How much formula?

[bellymum]

grt news~! you must be so relieved. How old is you LO now that he has started taking longer naps?If its anything near 5.5 months, would you mind posting your schedule please, so I can learn. THank you
Belly

[Metstark]

Hi Bellymum! My lo is 5 mths and 1 week! He just started his napping only about a week ago! He used to nap maybe 30-45 min and then cry and not want to go back to sleep. I don't know if it is just him getting older that is making him nap longer or the fact that we have successfully got him sleeping in his crib exclusively when he used to sleep in our bed or in our arms for naps. Our schedule is as follows:

6:30 am cereal and bottle
He then usually plays for about 2 or 2.5 hrs than I put him down for a nap.
He will sleep up to 1.5 hrs.
More activity
10:30 am veggie and bottle
Plays again for another 2-2.5 hrs (I can tell when he starts rubbing eyes and getting really cranky that it's nap time!)
Sleep for up to another 1.5 hrs
Activity
2:30 pm fruit and bottle
Activity
Car ride or walk in stroller for catnap (about 45 min)
Activity
6 pm bath time
6:30 pm bottle
7 pm bed

The only things I have set in stone are the feeding times and bedtime and wakeup time. They are usually like clockwork. I just go by how cranky he gets as to when to put him down for a nap. A little trick I do is when I think he is tired, I lightly run my hand over his forehead and down his face barely touching him and he will close his eyes and keep them shut for a second or so if he is tired and fling them back open if not. It might seem weird but it works! Hope this helps!! 

[Metstark]

Oh one more thing, I changed his routine a bit from when he was 4 mths because he would rather wake up at 6 or 6:30 am instead of 7 so I just put everything back a bit to go with his natural wake up time.

[bellymum]

Hi Bellymum! My lo is 5 mths and 1 week! He just started his napping only about a week ago! He used to nap maybe 30-45 min and then cry and not want to go back to sleep. I don't know if it is just him getting older that is making him nap longer or the fact that we have successfully got him sleeping in his crib exclusively when he used to sleep in our bed or in our arms for naps. Our schedule is as follows:

6:30 am cereal and bottle
He then usually plays for about 2 or 2.5 hrs than I put him down for a nap.
He will sleep up to 1.5 hrs.
More activity
10:30 am veggie and bottle
Plays again for another 2-2.5 hrs (I can tell when he starts rubbing eyes and getting really cranky that it's nap time!)
Sleep for up to another 1.5 hrs
Activity
2:30 pm fruit and bottle
Activity
Car ride or walk in stroller for catnap (about 45 min)
Activity
6 pm bath time
6:30 pm bottle
7 pm bed

The only things I have set in stone are the feeding times and bedtime and wakeup time. They are usually like clockwork. I just go by how cranky he gets as to when to put him down for a nap. A little trick I do is when I think he is tired, I lightly run my hand over his forehead and down his face barely touching him and he will close his eyes and keep them shut for a second or so if he is tired and fling them back open if not. It might seem weird but it works! Hope this helps!! 

Thanks so much, it is really, really helpful. How funny my LO is also 5 months and 1 week old (yesterday)! We are way behind you on feedings as he is only taking some rice cereal at the moment.  I would love him to sleep longer than 42 minutes at a time, although he doesn't seem to be cranky or any worse for wear, but it just makes me a bit concerned that he only sleeps 42 minutes at a time and often goes even 3 hours before sleeping, after waking up in the AM at 6.30am. He also goes quite long without napping inbetween his early afternoon nap and his bedtime, unless I really have success in him taking a late afternoon nap too (4th nap of the day). ALL our naps are 42 minutes. It looks like you seem to go quite long in middl eof day without napping for up to even 3 hours. Is that correct?

We also have a 6.30am wake up time, but my LO does not seem hungry then so I only feed him at 7am (although he does not always seem too hungry then either:).
Congrats on transitioning to crib! That must have been a big thing for you. How are his nights?

My LO has been in his crib since 6 weeks and is now sleeping through from about 7.00-7.30pm until 6.30am with a DF at 10.30pm. He wakes once or twice a night briefly and then goes back to sleep. Last night i swaddled him at 3.30 am and he put himself straight back to sleep.

I would love to succeed in havin ghis naps longer, but without messing up nights. ANy suggestions?

[Metstark]

Hi Bellymum, yes you are right he does go sometimes 3 hrs without a nap and sometimes longer! When he does take his 1.5 hr naps usually I have to go in at the 45 min mark (he starts whining) and put his pacifier back in. He can put himself back to sleep at night without it but during the day he seems to really need it. So he doesn't usually sleep for a straight 1.5 hrs unless I go in and help him back to sleep. Today though I went in at the 45 min mark when I heard him crying a bit and he still had his eyes closed and was putting himself back to sleep without his paci! I was so happy for him! I then snuck out again. He too would sleep for only 30 or 45 min without my intervention. I came to a decision that he wasn't being very restored or happy after his naps so I decided to try and get him to sleep longer if he woke early. I would try for 15 min and if he didn't go back to sleep then I would get him up and try again later. He seems to always go back to sleep now though.

We started feeding him solids at 4 mths on the advice of our doctor because our lo weighs 20 lbs and was getting quite big. We dropped the dream feed at 11 pm also on the advice of the doctor. He now sleeps all night only waking occasionally and then goes right back to sleep. When we were giving him the dreamfeed he would keep waking every 2 hrs or so. I guess you would have to ask your doctor what is best for your lo.

I too was worried about longer naps during the day messing up the nights but it didn't happen with us. He sleeps the same amount at night no matter how many or how little naps he has. He does seem to go to sleep easier at naps and at night if he has had a long previous nap. If he gets overtired he just tosses around for quite awhile and whines or cries. He is in his crib in our room so I lay on the bed while he falls asleep so I can make sure he is asleep and if he needs his paci or some reassurance. I hope this helps, Good luck with the naps. Remember that we just started getting his naps to work well the last couple days so there is hope for you and your lo too!!!