Naps- what am i doing wrong with my 7.5 mo olds

I am frustrated with the nap situation with my little ones- i feel like i have worked hard to put them down at the right time, have a routine, not mess with their schedule and have them nap at home in their cribs... and still 7.5 mo later, i feel like i continue to fail them. The AM nap is ok, not great but I'll take it, the afternoon ones are not good and I need help! They go down for a morning nap about 1.5-2 hrs after they wake, we have nursed, played and breakfast. They are not crazy tired at all but I feel confident they are tired. They need really about 2 hrs but most days take 1 hr 15 min, which is fine. Then let's say they wake at 1015, i nurse them at 11 and solids around 1145/1200 and then I've tried putting them down at 1215, 1230, 1245... before i see DD rub her eyes, after she gives teh first rub... never fails, she wake 1 hr later but wakes crying, not happy like she is rested. So let's say that is 115, i don't go get them right away... and no she never falls back to sleep, not even once! Then I nurse again around and try at nap around 330 or so, based on the rule of thumb of having them up about 2 hrs, esp since they weren't rested from the other nap, i thought 2 hrs was more than enough, sometimes they don't go down at all, others she'll fuss and DS will fall asleep, sometimes they both do. Today, neither went to sleep and fussed, not hard crying and when i went in to get them, they were happy to see me but acted fussy/tired. SO FRUSTRATING- so essentially they go to bed around 645, i know in my heard that going from 115 to 645 is way too long without a nap but I don't know what else to do. I am clearly doing something wrong! I had hoped being up to 2 meals a day would make it better, but no go. Today, I tried getting them up aroun 415, playing a bit and then putting them back down for a nap.... now 20 min later and no one is sleeping! I am fried and frazled and frustrated- i would understand if i was of the chosing that I did what i wanted, they had to adapt, and if i didn't try to have a routine, but my day and schedule is around them and i am fine with it, but by 7+ months, i feel like it shoudl be better for them! They don't deserve to get this tired. Help!

 

Have you tried stretching out their awake time between naps? I think at that age I started pushing them toward being awake for 2.5-3 hours. Also, some kids just aren't great nappers. My kids would only nap 1 hr in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. Sometimes they would go past an hour but not by much.

 

This was our 7 month schedule:

8am bottle
8:15 solids
9:30 nap
11 bottle
11:15 solids
12:30 nap
2 bottle
3 snack...puffs, teething biscuit, or something in the mesh feeder
3:30 nap
5 bottle
5:15 solids and bath
7:15 bottle and bed

Their naps are usually about an hour, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter!

 

have you tried an earlier bedtime? when my girls were about your LOs' age, they woke at 7:00am, took three naps a day & had a 6:00pm (ish) bedtime. :hug: you'll get there.

 

I have been in a similar situation as you.. they were napping horribly at 7 months, i noticed teeth coming in - and walla they napped great. so it could be they are teething.
Also an hour is not a bad amount of time for a nap.. I don't always get that. I have decided to get rid of the third nap for my 8 month olds and so far seems to be working ok, so the awake time between naps is sometimes longer than two hours now, they nap roughly at 9, and again at 1 as someties their naps are still not great..
I'm also still working on this though so am curious to hear what others have to say.

 

My kids did three naps a day at that age, they usually weren't longer than an hour or so each. And the third was often a little catnap in the car on the way back from some activity, just enough so that they could make it to their 6:30 bedtime. Around 8.5 months, they dropped the third nap, and naps overall got better. Hang in there, it's so rough when the sleep isn't great.

Also, my daughter was a notorious 45-minute napper for ages. Only very occasionally went back to sleep. But keep on trying... eventually she started sleeping longer.

 

Mine have not took a 3rd nap now for about 2 months. They just wouldn't go down. So we always take our first nap usually about 2-3 after they wake in the morning and only sleep for about 30 min. If I'm lucky they will sleep for an hour. Now lately for the afternoon nap they go down about 3 hrs after they wake and then they sleep for about 1 1/2 hrs- 2 hrs. Usually if they only take a 30 min. nap in the morning they will sleep good in the afternoon. If they sleep for an hour in the morning then they will only take a 30 min. nap in the afternoon. I have also tried to switch times but nothing works. Right now this seems to work pretty well. They also start there last milk bottle about 7:30 and go down right afterwards.

 

I would try moving to 2 naps and a much earlier bedtime. I highly recommend HSHHC

 

As pp mention I'd recommend Healthy sleep habits happy child (HSHHC) but I must say you really sound like you've got a great schedule going just your little one hasn't quite realized that yet. If she is waking up crying she hasn't slept enough you are right there. You could try continuous music while she naps -- this worked for my one daughter who sounds like yours. You could get her up, give her a quick quick no talking bath with that Johnstons lavender stuff and then right back into bed again.... you could try an even earlier bedtime say 6:00 until her naps work themselves out and then move to say 6:30 bedtime. You could continue to leave her for another 30 mins after she wakes up to see if she will go back to sleep. (this wouldn't have worked with my daughter)

Even now (mine are 16 months) if my two only get one nap I move their bedtime ahead from 6:30 to 5:30. they still wake up at the same time.

You really sound like you are doing a great job though keep it up I'm sure just a bit more tweeking and it will be smooth sailing.

Heather

 

OP here, thanks so much for the suggestions- it can just be so frustrating with naps. I read the book recommended HSHC before but am I missing an important aspect - have I forgotten something? Feel free to share with me! I have considered an earlier bedtime, but worry that they already start to stir pretty early and I am concerned an earlier bedtime would be earlier wake in the am- yikes! Right now, they are in their cribs at 645 for bedtime and while DD starts chatting a bit around 630/645 AM, I usually don't get htem until 715 am and they are very happy and fine when I come in then. So already they are in their beds 12+ hrs. Not sure if I should move bedtime earlier or not. Any one had experience moving bedtime up, did they wake at the same time as before or did they sleep the same amt and just wake earlier?

 

We dropped our 3rd nap by that time too. I had read somewhere that if they get too much sleep (go figure) they will sleep less and less. By 8 months we were on the same schedule we are on now (at 18months)

7 am wake
7:30 am breakfast
9am nap
11:30 lunch
1pm nap
3pm snack
5-5:30 dinner
6-6:30 bath
7:15 bedtime

GL