3.5 hr easy question for 15week old.

[mommy2two]

I have a question for all those who are feeding more like ever 3.5 hrs. By the end of the day it seems like she has taken all the naps she should but it is like 6pm which seems too early to put her to bed. I'd rather put her to bed closer to 7.

Here is our day today as an example:(there are two "s" in some parts b/c she wakes after 40 min but I get her back to sleep for part 2 of her nap)

woke around 6:30ish
E-7
S-8:15-8:55
S-9-10:15

E-10:20
S-11:30-11:50 (in car)
S-12:30-2

E-2pm
S-3:50-4:30
S-4:50-5:15

E-5:30

Now what? What time do I put her to bed and how is there time for another feeding before bed? She is tired right now at 6pm. Do I keep her up so I can top her off or just put her to bed or give another short nap?  I think she could do 4 hr easy with the 4 hrs between feeds, but she still can only stay awake about 1.25 to 1.5 hrs before needing another nap.
Thanks!

[HeatherC]

If it were me, and that is a routine I've comtemplated for the future before switching to 4 hrs, I would give her a catnap-maybe in a swing or something so it doesn't exactly signal bedtime, then top her up around 7ish.  Or feed more like 5 so that she's tired for a catnap, then again at 7.

[mommy2two]

Am I giving her too long of naps for her 3 daytime naps? Is this why I don't have time for a catnap at night? Should I shorten the other naps (some add up to 2 hrs)

[Lizziebeth]

I think when we did this, we had a 1.75 sleep at all the naps and that way we could squeeze a catnap in and went for a later bedtime.

Also just wondering what tired signals she shows.  Just cos sometimes those yawns start to become unreliable at this age. 

Does she go down easily when you put her to bed after yawns?

My LO would always yawn after 1 hr A time at this age but would not go to sleep for love nor money til nearer 2hrs A time, just to confuse me ... lol! 

[HeatherC]

I think you want 1.5-2 hrs of naps at this age and a catnap, so her's look right on.  I just think that she is tired in the evening just like every baby.  Would she really go to bed for the night at 6?  My ds is wiped by 6, but only sleeps 45 mins anyway.  But by 7:30 he's zonked out for the night.

[mommy2two]

Last night I ended up toping her off around 6:30 and she went to bed by about 7. I gave her a DF at 10:15pm and did not hear from her again until 3am. I fed her and she slept till almost 7am. I wish she would drop the middle of the night feed (what mother does not wish for this!). I would love to try not to feed her but dread having to wake up again in another hour just to feed her and it would then be closer to morning so it may interfere with her 7am feed.

[HeatherC]

Sounds like a better night.  If you're curious as to whether she'd skip the night feed, could you try a paci?  I did it with my ds and after that 1 night he never took a night feed again (7 wks, 2 days old).  He only wakes when he breaks out of his swaddle, and I reswaddle, give him his paci, and he sleeps till 7.  I'm not at all saying that's the norm, and I of course was extremely shocked.  I was simply trying to stretch him out by an hour or two to eventually get to dropping the night feed, but it worked completely.