A routine change for my super-busy boy

[michaeljacknnugg]

Ok ladies, I need some help with next steps for DS2.

He has just turned six months, is trying to crawl and has started BLW. He has two teeth and I can see the top two descending, though not yet cut.

He has always been resistant to naps, and takes a good hour to get into deep enough sleep at night before I can leave him. We've had glimpses of IS but with moving to a new cot and insisting on being up on hands and knees at all times, I am back to patting him.

He favours a long night and tacks to self regulate.

We try for a 7 to 7 day, with naps around 10 (40 mins) and 1 ( 1hr40ish). He moved to two naps early as he has a long A time, and I think it needs to jump again.

On our current routine he will just keep going and going, anything is more interesting than sleep. So really I need to be home for naps, which is tough when you need to fit them around the school day.

I'm wondering about trying for something like:
7am wake
11-12.30ish long nap
3.30 - short nap in car on way home from school. Can bring bedtime forward or push it back, depending on how he is.
7pm bed

Too big a jump, do you think? We've had the first nap as the long nap before, so I'm hoping it will work again. I can see the last nap phasing out as he gets into the 2-1.

[Buntybear]

Well those A times are for a much older baby obviously but BW is about listening to your baby and their needs and of course what works for your family. If he tacks on at night then that is great! If you go for this then obviously you will have to look for any OT signs and then adjust. Do you think once he has got over practicing his new moves, and when the top 2 teeth stop bothering him he may shorten his A times again? He might do!

[Scottishmummy]

The first A time is long...but that said my DDhas needed 4hrs at the end of the day since she was about 6.5 mo even though she can only handle 3hr-3hr15 at other A times

[michaeljacknnugg]

He has always had super long As, BB! Dropped to two naps around four months.

But yes, I will watch for OT. Yesterday we managed a 'good nap day' and he was UT for bt so I think it needs to cut down a bit.

He might be like my DS1 - I never really worried about OT with him as he just keeps going and then crashes.

[Martini~]

Can you start From 10:30? We switched from short-long to long-short around 8mo so a tad later than you but I remember that even at 10am after 7am wakeup he was doing a good nap for me, so maybe such a jump in A time is not needed?

[Buntybear]

He might be like my DS1 - I never really worried about OT with him as he just keeps going and then crashes.

We were also 'lucky' that Olly never really suffered with OT, a bit of a blessing with an LO that doesn't like to sleep! I think my view (after spending SOOOOO many hours trying to get Olly to nap when he was a baby is that if he can handle long As and doesn't suffer from horrible OT then go with the least number of naps possible!

[michaeljacknnugg]

The problem with a 10.30 nap is that it will likely be a short one, and then the long nap will collide with the school run. It's horrible to have to wake him after all that effort to get to sleep! And he often goes until about eleven anyway - today, for example, he did a 20min nap 10.45-11.05 (woken by big bro) and then a 2hr nap this afternoon. And he's just gone to sleep complaining, which I hate.

He's also pulled some (effectively) 1 nap days recently, having a couple of minutes' sleep whilst feeding and then refusing to sleep until his normal afternoon nap. He really is LSN!

The only thing that might make him sleep more is expending energy through crawling, but I'm not holding my breath there.

[Buntybear]

And there is no way to pull that nap earlier in case that they are short OT naps? dare I ask!   

[michaeljacknnugg]

He would be asleep in the car or sling if he were tired any earlier. Gets plenty of opportunity, just (consistently) doesn't take it. And is cheerful and lively.

[Buntybear]

In that case I would go for about 10.45 for the first nap to start with (if you say 10.30 is too early). See how you go and push back when you can or if it still to short an A time!.

[4isstillnighttime]

He sounds so cute!! 

[*Liz*]

Jacob is LSN, and liked a long first A time, but at 6 months 3.5 hrs would have been about right I think. Thomas is the entire opposite and he likes a short first A and struggles to get beyond 4 hrs even now.

Makes it so hard to advise, as they are all so different!

You really might find mobility helps yk? It did with all my kids (super LSN, about average, and Mr Sleepy  ).

[grace annes mommy]

How are things going?

[michaeljacknnugg]

We are in a holding pattern for a couple of weeks. We all have germs plus our pony is on box rest with laminitis, so I can't switch our day around yet.

I put him down for a morning nap today when he seemed tired and we got an A of 3hrs20, but then he woke at the 20 minute mark. UT??

[michaeljacknnugg]

  he's just gone to sleep in my arms after crying and crying. He sounds cross at having to sleep to me, rather than OT, but either way I still hate it when he cries 

That was a 3.5hr A.

I blooming hate naps