Hi Kelly and Alice!
I don't tend to worry too much about the am nap as I think that is naturally going to shorten and disappear. I would much rather it did than having to deal with one of those situations where you have to keep putting the nap back until it is an afternoon nap. Also, I don't tend to notice a difference in Daniel's mood whether he has slept for 45 minutes or an hour and a half. I know what you mean about being suspicious of exactly 40 minutes but, then, my experience is that all naps tend to be multiples of 30 or 45 minutes because that is just how sleep cycles work. Daniel will either sleep for an hour and a half or two hours (occasionally 1 hour 45) but will never sleep for, say, an hour and six minutes.
Kelly - you are very good doing wake to sleep. I must say I have never really persevered with that. I gave it a couple of tries in the early days and didn't see immediate results so I gave up! It is a bit stressful trying to figure out exactly when they have gone to sleep (particularly as Daniel is a great one for lying silently in his cot but getting very stressed if you come in and don't pay attention to him), watching the clock and creeping in. How are you doing with the night feeding? Have you managed to keep up the pick up put down instead? I know that I have to stop feeding Daniel at night some time because when he has had a couple of feeds at night he is totally uninterested in bfeeding during the day. I keep hoping he will sort himself out but if he doesn't I have in my mind that I will stop night feeds at nine months when the solids should really start to overtake the milk anyway. To be fair, he went right through till 6 am last night so he might be on the verge of sorting himself out.
Had a funny morning today. I put Daniel back down after his 6am feed and when I went back in at 7 he was just lying there quietly awake so I wasn't sure whether he had been lying in his cot or had a very short sleep. Once he had seen me, there was no retreating, though! We had Daniel's godfather staying with us so it was a bit tricky to try and judge when to put Daniel down as he was getting all excited and sociable and not betraying his tired signs. In the end I compromised at 8.50 and he went out like a light so had probably been awake since 6. I was really fearful of how he would go down as the godfather had been swinging DS round the room when I offered him a pre-nap cuddle! Men - how could anyone think that was a good idea!
Hope you are both well. We have the 8 month check up next week. Really scary how quickly the time goes. At least it is at 11.30 so will definitely fall between naps whatever pattern DS is in
. Better go as can hear overexcited hyperventilation on the monitor.
Freddie