can someone take at a look at my routine?

[nicolanorway]

i have just started PU`PD with christian and everything is going great, i just have some question's on his naps etc,
here is our routine
7am wake and BF
7.20 A
8.15 cereal, wash, dressed, wind-down
9am in bed and usaually asleep, this used to be 40mins but now he can self-settle it is 1.5-2hrs long
11am BF
11.20amA
12.30pm veggies
1pm, this is where it gets tricky. i am trying to extend this A time as i feel that is too much during the day for a 5.5mth old
3pm wqake and Bf
3.20pm A
5pm cereal
5.30pm catnap, i am now waking him up after 20mins
6PM A
7pm BF, followd by night routine, in bed app.7.45
11pm DF
5-6am wakes for a BF

okay, so this is a newish routine for us as i only began PU/PD on monday, the E as "always" been ok. it is just the naps that concern me at the mo. i was reading the post-average sleeping hrs for ages 0-6- and for a 6mth old they should be having 2.25hrs of daytime sleep. i know christian isn't 6mths yet, but he isn't long off. i have moved his last feed to before bathtime instead of after so it is at 7pm  and the DF to 11pm instead 10.30. now. at what point in the day is it best to increase his A time, i am trying to keep him awake longer at 1pm mark, is this ok?  any other tips, pointer's, advice would be greatly welcomed.
TIA, nicola 

[HeatherC]

I think you are doing fine.  I wouldn't try to stretch his A time just based on what the averages are.  Watch for his cues (taking longer to settle for a nap, not sleeping for a full nap, more night wakings).  Until then, I would keep his A times as they are for 2 x 2 hr naps.  My dd didn't have more than 2 hrs of A time until she was over 8 months old or more.  Just shows you that each child is unique, some need more sleep than others, some can stay awake longer than others.  He'll let you know when he needs a change.  When you want to drop the catnap, you can simply bring bedtime forward a bit.

[nicolanorway]

thanks heather, isee you are pregnant, congrats! i was just wondering if i decreased some of his sleep he would stop waking for that 5-6am BF, it really screw's up the whole day as he isn't hungry at 7am. i am trying  to decrease the amount of time on breast during the wee hour's but if he hasn't had his fill he is hard to settle again. i might try a opost on the naps board and see if there comes some inspiration. thanks agasin, nicola

[HeatherC]

If he's taking a full feed at both 5/6 and 7, then he probably needs it.  Having you tried using a soother/paci?  You could try a shorter nursing period, then pop in the paci real quick and see if that satisfies him.  Otherwise, give him some more time to be able to last longer in the night before needing to feed.  I assure you, though, that his situation is quite normal.

[nicolanorway]

hi heather,
that's the problem i facing right now, he can take a full feed at 4-6am but at 7am he isn't hungry so i end up feeding him a little at 7am and then trey again about 8ish. at 8am he should be getting his cereal but obviously i can't BF him and then give him cereal. if i just give him  a little breast at 4-6am then he is generally hard to settle again, although once he does the day goes smoothly b/c he will eat properly at 7am. he does have a paci, we tried and tried for the first 3mths and he just spat it out. blesssing in disguise really. i have posted on the night waking's board, so i'll if something comes up there. thanks again for your time and advice. nicola

[nicolanorway]

stacey,
if i offer the breast again at 8ish (before the cereal?) can i then keep him on track with an 11am BF? i feel that maybe he won't be so hungry again 11am to take a whole feed then i'll spend the rest of the day giving him "snacks" b/c i think he could be hungry. i really do need to watch him carefully b/c he will take the breast whenever he gets the chance and this doesn't help with keeping him on EASY,kwim?
 thanks, nicola

[nicolanorway]

thanks again stacey, that sound's like a good plan, could you advise me on one other thing? if he wake's at say six (this has happened) i feed him a little but he won't settle so i then get him up at 6.30am, he then has a proper feed at 7am followed maybe by cereal at 7.30am, what do i do for the rest of the day? he is very sleepy after his 7am feed and ready to sleep again. when this happen he ended the whole day with a ESA day. should i just feed him at the early waking till he is full? i had read a plan on one of the sites about giving them less and less time on the breast over a gradual period. as for giving him milk in his sippy, i stress enough already to pump myself for his evening cereal, so i really don't want to have to dtart pumping another few oz's.
thanks, nicola

[nicolanorway]

thanks for all your advice stacey! i'll try to put some into practice over the next week, his schedule/routine has been all the over the place lately. yesterday i ate a pre-packaged dinner (i'm a flybaby, yesterday was home blessing day) and i didn't read what was in it. lots of onion, we were up every half an hour throughtout the night, he had terrible wind. at 5.30am with no sleep i put him in bed with me, and we slept until 9am. i needed to do it otherwise i would not have lasted the day. i felt so bad that i done that to him, but it was inadvertently done. so day has been totally screwed up, he still self-settled for all his naps and went down at bedtime without any fuss, so i am so glad i haven't messed up his sleep training!!!! here's hoping for a brighter tomorrow.