Why are naps so hard?!

[Chloevalentine]

 Well today for example he woke up at 4:15 I fed him got him back to sleep until about 615 and I went back to the 930 nap he napped until 1030 Then took another nap at 2:30 and Is still sleep at 3:30.  So today was a good day.  Not sure what time I'll to bed time.

[Chloevalentine]

Even after a good day of naps lo was still up at 415 this morning !

[creations]

2 weeks ago I suggested you move the first nap to 10am and have explained that in in terms of routine I look at the entire day, not individual days, naps or A times but the whole day.  I'm afraid I don't have another suggestion.  I see you have chosen not to move the nap which is totally your choice of course. But I'm afraid I cannot come up with other suggestions as I still believe this is one of the main problems with the routine.

[Chloevalentine]

I've just never seen anyone suggest a 4+ hour A time for a 7 month old! With our schedule for school pick ups and drop offs it just doesn't work most days and if he's exhausted and napping for an hour why should I change it? Just don't understand how that effects ews. I know if it's a really short A time but 3.5 hours isn't. Then it brings that second nap kind of late at 3 and bedtime late and like I mentioned he's waking earlier since his bedtime is later.

I'm sorry if you are offended or frustrated but I was loooking for perhaps another opinion as I'm desperate. I've been on this site for a long time with both kids and Ive always felt comfortable to speak my concerns but I'm sort of turned off.

[Kst33]

Hi,

I'm no expert at all…but just wondering reading your last couple of updates - if he wakes at 4'ish and then goes back to sleep after a feed - could he just be hungry?
And if a quick feed gets him back to sleep until 6'ish when it's his proper wake up - then maybe just roll with that for a few weeks. Might just be a bit of a hungry phase.

Fair enough - if the feed doesn't get him back to sleep then something different needs to happen. But I don't think a 4am feed is that odd for a 7 month? Maybe I'm just a softy though :-)
 

[creations]

I've just never seen anyone suggest a 4+ hour A time for a 7 month old!

I have not suggested a 4hr+ A time (however some LOs do need that in some cases it totally depends on the LO).
I gave you a suggested routine 2 wks ago which shows it is not outside of guidance A times.  It also works with the morning school run.

My suggestion is to shift things away from the school run. He might seem groggy and ready to sleep but in part that's because he's been awake since 5am and possibly also looking dopey from the car ride.
Here's how I think your day could look on the suggested shift:
WU 6.30/7
A 3.5hr/3hr
S 10.00 - 11.30
A 3hr (or might need 3hr 15)
S 2.30 - 4.00 (2.45 - 4.15)
A 3hr 15
BT 7.30pm
11hr night (which is roughly what you are getting now)

Then it brings that second nap kind of late at 3 and bedtime late

The second nap doesn't come as late as 3pm in my suggested routine, it's at 2.30 and BT is not particularly late, pretty normal for an EASY routine IMO.

And if a quick feed gets him back to sleep until 6'ish when it's his proper wake up - then maybe just roll with that for a few weeks. Might just be a bit of a hungry phase.

Great advice. Thanks for stopping by with your support

Chloevalentine, it's great that you've always felt comfortable to speak your concerns on the site - and so you should.
I also am comfortable to say that in my opinion an appropriate routine with suitable times, sleep training and consistency is key to reliable sleep times, nap lengths and night sleep. Implementing a suitable routine can take several days or more but it doesn't happen on it's own.  I have also been on BW for several years now and have seen remarkable changes in sleep patterns when parents have followed BW methods and support from the community.

As you appear uncomfortable with my support I shall bow out of the thread and wish you luck.

[Chloevalentine]

The 4/430 feeds and back to bed isn't so crazy if he's hungry and eating and going back to bed
But if he's up around 5/530 I can't get him back to bed. That's where it gets tricky. And also the idea of the 10 am nap which is 5 hrs A time I just don't understand.
I have tried to push it out like you suggested but I end up missing that sleepy window and have trouble getting him down for that nap at 10. Whereas at 930 he does go down easy and an average sleeps an hour. He's also been doing second nap around 230-3 depending on length of first nap and then waking around 4/430 and bedtime around 7. The naps have seem to gotten better which is why I'm reluctant. But the ews are just hard. I apologize if I sounded harsh. Sleep deprivation will do that to you. I'm also a huge believer in routine and my big lo sleeps wonderfully because of it. That's why I always post here because I do believe in the bw method. But I just feel that that half hour difference with the first nap just doesn't make sense or work for us. I'm not convinced that it's the only way to stop ews.