I HATE the third nap of the day

Jack and Lily are 6.5 mos old and although it seems too early to drop the third nap, I am soooo sooo sooo sick of it.

They generally wake sometime between 6:30 and 7am and go down for nap #1 between 8:45 and 9:15. This nap lasts until 10:30sih.

They then go down for nap #2 right around 12:30 (depending on length of nap #1).

This is where it gets tricky.

They will usually wake up around 2:15 from nap number 2 but if they do not then I have to wake them up in order to ensure I can TRY to get them back down by 4:15ish for a catnap. Lately, they cry through the entire third nap or maybe fall asleep by 4:45. This becomes a problem because I then have to hope they get up by 5:15 so we can do a small bottle, solids, and then bedtime routine and last bottle of the day day around 7pm. If they wake up from nap #3 too late then it is all smushed together and they do not always want their last bottle.

I am sooooo tempted to just skip the third nap and move bedtime up to 7pm. Does anyone else have any ideas?
Is it too early to drop the third nap? I am sick of hearing them cry for 15 minutes before this nap and I hate having to wake them from the second nap in order to ensure the third.

Amy

 

I also always hated that dilemma at about that age, with all of my kids! We just went through it with the twins, and dropped it around 6-7 months, depending on the day, how well their afternoon nap was, etc. Now at 8.5 months, they sleep until about 7:30 AM, nap from 9:45-11:15 ish, nap again from 1:30-4:00, and are in bed at 7:00. (This is more often than not, although there are tricky days with outings, appts, evenings at church, etc)

Hang in there!

 

Are they cranky if they do not get the third nap? If so, maybe try putting them in a swing or bouncy during that time and maybe they'll doze off if they are tired etc. At 6.5 mos, my girls were getting 2 naps a day. Morning nap around 8:30 after breakfast and then again at 1:00 pm. They usually sleep 1.5 - 2 hours per nap. I dropped the third nap (which was 20 min. to 1 hr tops) around 4.5 mos. or so. Bed time for them with the 2 naps is 6:30. dinner at 5:30. I still have them on this schedule now too. (though the afternoon nap is a little shorter) Maybe drop the third nap and make bed time a little earlier? good luck!!

 

I did exactly what you're suggesting and found that my girls were much happier without the third nap, and with going to bed earlier. They typically wake up about 7, nap from 9 - 10 (not long enough, but we're working on it), second nap from 1-3, and are asleep by 6 or 6:30 at the very latest. Bottles are usually at 7:30, 11:30, 3:00 and 5:30. All of these times, of course, can vary as we don't follow a real schedule.

 

We've also pretty much dropped the 3rd nap - UNLESS they wake up super early from their PM nap, and I get all those sleepy-cranky-put me down-or I'll make you pay-signs and it's only 4pm!! We've kept our bedtime the same though - between 6:00 and 6:30.

Good Luck!
Suzi

 

You may just want to drop the third nap. Things got much better for us when we finally switched to two naps (9-11 and 2-4). I worried that my boys weren't ready but after trying it for a day or two I wish I had done it sooner. They never fight going down for a nap now and they sleep for at least an hour and a half each time. I'm so glad I'm not fighting that late afternoon/early evening nap anymore!

Good Luck!

 

QUOTE(SusieQ @ Dec 13 2007, 03:07 PM) [snapback]533011[/snapback]
We've also pretty much dropped the 3rd nap - UNLESS they wake up super early from their PM nap,


ditto, but bedtime here is now about 8 pm, up from about 9 pm...

we just started that this week and it's still a little hectic, but we're working on it

the only drawback is DH is upset that with the new earlier bedtime he can't see them before bed (he goes to the gym from 7 to 9) but he'll have to deal

sandra

 

Hey Amy,
I'm right there w/ you. I would stop waking them from nap 2 and only put them down for nap 3 if they are practically falling asleep on you. we are on the same schedule as you w/ same ages - it's worked for me. if i have to wake them from nap 3 i do - so they're up for a while before bed - good luck!

 

Wow. I'm there w/ ya. I have 9 mo. old girls. They wake up about 6:30, go down between 8:30 and 9:00. They sleep till about 10:00. We are working on stretching our afternoon nap till 1:00, but this still seems to be a stretch for my girls. This seems to be the kicker for us. If we can wait till 1:00 to go down, they usually sleep at least 2 hrs, which would get us to 3:00 and then we can usually make it till 6:30 before we go to sleep. If we don't make it to at least 12:30 they seem to need a 3rd nap. I can't wait to ditch the 3rd nap also. It will free up a lot more time in the day.

 

I would try to push the first one to 9, then the second one to 1 (and not get them out before 2.30/2.45 pm ... in the beginning they would wake up early but I had them CIO, they learned to go back to sleep and now they sleep until 2.45 / 3.00 pm automatically), and then pull the bed time forward to 6. It's early, but I hated that 3rd nap and with a toddler in the house, I needed to get rid of it ASAP. I started their dinner at 5 or so, and would make sure I would go out of the house in the afternoon, and that made it pretty easy. Maybe a 10-20 minute of Baby Einstein video also worked wonders.

HTH!

 

my girls are 9 months and we still often get a third short nap in - mostly in the car, or if we're at home and they're fussy i'll take them for a walk. I just never managed to put them down three times (I want those two, two-hour naps, though!)

and, you didn't ask but - DH goes to the gym 7-9; well, if he wants to see the girls then he doesnt' get to do that! sorry to hijack and rant but - i had a few serious talks w/my Dh about how life is NOT the same: i know exercise is very important (boy do I), but - if it's an option between him going to the gym or getting to see the girls and keeping them on an early bedtime that works, then - well, it's no contest.

I actually let the schedule go and let them stay up so he could play w/them; well don't you know they were fussy and difficult to put down and - got up at 5 am! (which seems to be the new habit, sadly.) So he got on board about early bedtime. And he takes them in the early morning so i can get some sleep and i told him that that is his time to BE with them if he can't get home earlier - so don't read the paper, don't do work, just BE with them.