Dropping a nap?

My girls have managed to be cosistently inconsistent with their daily schedule, but I can always count on a good routine of 3 naps/day. Our bedtime routine starts at 6:30 with dinner, baths, bottles and bed. Well, this week the girls have been going down later for their morning nap and then taking a good, long afternoon nap, shifting the third nap into the nighttime routine. Tonight, we didn't do dinner until 7:45 and I just put them down at 9:15 for bed. I'm thinking they may be trying to drop that third nap.

Is it too early for this? They'll be 7 months this week. Also, what can I do to expedite the process so we can get some routine back in our lives?

 

I don't have any info for you but I wanted to say I'm about in the same boat as you are and I wish you lots of luck! I really don't think my two are ready to give up the 3rd nap but they're getting close. They're starting to stay up longer in between naps and sleep longer during naps so I think it will happen soon - maybe! I think what you are doing sounds good as far as shifting the 3rd nap into bedtime. If they do well with this then just keep going with it. Maybe it will happen a couple times a week until they're ready to drop it for good? I'm really horrible at scheduling though so I'm a bad one to give advice. I'm excited mine are finally taking somewhat predictable naps Hope you get some good advice and good luck!! Can you believe we've hit the 7 month mark!!?? They're getting so old!

 

If their third nap is shifting to so late, I would try giving it up for a few days, having an earlier bedtime & see what happens. Could be that they will sleep better at night & do just fine without the last nap. When mine were dropping a nap, if they got too cranky I would always give them a snack, sometimes that would give them just enough of an energy boost to get them through to the next sleep.

 

Sounds to me like they are ready to drop that third nap. We were done with 3 naps/day by 7 months. My girls started sleeping longer in the morning/afternoon and not leaving much time for that third nap. We started putting them down ealier for bed like Tina suggested and it worked out great! Good luck.

 

Mine dropped the third nap at 9 months, but when they did, they went to bed at 5:30. So I would try and drop the nap and get them to bed earlier. GL!

 

We're right there with ya! It seems like some days, they need that third nap, and others they don't. They usually eat at 7, 11, 4, and 7 and take naps at 8:30, 1, and 5:30 (approx times). I have been putting them down for that third nap if they seem tired, but I try to let them sleep at max. 1 hour so that they are ready to go down when we put them to bed at about 7:30 or 8.

But last night, neither one needed their afternoon nap as they took two really good earlier naps. ???

I think dropping a nap is a process. What if you encouraged the 3rd nap every other day for a week, and then tried to drop it the following week?

 

We have dropped the third nap here ( around 8 months). They are still adjusting to it. They would not sleep for about a week, so I stopped putting them down. I have stuck to only 4 hours of awake time after their third nap. It usually ends up being 6-6:30 for bedtime. I did have to make it a little earlier once they dropped their nap. I'm trying to get them on a 2-3-4 schedule, sometimes they only last 2.5 before their afternoon nap. I would suggest dropping that third nap if it is pushing them to that late of a bedtime. Somedays my Lo's are tired around 5pm but Im afraid if I put them down for a nap they will be up until 9, so they just go to bed earlier if they are fussy.

GL!! Its definitly an adjustment for them.

 

It definitely seems like it's on the early side to drop a 3rd nap. At 7 months my boys were only awake 2 hours at a time, and we dropped the 3rd nap at 11 months old when we switched to 3 hours of wake time. However, every kid is different. I know HSHHC says the average to drop the 3rd nap is 9 months. I suppose some babies will be ahead of that and, some like mine, will be behind it.

If you are gonna drop it, I'd do what the other ladies suggested, and send them to bed earlier. A big reason I didn't push my guys to drop the third nap was because they had to go to sleep at 6 and they would wake at like 5AM. Ugh!!

 

I'm struggling with 3rd nap issues too, it's no fun! Like your little one's the girls have started to take a mega nap in the afternoon pushing everything back if i don't wake them. The 3rd is only ever 60mins max but lately they will not sleep at all, they can talk to each other for the full hr and then turn into raving lunatics when were going through the bedtime routine. I think judging by there behaviour when they miss it they still need it but one daughter in particular is not budging so this week i'm going to be keeping them up and sending them to bed at 5/5.30pm. In HSHHC he suggests that some babies can drop it as early as 6mths, unfortunately i think one of mine falls in with this.