Need input on EASY.

[Mom2one]

My 6 month old daughter is pretty much on a 4hr EASY, and I'm tweaking her schedule a bit right now.  This WAS her schedule,

E-7am (6-7oz, sometimes 5)
A-
S-8:30/8:45 (45mins-1 hr)

9:30 solids

E-11am (6-7 oz)
A-
S-12:30 (1.5 hrs.)

2:00 solids

E-3:00 (6.5 oz)
A-
S-4:30 (45mins-1hr)  However, not really wanting this nap, fighting her to take it.

E-5:45 (5oz)

E-7:45pm (8oz) asleep for the night until morning. 

So, now her first morning nap is at 9:30-approx. 11am, and her second nap is at 1:30pm-approx. 3pm, and she's awake until bedtime at 7:45pm.  But, I don't know when to feed solids.  I tried giving her solids this morning at 8:30am, but she's not interested (she has never been interested in solids at this time of the morning, but will willingly eat them after her first morning nap). 

While I quite like her previous schedule, and she usually goes down for her morning nap at 8:30am without fuss, I thought that maybe she wasn't napping as long because she's not really that tired, seeing as she does sleep for 11 hrs at night.  Also, with her fighting the late afternoon catnap, her being awake from 2pm until bedtime at 7:30 is too long and she may get overtired.  But, I'm honestly thinking of just going back to it. 

[rebecaq]

Hi there,

I don't see a problem with the way she eating.  The important thing is that she doesn't depend on eating in order to fall asleep.  We mommies (myself included) tend to get so caught up in the textbook way things should be done that we tend to "freak out" when it doesn't go that way.

She's doing fine 

- Beca

[Mom2one]

So you think her previous routine is fine then?  I'm concerned that if she drops the the late afternoon catnap that she'll become overtired by 7:30pm.  I've been a tad concerned also about her having a bottle at bedtime, because at some point we'll have to get rid of it, but bedtime is the only time this is done (not at naptime).  Naptimes is her paci, cuddle for a few minutes and into her crib with her blanket and her duck.  Bedtime, is the same, she's doesn't fall asleep during her bottle.

[rebecaq]

I do think her previous routine is ok.  Maybe move the catnap a tad later and make it shorter, 30 mins or so.  About the bottle at night, don't worry about it now.  She's still young and I imagine you're not going to drop it in the next few days    Just so you know, when I dropped the bottles with my ds, I started to give him his milk in a cup along with his meals.  I did it cold turkey (pretty insane with a spirited boy), but he didn't even bat an eyelash.  So we'll cross the bridge of dropping the bottles when we get there. She won't drink the bottle at night for the rest of her life 

- Beca

[Mom2one]

Thanks Beca,

I think I will go back to her previous routine.  It works much better (for me and for her). 

At what age did you drop the bedtime bottle?  I know that we won't be dropping it anytime soon, but I was thinking/wondering about this a few days ago. 

[rebecaq]

I woke up one day and decided I was DONE with bottles. Santiago was 13 months old.  I put him directly on a cup, no sippy cup transition or anything! I have a big water bottle and prepare all 24oz of milk in the morning and just fill his glass to accompany meals and snacks.  He's doing really great with it so I'm one happy momma!

What I did do was push dinnner time back closer to bedtime so he won't wake in the night. So dinner is at 7:30 and bedtime is 8:30