Stuck with 3-4 naps cycling every few days

[bluesky123]

We are stuck with 3-4 naps cycling every few days. She would have 3 naps for 2-3 days with bedtime inching earlier and earlier until it becomes too early, then we have to switch to 4 nap to reset the schedule (e.g. 5:15pm reset to 7:45pm).

She just turned 6 months. Wake windows are usually 2 hours through the day and last ww is 3.75 hours. She only naps for 30-40 min so it’s not like I can cap a nap.

Any tips on how to tackle this?

 

[dmayn93493]

@bluesky123 I found that with my LO I ess struggling to fit the last nap in (when he was on 4 naps) and then he started to have multiple night waking.

He's been on 3 for the past 2 weeks, with the odd day of 4 naps if he's overtired.

I started by increasing the first wake window to 2 and a half hours (he also prefers a shorter window for his first nap) then slowly increasing the other ones. Usually he's on 2/2.5/2.45/3 and his first 2 naps are now over an hour each (he used to be a catnapper on 4 naps)

Just go with what your baby can handle and adjust to their needs. I think introducing solids has helped a lot keeping him fuller for longer too.

 

[john127]

@bluesky123 I’d try a bit longer ww to get you to at least a 6pm bedtime to try and reset. Adding a nap adds awake time and is perpetuating the over-tiredness. That’s what we did and it worked so we did 2/2.25/2.5/2.5 and then a few scenarios depending on last nap:
- wake between 2-3 from last nap: add a cat nap (car or stroller to stretch to 6pm) like 15 min - won’t be a full ww after probably.
- wake between 3-3:30 from last nap: stretch to 6pm bedtime

No naps after 4:30pm so if she’s napping wake her, preserve 7pm bedtime. This ensures bedtime is always between 6-7pm so way less variability.

 

[john127]

I should have also asked, do you leave her in the crib after a short nap? And is she sleep trained?

 

[cup]

@bluesky123 My baby doesn’t sleep nearly this much during the day time! I wish she did! But she’s perfectly normal and healthy. It may just be your baby’s norm.

 

[knowledgeisnotignorant]

@bluesky123 Nights are good?

I would work on getting her to nap independently first. @trivalee has a pretty gentle nap training guide for babies who have mastered night sleep. Once she's napping independently, just leave her for 5-10 minutes after she wakes up from a nap to give her the chance to fall back asleep. She should figure it out and connect her day cycles in 1-2 weeks.

https://www.babysleepscience.com/si...ap-101-post-1-does-my-baby-have-a-nap-problem A nice 5 part nap series with parts 2 and 3 on nap training. We had LO down independently for all 3 naps first (we were extending naps 1 & 2 by rocking him back to sleep to maintain a 3 nap schedule). Then when he mastered that we started leaving him for 5-10 minutes after nap 1 while we extended nap 2 & 3 to keep him on schedule. He learned to connect his cycle in

 

[bluesky123]

@knowledgeisnotignorant Thanks for the link. She’s able to settle back to sleep at night even though she can’t fall asleep independently at night. I’m planning to sleep train her soon for nights.

 

[knowledgeisnotignorant]

@bluesky123 Sounds good. It doesn't sound like she has crutches so sleep training should go quickly. I wouldn't make any big schedule changes beforehand as I don't think you have any major schedule issues, and big schedule changes (like changing bedtime) right before sleep training can lead you to inadvertently put your baby down when she is the least sleepy and cause a lot of crying (and potentially training failure). Cycling between 3-4 naps is pretty common at this age. If on your current schedule she is falling asleep quickly and easily and not having too many night wakings, I'd just train on the current schedule, bedtime first and once that is conquered naps. It should all come together fairly quickly as long as you stay consistent.

 

[bluesky123]

@knowledgeisnotignorant Thanks for the reassurance. Fingers crossed!

 

[katrina2017]

@bluesky123 Babe should probably be dropping that 4th nap already, at 6 months wake windows could be 2.5 hours a piece at least.

 

[bprice16]

@bluesky123 It's hard to gauge wake windows if baby isn't sleep trained for naps. I have the same problem with my 5 month old. He does good being put down for nap 1 independently but not the other ones. He's EBF so he very easily falls asleep at the breast when he gets cranky at like 2 hrs or so. If I put him in his crib for naps and he has to put himself to sleep, his wake windows are much longer. We are at 2/2.5/2.5/3 roughly give or take 15 min. I already feel like he's getting close to dropping to 2 naps. When he has short wake windows during the day his nights stuffer so that's usually how I know he needs more awake time. My advice is to stretch wake windows. He was a cat napper also until we reached that 2 hr morning wake window and even now at just over 5 months I think he might be ready for 5.25 for his 1st nap. A sleep consultant I worked with recommended long wake windows. With my first I made the mistake of always having short wake windows and she was a chronic cat napper. Good luck!

 

[bluesky123]

@bprice16 When I stretched ww longer, she was cranky and takes even shorter naps. But I only tried once or twice. I’ll stick to it longer this time.

 

[cindyfernandez]

@bluesky123 So naps can be short because baby is over tired and because baby is undertired. I'd suggest trying 2/2.5/2.5/3 as a 3 nap schedule to see if that works.

If you do need a fourth nap, try just a 10-15 minute micronap to bridge to bedtime. (So instead of a too long 4 hour window, two of 2.)

 

[bluesky123]

@cindyfernandez Thanks for your reply. I’ll try the 10-15 micronap. Baby actually wants to stay awake super long in the last ww and refuse to go down earlier. Last ww at 3 hour since 4.5 mo, and lately has been tolerating 4-hour.

 

[life1114]

@bluesky123 Maybe she’s ready for 2 naps? If she can tolerate 4 hour window.

 

[bluesky123]

@life1114 Oh she’s definitely not ready for 2 naps. My problem right now is her ww + naps + overnight sleep is about 23 hours 4-hour window is only for the last ww though.

 

[life1114]

@bluesky123 What’s her current schedule?

 

[bluesky123]

@life1114 On average 2/2/2.5/3.75

 

[singingsue]

@bluesky123 You could try two naps with a 2.25/3/3.75 schedule! It would require both her naps to be 3 hours in total! That means longggggg naps. Can you baby do that? If not, stick with 3 naps. 2/2.25/2.25/3.5 works, making sure naps are between 2-3 hours total! Can she connect sleep cycles during the day or are all her naps 30-45min?

 

[life1114]

@bluesky123 Maybe try extending the earlier ones to shorten the last WW