When to ...

[szaniab]

Hi, I've got 2 "when to" questions:

1. When do you drop the catnap?

2. When do you start to consolidate the 2 naps (morning and afternoon) into one?
Many thanks.

[*Mona*]

hi there.

so, your Lo is 6 months, right?

at 6 months some babies still need their catnap, some start dropping it. my dd started dropping her catnap at some 6,5 mos, which wasn't that easy for us as she was just pretty annoying in the evenings and had to go to bed really early, but finally at 7,5 mos she was down to 2 naps a day.

you still have plenty of time before your Lo will be ready for just one nap a day. it usually doesn't happen until they're at least one year old [may happen earlier but not at 6 months thou].

maybe you could post your routine and we would try to solve whatever problems with naps you're having?

HTH
Monika

[* Paula *]

I agree with Monika, some lo's still have a cat nap for quite some time.  Your lo will tell you when they are ready to drop it, they will constantly refuse to go down for this nap.  I would follow your lo's cues and let your lo tell you when it's time to drop it.

As for the 2-1 transition, some lo's have 2 naps a day even up until 15 - 18 months - again you would need to watch your lo's cues.  We transitioned to 1 nap at 12 months.  Our DS would go down for his morning nap, which was gradually getting shorter and then would refuse his afternoon nap.  This is when we transitioned.

HTH's

[szaniab]

Hi,
Yes, my LO is 6 mos and in fact we're working at the moment on his sleep in general (both naps and nighttime) with some little help of PUPD. He goes down pretty well for morning and afternoon naps but the evening catnap is always a big struggle which I always (or almost always) loose so the result is that he is pretty grumpy in the evening but still manageable. Our routine looks the following:

around 7 am. - wake up and BF
Activity till 9.15 - 9.30
9.30 - morning nap, lasts usually 1.15
11. - feed
Activity till 12.45 - 1 p.m
1 p.m. - nap, if he goes down later I let him sleep till 3.30 so that the nap was at least 2 hrs
3 p.m. - feed 
Activity till 5.15 then a lost battle over the catnap
6.45 bath
7.00 feed
around 8 p.m. - bedtime
I don't do the dreamfeed but nurse him once at night. We're slowly introducing solids so there is not much point in introducing dreamfeed at this point.

[* Paula *]

If your lo is constantly resisting the cat nap, it might be worth bringing his bed time ealier, to say 7:00ish, so that your lo does not get too grumpy.  This may help a bit.