Catnap/Awake time before bed

[Leah's Mom]

Alright, so DD still wants to take a catnap from 4-4:30 or 5 even though she is almost 9 months old.  :roll: It has never been a problem until last night. Normally she would go to sleep very easily between 7 and 7:30. WELL, last night she talked and sat up and played from 7-8:30 before FINALLY going to sleep. Then she was up for the day at 6:00 - normally 7. Happily talking.  :twisted: I know her catnap is most likely causing this. The problem we have is the morning nap goes from 9-10:30 and the afternoon nap from 1-2. Is it feasible for her to stay awake from 2 until 7 - almost 5 hours? Will she eventually get used to being awake for this long?

[amheusser]

I think you'll have more luck moving the afternoon nap a little later to get rid of the catnap.  Check the EASY board for a ton of sample schedules.  Mine (on a good day) naps 3-4 pm, and is still okay for 7-7:30 bedtime.

[Meg's Mom]

You are correct, 5hrs is too long.

To drop the catnap you will need to increase her A time across all naps eg: move am nap back, gradually.

A schedule like this for example (adjusting for wake up)
7am wakes up - stays awake for 2.5 hours
9:30 - 1st nap
11am wakes up and stays awake for 3 hours
2pm - 2nd nap
3:30 wakes up
7.00/7.30 bed

Hope that helps...i also answered this post today if helpful...
http://www.babywhisperer.com/forum/any-tips-general-rules-about-moving-from-3-naps-down-to-2-vp293735.html?highlight=#293735

[Leah's Mom]

Thanks for the replies. I may have to shift to an earlier bedtime. DD is at the sitter's house during the day and naptime is at 1:00.  :roll: I totally understand this though becuase she has two other children there and they nap at 1:00 so this is the sitter's time. It's hard though, but I guess when she goes to one nap, 12:30-1 will be perfect! DD was awake at 2:15 from her nap today, we didn't do the catnap and I had her in bed at 6:30 with no problems. We'll see how that goes for awhile! Thanks for the great advice!