7mth-old long AM nap, doesn't want PM nap and early wakings?

[Hayden and Violet's mom]

Hi,
Could someone please help me.  My son wakes early most mornings.  He usually sleeps 2hrs in the morning at around 10am (he would sleep longer some days if I let him) and then I can't get him down for an afternoon nap very easy and he usually only sleeps 25-45 min.  Today I couldn't get him to nap this afternoon until 3:45!  He has never really slept a long time in the afternoon ever so I am scared to shorten the morning nap.  Any advice?
I hate this whole nap issue!
Thanks

[Lsmama]

Does your baby have a catnap at all in the late afternoon or evening?
My son also wakes at 5am (or earlier) and the advice I've gotten on this site is to put him to bed earlier than I had been. We've only done it for one day so far, so nothing has changed yet, but hopefully it will. Maybe that would work for you too.

Hang in there!

[Mom to M&M]

If you only let him sleep one hour in the morning will he take a longer afternoon nap? The long morning nap and short afternoon nap could definitely be leading to overtired baby by bedtime and thus early morning wakings...

[daniellechiasson]

Could you post your daily routine? Might be easier to give advise once your whole day is layed out, seems that everything is intertwined

Danielle

[Hayden and Violet's mom]

Hi,
Here is my daily routine.
5:45 wake
6:45-7:00 bottle (doesn't mind waiting until then)
9:00 solids
9:45-10 nap 2 hrs (but have been trying to wake him after approx. 1hr20min recently)
11:15 bottle
1:00 solids
2:00-3:00 nap (usually try putting him down closer to 2:00-will usually take about 40 min but sometimes he sleeps an hour or so)
3:00-4:00 bottle
5:30 solids
6:00/30ish bath
7:00 bottle
7:45-8:00 bed

I have talked to many mothers in my mother's group and they all have a similar problem with their babies getting up early but they feed them and then put them back to sleep but I don't want to start that since I know he doesn't need it.  Is this just something they grow out of or is it something I am doing?
Thanks, Crystal.

[SallyDom]

Looking at your routine it looks like your little one is awake for nearly 4 hours before his morning nap, which is a long time and then from 3pm until almost 8pm which is also a really long time for a 7 month old. This might be contributing to his early wakings. Maybe you need to move his first nap up a little earlier, then he'll have another decent nap early afternoon and then a catnap in the late afternoon as well to get him through to bedtime.
HTH
Sal
x

[Layla]

Hi, I agree with pp. I think if he wakes up at around 6, his 1st nap should be no later than 9am (that is, 9am in bed). The A times in morning is usually the shortest out of all the A times throughout the day. In my case, #1's day was 6am wake up and naps at 9am (45mins-1 hour), nap at 12.30 (1-1.5 hrs) and a catnap at 4ish with bedtime at 7pm. I think your lo is overtired and therefore cannot "relax" enough to take a decent nap.

So try to put him to bed earlier for the naps and offer a catnap if he does not take a decent afternoon nap. If there is no catnap, put him to bed earlier for the night (maybe about 6.30ish) just to allow him to catch up on missed sleep.

Good luck
Layla

[Hayden and Violet's mom]

Thank you for your replys.  I was doing that schedule that you described (1st nap 9, second around 1ish and catnap 5 to 5:30) but I had a really hard time putting him down for the second nap as he wasn't tired enough, he kept refusing the catnap so I would end up taking him for a short walk in the stroller at that time and I thought if I put him to bed earlier he would just wake up super early and not go back to sleep.  The reason I was waiting until 10 for the nap now was because I read somewhere that it shouldn't be too close to the wakeup time because they wake up early and realize they can just go back to sleep shortly after?!  I am so confused with all of the things I have read... maybe I should just follow his signs!
Thanks, Crystal

[Hayden and Violet's mom]

Also, just a question about the lengths of naps... should I wake him from the morning nap if he wants to sleep a long time or just let him sleep?

[Layla]

Hhhmmnn, I'm not sure if thats true about not going to bed too soon after wake up but 6am wake up and 9am nap is not really that soon anyway (its 3 hrs away). In regards to sleeping too much for am nap, I would wake him so that he is tired enough to sleep in the pm. Mine has always slept max 1 hr in the morning so maybe thats why she would still be taking the afternoon nap. If your lo is sleeping 2hrs in the morning and not taking the pm nap then try to wake him up earlier (like you said limit to 1.5 hrs or so) and then try for a pm nap. I really think that your lo is overtired and thats why he won't take the pm nap. Its too many hours that he is awake in between naps and bedtime.

Layla

[SallyDom]

I had to start waking my lo up after an hour and a half (tho he is does it himself now) cos he would sleep for over 2 hours in the am and then only have 45 min naps for the rest of the day so ended up so overtired.

The reason I was waiting until 10 for the nap now was because I read somewhere that it shouldn't be too close to the wakeup time because they wake up early and realize they can just go back to sleep shortly after?! 

I think this means for example if they go back to sleep less than hour after getting up, as long as he's had a decent A time then a nap around 9am should be fine
Sal
x

[Katet]

Just looking at your feeding routine too, he looks like he is eating nearly every 2 hours, most people suggest that you do milk & solids within an hour of each other (usually solids 20mins after milk is what my Health professionals recommended) I have to wonder the fact his body is "used" to getting food every 2 hours that he never really takes a full amount & so has become a "snacker" & so can't get a sleep routine going as he is "digestive system" is always "awake".

[Hayden and Violet's mom]

Hi,
Thank you for all of your advice.  I am so confused about the solids as well and that makes a lot of sense.  Could you possibly give me a sample routine of what you think may work for me, as far as the sleep and solids go?  I heard you aren't supposed to give solids before his milk because that is the most important but I thought if I gave it to him after that he wouldn't really eat anything.  Do I give him a full bottle?  Right now he is taking 6-7 ounces in a bottle x 4/day.
Thanks

[SallyDom]

My little boy is 29 weeks old and his routine goes something like:

7.00am wake up, 8oz bottle
7.15am
8.15am breakfast (cereal usually)
9.00-10.30am nap

10.30am wake up (activity until time to eat)
11.00am 8oz bottle
12.00pm lunch (yogurt/fruit)
1.00-2.30pm nap

2.30pm wake up (activity)
3.00pm 8oz bottle
4.30pm dinner (veges)
5.00-5.30pm catnap

6.15pm go upstairs for kick without nappy, bath, bottle, bed
Will usually drink a full bottle here and is asleep just before 7pm

This is an example of a really perfect day, obviously sometimes the 45 minute nap monster gets us or we are out and about so his activity times are longer but we try to keep it something like this. If he has woken up early from his last nap I might even take to bed early and have him asleep by 6.15-6.30pm

hope this helps a bit
Sal

P.S. with regards to

I heard you aren't supposed to give solids before his milk because that is the most important but I thought if I gave it to him after that he wouldn't really eat anything.

Milk is still the most important thing at this time and giving solids is a lot about introducing different tastes for the first time so it doesn't matter if they don't eat a lot. 

[Katet]

Honestly as the pp said at 7mo solids is just a "taste/learning" exersize, it isn't really all that much in the nutritional stakes... my ds#2 eat reasonable amounts (but he was 11kg/23lb) while my petite niece only ate 1 spoon at each serve until about 9mo... she was far more the normal

I think the routine by SallyDom is pretty spot on.