Nap schedule question

For those whose babies are napping well, how did you get them to go from 3 naps to 2? Mine are almost 7 months and we still have 3 naps a day. In fact, DH (who is home with them) hardly can find time to fit solids in because by the time they get up from nap and both fed bottles it seems like they are fussy and tired again. They wake up at 6:30 or 7 and this AM they were already acting tired by 8. They usually nap for 1 1/2-2 hours in the AM, 1-2 hours early afternoon (sometimes as early as 11 or 12), and another 1 hour around 4-5 PM and are still ready for bed by 7. I thought about trying to follow the 2-3-4 rule and this would mean nap at 9 AM, another nap at 2 PM and then bed at ~8 PM but even with a 3rd nap they seem to melt down and get fussy around 7 PM and without a 3rd nap they are acting fussy by 6:30.

I don't get home from work until 6 so I haven't minded the 3rd nap because it gives me a little time to spend with them before they completely break down. However, they are only getting 1 solid meal a day because I usually do it as soon as I get home from work and DH states that every time he tries to give food during the day they get too fussy. I think it is because he doesn't want to give up the great playtime that they have for eating time and I respect that because I love the bond that they have, but soon they are going to be needing more than just BM or formula and I think if they had a better nap schedule the 3 meals a day would be a little easier to achieve. Also, DH is going completely stir crazy because they can't go for walks and he has been shut in the house for so long but it is hard to take them places if its always naptime!

I know we have it better than some because ours do nap, in their cribs, and we haven't rocked them to sleep since they were 3 1/2 months old, but I would love to be able to figure this whole schedule thing out!

 

I'm interested to see your responses! My babies pretty much dropped the third nap while we were travelling over Christmas - they were about 8.5 mos old. Now they take 2 longer naps, BUT, they want to go to bed now by 6:30 - during their solids at 5pm they are yawning and tired! I think I liked the old way (3 naps a day) better! My DH hardly gets in the door from work, and we are scurrying about trying to do the bathtime/bed time routine, and he doesn't get to spend much time with them. Now I'm wondering, when/if they are going to be able to stay up a little later. I've actually been trying to get the 3rd nap back without any success.

 

WE are going through the same thing right now! Ours are 8 months adjusted and some days they do two naps and sometimes 3. The two naps only work well if we are right on schedule. They normally wake up around 7/7:30. Then lately they have been lasting to almost 9:30 or 10:00 (used to barely make it to 9). Then they sleep to 11 or 11:30 and sometime even 12. 11is was their normal bottle time, but we have moved it to around 12:00. Then they can make it to around 2:30 and sleep for about an hour and wake up and give another bottle around 3:30ish. That's the only way the can make it to 7:00/7:30 for bedtime.

We have only accomplished this a few times, so looks like it may take a while to get that to be a regular schedule. usually their morning naps ends early or starts early, then we will have 3 naps in the day. Think it just depends on them and how long they can stay up w/o getting too cranky. They kind of just got to the point where they weren't as tired in the morning at 9:00 as they used to be. don't think there is much that you can do to make it that way.

 

Mine have just dropped the 3rd nap. We wake up and go 2 to 2 1/2 hours then a nap and then we take another one about 3 hours later. If I have to get in the car after that second nap they sometimes fall asleep, but if we are home there is no more third nap. I feel like they still need one if they get up really early, but they wont have it until its too close to bedtime. So we are down to two naps.

 

The first year is basically just centered around naps and feedings. It is very hard especially on the latter end of the first year to get out when you start doing 3 solids meals a day plus bottles. But it will get better. At 7 months, we were taking 3 naps a day. We didnt go to 2 naps a day until 9 months.