3.5 to 5.5 months with 40 min naps, we did 4 or 5 per day and I do remember it being exhausting). the good news is that many babies improve their day sleep around 6 months and it's possible to happen earlier on a good A time. In hindsight I think much of my own problem with my DS and his short naps was going too slow on increasing the A times, if only I knew then what I know now
So, you said you'd like the quickest route and can put in the time/energy needed and prepared for a bit of a grouchy baby whilst you get there. in that case below is a sample EASY for you to begin, I start him on 2hr 45 first A time as you have just said he seemed less tired on 2hr 30 which you did for 2 days.
Please note, I don't suggest trying to move morning WU time at this point, if you keep him in bed longer his A time is half 'sleep time' and low key stimulation rather than full awake time. IMO it's better he is active and has his usual level of stimulation whilst you get the routine in order, morning WU time might move anyway or you can get back to it at a later stage.
Please also note, I see your LO BF every 3hrs, if he can't go longer than 3hrs I suggest a top up feed prior to his nap time. Around now or in the next few weeks he will likely be able to go 4hrs between feeds.
WU 6.15
E 6.15
A 2hr 45
E 8.30/45 BF (close to sleep time but not so close that you feed to sleep, you judge based on how many mins he is likely to feed for)
S 9 - 10.30 (use W2S to sooth him through the transition, use adapted shush/pat to resettle)
E 11.45 (working 3hr E from the 8.30/45 E)
A 2hr 45
S 1.15 - 2.45
E 2.45
A 2hr 30
S 5.15 - 5.30 (CN 15 min)
E 5.45
A 2hr - 2hr 30
E the BT feed will be at less than 3hrs
BT 7.30/8.00
I've left the last A time and BT as a bit open because he might like to get to bed at 7.15 because it is his routine and habit and you have set this in place. However he might also be good with an 8pm BT for a little while until that CN is dropped when BT will move earlier to compensate. An 8pm BT may well give you a 7am WU time which you were looking for anyway. Not all babies can do 12hr nights, 11 is pretty good if it's consistent.
The fastest route and one which Tracy describes in her book is to keep LO in his room until the end of nap time (we usually say max 45 mins after he wakes) and then to keep him up until the next nap time. This means in reality his A time will be a lot longer than that written above because there is the additional A time that he was awake when he should have been sleeping. Now it is up to you if you keep him awake until the next planned nap time or if you calculate his A time from when he woke. If you calculate from when he woke (many do this as it avoid OT) then you need to keep adapting your EASY plan as the day goes on adding 2hr 45 A on to when he week and adding 3hr E on to his feed times. E and S times might bump into one another and you will look out for this and avoid it by feeding a little earlier or trusting he can go a little longer if he is asleep.
We'll see how you go, he might need a 3hr A time and like I said I do know of LOs who have moved to 3hrs this age and have done well. Or he may move to 3hrs in a few weeks when he is fully 6 months old. It's not an exact science of course, every baby is different
On 3hrs A it might be something like
WU 7
E 7
A 3hr
S 10-11.30
E 11.30 (possible top up BF before nap or a solids breakfast at 8am can provide some additional calories to help LO get the longer stretch between milk feeds)
A 3hr
E 2.15 milk
S 2.30 - 4
E 5.15
A 2.5/3hrs
E BT milk
BT 6.30/7pm
You can well expect some OT in the first days of increasing A time and keeping him awake from one short nap to the next planned nap time, the OT actually helps to make him good an tired so that he will eventually sleep longer naps too, it works in your favour to some extent.
I've given you lots to read and think about there. I would be very surprised if your LO didn't move onto this routine of longer naps if you are consistent with your support and training.
Good Luck!
(and I will be here holding your hand - we are all volunteers here so I cannot always respond as quickly as I have today but I will generally check in once every 24 hrs for updates)
