3 to 2 naps struggles

[Twinmomboys]

Hi,
I am a mother of 8 month old twin boys. Since day 1, I have been following the EASY method.
My boys used to be very good sleepers and took their naps until about 1 month ago where they started taking only 30 to 45 minutes naps.
At that moment, I decided to transition from 3 to 2 naps. I have been trying to cut down from 3 to 2 naps by keeping them awake longer than 2 hours in hopes that they would take longer naps but I still have not succeeded. They still only take a maximum of 45 minutes.Therefore, I still have to make them take 3 naps instead of 2 because they don't make it until 7 pm (their bedtime). 
I've tried keeping them awake anywhere between 2.5 to 3.25 hours for activity time.

This is what their routine looks like:
6:30am Wake-up
7:15am Eat
8:00am Activity
Between 9:00-9:30am Nap 1
11:15am Eat
12:00pm Activity
Between 1:00-1:30pm Nap2
3:00pm Snack
5:00pm Eat
5:30pm catnap
7:00pm eat + sleep

I don't know what to try anymore. I am lost. They usually take around 5 minutes to fall asleep. It is really the duration of the nap that we have an issue with. I even tried leaving them in their crib longer after they wake-up for them to understand but they don't fall back asleep. They cry and complain and then they are fussy. I see that they would need to sleep more.

Thanks for your help.

[becj86]

Hi, welcome to BW

Absolutely, its time to drop that 3rd nap and at 8mo, they may well need more than 3:15 A times to take long naps. Average at 6 months is 2:45-3hr and at 9mo, babies average 3:15-4hr A times, so you can see the variation at this age is pretty significant. Here's some information about the 3-2 transition: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=246541.0

[Twinmomboys]

Thank you for your help!

To try it out and see what would be the ideal activity time for them, should I start by a 3h A time for both and increase by 15 minutes every few days?

Also, lets say their nap is at 10am but they wake-up at 10:45 am instead of 11:30am, should the 3h A time start as of 10:45 when they wake-up? Or should I leave them in their crib until 11:30am and start counting the 3 hours as of 11:30 but then they would be OT.

Is there a link where we can find the ideal routine to follow for 8months and older?

Thank you again.

[becj86]

Is there a link where we can find the ideal routine to follow for 8months and older?

Nope, there's a big variation at this age, so there are sample routines of things that have worked for some babies but there' not a nice 3hr EASY style of ideal routine at 8mo. Here are the sample routines: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164253.0

Also, lets say their nap is at 10am but they wake-up at 10:45 am instead of 11:30am, should the 3h A time start as of 10:45 when they wake-up? Or should I leave them in their crib until 11:30am and start counting the 3 hours as of 11:30 but then they would be OT.

I'd try maybe 5mins of resettling and make a call as to whether you think its going to work. If yes, keep trying for another 5-10 mins, if not, get them up and count 3hr A time from when they get up. Don't leave them in bed for 45mins, its not going to be good for your sanity or theirs!

To try it out and see what would be the ideal activity time for them, should I start by a 3h A time for both and increase by 15 minutes every few days?

Yes, that's a reasonable plan. I'd do 3hr for 3-4 days, then bump to 3:15 for 3-4 days and so on til their naps get longer. If they get longer than shorten again, also time to increase the A time but know you're probably getting close.

[Twinmomboys]

Perfect! Thank you for your help. Will keep you posted.