poor day naps since 3 mths

[angpang]

P.S How many days would it be worth trying just 2 naps for till I can have a good idea whether it works?

[malialeanne]

Some drop the catnap when their baby refuses it for a week straight despite trying different A times, etc. It's pretty tough to drop the catnap until waketimes approach 3 hours unless you want to do a really early bedtime. If you think she can handle 2.5 hours/3 hours before bed and you can't get the catnap in you might have to do something like this temporarily.

7 wake

9:30 - 11 or 11:30 nap 1

1:30 - 3 or 3:30 nap 2 (might start later if nap 1 is long)

6 - 6:30 p.m. bed

Problem is if you don't get at least 3 hours of napping during the day bedtime is REALLY early until she can be awake 3 hours during the day, when bedtime could move back to 7-7:30.

HTH!

[angpang]

It's me back yet again! I tried going to 2 naps for (almost) 3 days. I put her to bed by 2 1/4 and 2 1/2 hrs waketime. The first day she woke after 1 hr in her first nap, but actually went back to sleep within about 1/2 hr!!! And she had 2 hrs for second nap. But second and third day, she still only slept 45min for first nap. She woke from second nap at 2:30, so I ended up putting her down for another third catnap as it didn't look like she'd make it to bedtime otherwise.  So the next day I kind of wasn't sure whether I was stretching thigns too much, and went back to 3 naps. But the problem REALLY boils down to the first nap,  She seems to always do fine for her second nap, which is typically after a too long of waketime because she's woken early from first nap. So it's mostly close to 3 hrs sometimes more!! The first nap, though- I feel as though I've tried putting her down earlier and later and no matter when I put her down she'll only have 45min to 1 hr! I've tried times from 1 1/2 hr up to 2hr so far. She just wakes and plays quietly for about 1/2 hr then cries. And the third nap she is pretty unpredicatble too- hard to know when to put her down, and then she might take ages to go to sleep and only have 20 min - 45 min is good, and several times lately has none at all. I would really love to get that first nap happening and not sure still what I'm doing wrong???

[malialeanne]

I'm happy to try for say 2 1/2 and 3 hr waketime being as she's almost 6 1/2 mth, but I'm just worried whether she'll do OK. Seems she's a good sleeper when I just get the waketime right! Should I take the plunge yet? Don't know how long to persist with 3 naps, when she may be ready for 2 to solve the problem???

Well, since your lo is 6.5 months and seems to respond well to longer A times I say go for it. You can always move them back if you have a problem. I would go gradually adding 15 mins at a time, giving that a few days to week, and then adding 15 more. By that time you'll be really close to 7 months, a typical age for dropping the catnap.

Once A times are close to 3 hours and nap 2 is ending between 3 and 4 it's time to drop the catnap. I wouldn't rush to do it sooner than that or you'll have a super-long A time before bed which may affect night sleep.

Good luck, hth!