Need help w/6 mo's schedule please!

[momtoelise]

Elise is currently on a 4 hr EASY routine & still doing the df before I go to bed at night.  Lately, she's been waking up early before I typically do the df & crying.  I also feel like we may be getting closer to transitioning out of the late afternoon catnap, but I'm not sure.

Here's a typical day (of course it varies some):

E- 7/7:30 am
A
S- 9/9:30
E- 11:00
A
S- 1/1:30
E- 3:00
A
S- 5:30
E- 6:00
A
S- 8:00
DF- 10:00 (although lately more like 9:30)

The last 2 days she's been fussy in the late afternoon when she typically goes down for a shorter nap (30-45 min), but when I put her down she just squeels & talks & eventually cries - never going to sleep.  I'm not sure what that means...  Any thoughts/input on if it's time to get rid of the df or how to do that in combination with going to 2 naps? 

Thanks!! 

[Beata]

My dd is the same age, and she started refusing her afternoon catnap about a week or 2 ago. So Maybe they just naturally outgrow it? It is getting better, but at first she was ready to sleep at 5-6, but now I barefly streth it until 7 (she is on the same nscedule, but I am still trying to figure the best time to do the dinner and bedtime BF).

[Deb_in_oz]

it does sound like she is ready to get rid of the 3rd nap and she is the right age.

do you think she could handle any longer A time in the morning?  that is a tricky one for many as they generally like shorter ones at that slot.  i woudl definitely start lengthening A times by 5-15 min at a time until she has that 1st nap at 9:30-11 (based on your routine) and then try for a 3hr A time taking her 2nd nap at 2pm - 3:30/4 and then the third A time of 3-3 1/2 hrs putting bedtime at 6:30/7. If you have had an 8pm bedtine for a reason, you could push bedtime later when she is ready and certainly on days when she is adjusting you could put her down earlier than 6:30/7 if she is getting cranky instead of pushing her too far into overtired.

these are all estimates based on your current routine which is good.  if she cannot stretch all A times then you can play with it.  when we dropped catnap and dd2 still only napped from 1-2:30 or 1:30-3 we still had her up until 6:30-7:15 depending on the days nap and how she was doing. so she suddenly jumped to a 4hr A time before bed and did just fine...

Many babies seem to cope with a longer A time in the lead up to bed, especially if 30-45min of the A time is spent in bath, getting ready for bed and last feed .

It can take up to a week for her to adjust to a new routine and how fast you move out A times is up to you and your previous experiences/knowledge of dd. as she settles into life without a 3rd nap you can watch to see how to tweak it further based on adjustments she makes in the transition (she may lengthen her afternoon nap and take it from 2-4pm or not lengthn the 1st A time and push times back a 1/2 hr but lengthen last A time etc )

[thitz]

Definately time to drop the catnap.  My dd did exactly the same thing at 6months.  She just wouldn't catnap anymore.   Also once we dropped the catnap she started going to bed a little earlier and sleeping thru with just a dreamfeed. 

And my dd also moved the df earlier and earlier at this point.  I just fed her when she woke, she went from 10:30 to 10:00 to 9:30 to 9:00 to 8:30 over the space of about 2 weeks and it never affected her morning wake time.  I kept giving her the 8:30 df until 9months.  It was like she wanted to get the df out of the way so she could go into a deep sleep.

I couldn't increase her morning A time past 9am so I stretched the next A time so I put her down for her afternoon nap as close to 2pm as possible.  That way even if she had just a 45mins afternoon nap she could still make it to a 6:00/6:30 bedtime.  It took a couple weeks to stretch her till 2pm in 10 mins increments.

Good luck, Tarri

[Mom2X&F&V]

Think my dd is ready to drop catnap too, but she is sleepy by 6 pm and then goes to sleep at 7. She dropped df 2 months ago and I am afraid that she wonīt eat till 7 am. She was having her last milk at 8 and waking at 7 am. Isnīt it too much time with no food? Should I reinsert df? I try it a little before and she rejects the df at 10. So any suggestion? Should I put her to bed at 7 and foget till 7 of retry df again?

[Beata]

I would not worry about her sleeping all night, consider yourself lucky She will eat enough in the day. Your best gage if she needs more food is her weight gain. If she continues to thrive, I would not worry about it.

Did  you do anything special to stop the night wakings? I am still struggling with that.

[Mom2X&F&V]

Is she waking up hungry or at the same time every night? Is she moving or rolling yet? She was waking up at the same time and not hungry. She woke at 3 and at 5. At 5 am I did pu/pd cause if I offered bottle she would cry even more, she just needed reassurance. At 3 am, well I started giving her formula diluted when she was 4 months and has tripled her weight, and after that when she woke up and offer her that stuff she suddenly rejected. First she drank 2 oz and one day she began crying when I gave it to her so I put her in bed and did pat/ shh and she automatically fell asleep again till 7. Then she woke up the next 3 nights and did a little pat shh like 3 times at night. And then all of a sudden she tantrum cried at exactly 3 am for 30 sec and fell back again. I did the formula diluted cause I knew it was not hunger cause she was waking up at exactly 3 am every day and was having half or one or two ounces of formula. I start giving some cereal and another oz of milk during the day to be sure. She dropped df when she was 3 mo. and still drinking 1 oz at 3 am. I guess I was lucky that she hates me disturbing her sleep time cause she cried the instant I took her out her crib.   :roll:

[momtoelise]

First of all, thank you so much for your replies!! 

It sounds like it probably is time to drop the catnap.  For 2 days this week in a row, she didn't take one - but then yesterday we got to 5:00 & she was really tired - so she had a 1/2 hour nap.  I assume this is a normal part of the transition & we'll have some days with the catnap still?

Also, I'm wondering about if she starts going to bed earlier without the catnap, will she still sleep until the usual time in the morning?  I certainly would prefer not to get up any earlier. 

My other question is about dropping the df...  She's had it at 9:15 the last couple nights, so it is still moving earlier.  When we get to 8/8:30, will she really eat if she's only eaten 1-2 hours earlier? 

Thanks so much for the help!!!!

[Deb_in_oz]

it is totally nbormal during a transition for youtr lo to retain a nap on some days until totally done with it - use your judgement and watch her cues. some days if she is fading and it is getting late you might find if you do a quiet stroll and then a bath she will stretch a LITTLE longer and then just do early bedtime (30-40 min early).

most babies (obviously varies) can handle the extra early bedtime and still wake close to old wake time.  you woudl just have to see how she does - and again, that could involve an adjustment period.

with the Df - i never got to 8:30 so can't say for sure but if she is asleep and it is 1-2 hrs since her last feed i think an oz or 2 would be taken and if nothing is taken comsider the Df done! nothing says you have to go through the whole 2 weeks of phasing it out.  when she stops taking it let it go.... HTH

[momtoelise]

Thank you - that helps a lot!!
I'm so grateful for this forum!