6 month old lost the EASY routine!

[elsa and jethro's mum]

Hi, wondering if any of you baby whisperers out there can help.
elsa's been a classic textbook baby from day 1 needing a bit more daytime sleep than most. Until a few weeks ago she would always go to sleep fine for her naps (we wrestled it through at 6 weeks!), the only blip being phases of 45min naps which I knocked on the head with wake to sleep. She's still having a good morning nap on the whole, but afternoons are getting trickier and trickier, and I am having a horrible hour or 2 with her every evening before bed, we have lost afternoon sleeps altogether, except if she's in the buggy so I know she's tired! tried pu/pd for a couple of naps but just lasted for an hour, still no sleep. in general at best she starts to rub her eyes etc just around teatime when I need to feed and bath her etc. Here's a sample schedule: please please help!

730 E wakes up, Breastfeed
830 solids
10 S usually exhasuted only just moved from 930
12 A
1230 E BF followed by solids
Awake till
2-2.30 if out in the buggy will fall asleep like clockwork. if i put her down at home will cry and cry
3.30 E BF
Awake till
4-4.30 will fall asleep in buggy but not at home
5.30-6 E BF followed by solids
6-6.30 bath
6.30-7 bed with BF (usually just a little one with story)
10ish still dreamfeed, sometimes just a little snack, often a full feed.

hope someone can help as Ive tried all the usual tricks and finding it really hard needing to play with her all afternoon!
thanks
Laura

[HeatherC]

Laura- a few things you can try:
1.  shorten the morning nap to 1.5 or 1.75 hrs
2.  move the second nap to 2:30 or 3 start time
3.  you should probably put her to bed earlier on days she doesn't nap well to prevent a cycle of overtiredness.
4.  have you tried a light snack before naps to make sure she has a full tummy?  I started that around 7 mos with my dd
5.  are you meaning that by 10 am she is exhausted for her first nap?  If so, move it back so that she doesn't become so overtired.  That will hamper other naps.
6.  Lastly, at 6 mos if you want to try pu/pd it can take up to a week or more.  it will be so different and strange to her that it will certainly take some work, but it can pay off if you stick with it.  there is a whole message board dedicated to pu/pd if you'd like to check it out.