Help! Why back to 30 min.naps? Trying to do it right!

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

My ds is 6 1/2 mos. old.  I finally started sleep training a month ago and since then have been putting my ds down awake.  Everything seemed to be going well.  About 10 days ago I started finally keeping him up for 2 hours of A time during the day.  I worked gradually towards it with 1hr. 45min. for about a month before.  He still woke up lots of times at the 40 min. mark but I've been leaving him and he would often fuss himself back to sleep.  This last week though he's been doing 30 min. naps which typically only does if overtired or overstimulated and instead of fussing himself back to sleep he just starts screaming right off and I can't extend his naps.  Occasionally its worked if I pick him up and settle him then put him back down awake.  But this just feels like a big step backwards.   I admit I've made more of an effort to get out with him every day so its less of a novelty.  I stayed home too much before I think so when we did go out he acted like a deer caught in the headlights and got overstimulated very easily.  Even still I'm home in plenty of time for windown and nap.  Even during A times we stay home and its lowkey he's still waking up at 30 min. I can't figure out why.

I still keep him up 2 hours even after only 30 min. nap so its closer to his regular nap time as I don't want to perpetuate the cat naps.

[Meg's Mom]

Hi

I am sorry you have trouble.  This reminds me of us at 5mos.  My LO started the 45min nap at about 3 months.  I search high and low for information and found Tracy’s work, then the site.  By the time Megan was now well into 4mos and I moved dc to 4hr EASY as Tracy recommends and the short naps got a bit better.  I then used shh/pat, pu/pd (very little) and wake to sleep techniques to get dd's body used to sleeping thru the 1st sleep cycle as by now it was a well ingrained habit.  We saw improvement almost immediately (although small, but it was improvement) and I was convinced Tracy’s work was a godsend. 

We worked on dc naps for 2 weeks solid and after much shh’ing and back aches she started sleeping about 1.25-1.50 for most naps.

Things were great for 2 wks after beating the 45min nap monster.  But then the monster came back.  I thought I would fall off the deep end.  What I didn’t take into consideration was that dc was older now.  So I increase dd A time by 15min and poof…the monster was gone again.  At 5mos 2.25hr of A time was the magic number for us. 

I know you said he does the 30min naps when he is overtired, but do you think the above is what he really needs?  At 6.5 months i don't think 2.25-2.5 of A time is too much.

[Liam and Shane's Mommy]

Thanks, I think I'll try that next.  Its not like he could sleep less than 30 min. so keeping him up later couldn't hurt.  I wonder though, should I still keep him up 2-2.25 hours after only a 30 min. nap and no success at extending it?  What do you think?  Poor kid get so tired by the end of the day.  Yesterday he was quite tired and wanted to sleep an hour plus for last nap of day at around 4:30PM.  I of course only let him go an hour so bedtime wouldn't be a problem plus I don't want him relying on the end of the day to make up sleep.  He had a good night sleep and so we're starting off on the right foot today.  We'll see what happens

[Meg's Mom]

If you feel it would be too much to extend all naps, you could start with the 1st one of the day and if he gets a good one...carry on w/ longer A...if not - then old A times. 

Make sence?