Appropriate wake times

[Drjlv]

Hi all,

My son will be 6 months old on May 8th. He is currently taking 3 naps, and really fighting the last nap, which I know is not unusual at this age. We follow an EASY routine that starts with me waking him at 7 AM.

He is asleep at 915 for his first nap, which is always 1.5-2 hours long. So I feel like the wake time between wakeup and nap is just perfect.

His second nap has become short (35-40 minutes) as of late. I had been doing a 2.5 hour wake time before it, since he would fall asleep within 5 minutes without any crying and wake up in a good mood. I could tell he is always tired and could use more sleep, however. He was also waking up early after 2 hours and 15 minutes of wake time, which is why I tried extending it by 15 minutes. Do I really try 2 hours 45 minutes? It seems so long
..

His last final catnap is fine. What should my wake time be before that nap though?

Finally, how long between the last catnap and bedtime? I have been having some early morning waking lately, which is why I feel I need to tweak my naps and schedule a bit.

Thank you!

[Drjlv]

Also, when should I put him down for his first nap if he wakes up 20-30 minutes earlier than usual for the day? Should I keep the nap at the same usual time or push it back?

[creations]

Hi there
The guidance A time at 6 months is 3hrs, this also means there is only time in the day for 2 naps.  Sounds like your LO has entered the 3-2 nap drop which is right on cue.

If you are waking him daily at 7am this could explain why he is tired for a good nap after a shorter than average A time, he is still tired from night sleep and ready for his nap but then you mentioned some earlier waking in the morning prior to the planned WU time so this sounds like he may need a longer first A time than you have been giving.
I would probably not move the nap earlier as this can result in perpetuating the earlier WU, instead if you leave it where it is or move it slightly later you could encourage a later morning WU (not longer than 3hr A time though). Initially I would say increase that first A time to 2hr 30 (rather than 2hr 15), then after a couple of days increase to 2hr 45, this may be long enough or you could increase to 3hr after another few days.

I would probably look to get those second and third naps combined into one longer nap (1.5 - 2hr) by shifting out the A time. 2hr 45 is fine and after a few days perhaps the full 3hrs.  There is no need to put in a third nap or CN unless the nap did not go well. Instead you can plan for regular BT (if the nap was good) or EBT (early bed time) if the nap was not so good or if there is more than 3hrs remaining before the planned BT. Again not letting A time go over 3hr.

When A times are increased sometimes you see an OT nap where LO wakes after 10 or 20 mins if this happens resettle your LO and be ready during the next nap to begin shush/pat or adapted at the 10 or 20 min mark or throughout the nap if needed whilst the new routine settles in.

hope this helps

[Drjlv]

Hello, and thank you for your response!

I am bit confused as to why I should be increasing the A time before the first nap. My rationale -8/10 times, he gives me a 1.5-2 hour nap, falling asleep within 2-5 minutes with no crying and waking up happy. The few times where he wakes before 7, I believe it is more because I likely have inappropriate A Times the rest of the day (given their short naps).

And to clarify, you believe there should be no more and no less than a 3 hr A time from wake to first nap, first nap to second nap, and second nap to bedtime? I'm confused by this, as the suggested EASY routine has more of a 2-3-4 schedule.

Thanks in advance!

[creations]

I am bit confused as to why I should be increasing the A time before the first nap. My rationale -8/10 times, he gives me a 1.5-2 hour nap, falling asleep within 2-5 minutes with no crying and waking up happy.

Well, initially when I read the first part of your post I also thought the first A time was okay to stay shorter even though it is quite short for age.  Then I saw the earlier waking which can be linked to first A times being short.
If you feel the first A time is fine then leave it for now. We can only offer suggestions but it's you who knows baby best.

And to clarify, you believe there should be no more and no less than a 3 hr A time from wake to first nap

No. I suggested increasing the first from 2hr 15 to 2hr 30.  I also suggested not moving it earlier based on early wake up time but to also keep in mind not to allow it to go over 3hr.  For example:
WU 5am instead of 7am
normal nap time 9.15 (2hr 15 A from 7am) or 9.30 (2hr 30 A from 7am) but if WU was 5am then not to push to 9.15/9.30 because this is over 4hrs A time.
max 3hr A time would bring the first nap to 8am following a very early WU of 5am.

EASY routines do not necessarily have equal A times throughout the day, A times and routines are based on the individual baby and what suits best.  The guidance A time for age is 3hrs, this does not mean that I suggest no more and no less between all naps and night sleep, no, that would be a strict schedule which BW and EASY is not about.
My suggestions are based on the 3-2 nap drop, age appropriate A times and nap times but with flexibility for the individual LO's needs.  if you notice for the second A time I suggested 2hr 45 not 3hr and on all those times I have suggested small increases of 15 mins and wait a few days to see if this increase is enough before increasing any more.

as the suggested EASY routine has more of a 2-3-4 schedule.

Which EASY routine are you referring to here?

[creations]

How are things going?