They won't take the third nap and skipping it is NOT working

Discussion in 'The First Year' started by ahmerl, Dec 19, 2007.

  1. ahmerl

    ahmerl Well-Known Member

    They are so tired that i ended up putting one down for a nap at 5pm last night and waking him at 5:30. They used to do their third nap - catnap- around 4pm and we would do solids when they woke up around 4:45. Now they scream during the catnap and I hate to put them down at 5pm because it is dark out when they wake up and they are soooo confused.


    They end their second nap sometime between 2-2:30 and their bedtime is 7pm. We can't really move that bedtime up any earlier because I am not willing to wake up for the day at 5:30 which is what happens when we do that.

    I posted about this last week and tried everyone's advice about forgoing the third nap and moving bedtime up but when they wake up from their last nap at 2pm and refuse to go down at 4pm they are so ridiculously beat by 5pm that they will not eat their solids and are a miserable wreck all evening.

    Oh yeah, they are 6.5 mos. and I know a lot of you are dealing with the same thing. What time are yours waking from their 2nd nap and how long are they "bearable" if they don't take the third nap? I am thinking about doing solids around 4pm and then trying to put them down at 4:30 or so instead of trying to put them down at 4 and doing solids when they wake up around 4:45. I just hate sooo much for it to be dark out when they wake up from the third nap KWIM?

    *I hate when they are overtired from solids. It makes an already difficult task even more difficult. I also hate feeding them solids at the same time with just me to do it.

    Finally, I am having trouble fitting everything in. We do a bottle at 2:30 and then I would like to still fit in dinner solids, a small 4oz bottle, and then a last 6oz. bottle right before bed. Any ideas?

    Thanks,
    Amy

    Thanks,
    Amy
     
  2. mandyfish3

    mandyfish3 Well-Known Member

    We got rid of the 3rd nap around this age.

    They woke at 8 or so, napped from 10:30 to 12:30 then back again for a nap at 2:30 to 4:30 or so. Try and extend that afternoon nap later if possible!!

    Solids are hard and confusing but it does get easier! They get solids when they wake from their nap, used to get a bottle/nurse right after as well, then another bottle/nurse at 7:30 before bed.

    Hang in there!
     
  3. alb007

    alb007 Member

    I feel your pain. My boy/girl twins are great night sleepers. They will be 6 months old on 12/26. My Dr. let us start cereal at the 4 month appt. Charlie is dropping that 3rd nap but Gwen sleeps a little longer but is a terrible feeder.

    My schedule is similar to yours: 6AM bottle with cereal, back down for nap by 7am - 9:30am,
    10AM bottle back down for nap 11:30a - 1pm.
    2pm bottle and then sometimes down at 2:30pm because they seem tired but I'm trying to get them to nap at 4pm - 5pm instead. Sometimes it works but most of the time it's a 30 min nap around 3pm and then they are so strung out by 5pm that we can't get them to take their bottles at 6pm and we usually skip the cereal at night because they are so crabby and tired. They are usually in bed for the night at 6:30pm. 7pm at the latest. And they sleep soundly until about 5:30a - 6am.

    Our 6 month appt is 12/24 so I'm hoping the Dr. will let me schedule solids in between bottles or drop a feeding. I probably need to eliminate the 11:30a-1pm nap so maybe they would nap better and longer after 2pm. Right now they are getting all of the napping down before 2pm. I don't trust anyone but myself to mess with their schedule since things have been working so well.

    I'd love to hear anyone elses success stories of moving a nap.
     
  4. SusieQ

    SusieQ Well-Known Member

    Amy - what about pushing your AM nap back and trying to increase their awake time betweeen the AM/PM nap, so they nap a little later in the PM?

    We don't do an extra bottle after solids. I offer sippies with water, and they seem to enjoy that - even though it's really more work for me. We do bottles approx at 7, 11, 3 & 6.

    Good Luck!
    Suzi
     
  5. DATJMom

    DATJMom Well-Known Member

    This is the age when its get a bit tricky. Because there is a lot of feeding going on from the time they wake up from the 2nd or last nap until the bedtime. I did the bottle, solids, bottle thing for a long time and I felt like all I was doing was cramming food at them for like 3 hours, but it is what they needed. I would stick out the fussies and get them over the hump of the third nap and put them to bed earlier. I know thats not what you wanted to hear, but my boys could barely make it past 6pm once we gave up the third nap. But they were still night waking once so at least they would go until about 6am or so. But now we get up at 5:30 and it does stink, but they are in bed by 6:30 and we have some nice quiet time in the evening.
     
  6. sottovoce

    sottovoce Well-Known Member

    QUOTE(ahmerl @ Dec 19 2007, 01:56 PM) [snapback]540565[/snapback]
    Oh yeah, they are 6.5 mos. and I know a lot of you are dealing with the same thing. What time are yours waking from their 2nd nap and how long are they "bearable" if they don't take the third nap? I am thinking about doing solids around 4pm and then trying to put them down at 4:30 or so instead of trying to put them down at 4 and doing solids when they wake up around 4:45. I just hate sooo much for it to be dark out when they wake up from the third nap KWIM?

    *I hate when they are overtired from solids. It makes an already difficult task even more difficult. I also hate feeding them solids at the same time with just me to do it.

    Finally, I am having trouble fitting everything in. We do a bottle at 2:30 and then I would like to still fit in dinner solids, a small 4oz bottle, and then a last 6oz. bottle right before bed. Any ideas?


    Amy

    Really, I'd go for an earlier bed time like PP said. I know you don't want to hear that advice but my two are like yours, ragged from 2P onward without a catnap but not willing to take that catnap. I haven't found that morning wake time correlates all that well to evening time, for my two. If it is any consolation, I've just hit a smooth patch after months of struggling.

    I do feed mine solids both at the same time. I start baths at 5pm, so I try to feed them around 4p, because if I wait til 4:45 they are just incredibly fussy and won't eat. So I feed them, let them play a little, bathe them one at a time, then nurse them and put them to bed. My DS konked out at 5:40pm tonight; my DD put up a fight and didn't go to sleep til 6:30. I'd suggest deleting one of the two bottles you are giving at the end of the day -- but that's a comment coming from a mom with kids that haven't figured out how to drink out of the bottle -- they prefer to chew the nipple most nights. Just seems like it would simplify the routine.

    Hang in there.

    Sotto
     
  7. Prairiegirl

    Prairiegirl Active Member

    Okay, this is happening to us right now, too...only when they skip the 3rd nap, they are IMPOSSIBLE to put down for the night...wailing, kicking, all that jazz. It takes forever. I found that since I started solids, their tummies are more sensitive (more gas, more gripe water!). Morning nap is easy, early afternoon one is kinda of good, but boy, that third nap is a nightmare. We started trying a bath during that time, and that seemed to help!! Good luck and let me know what works for you!
     
  8. TwinsInOkinawa

    TwinsInOkinawa Well-Known Member

    This may be stupid, and habit-forming, but I have been known to throw the kids in their carseats and go for a drive if they aren't taking a third nap and NEED it. My kiddos will almost always fall asleep in the car if they are tired, but won't calm down in their cribs. I don't do it that often, but I have explored a lot of northern Virginia that way! :)

    Erica.
     
  9. andreap

    andreap Well-Known Member

    ours were miserable missing the 3rd nap too...but have started adjusting...my dd will only sleep an hour at best in the afternoon so she is FRIED by 6. they eat solids just once a day (n the morning) & nurse 4 times a day... 6, 10, 2 & 5:45pm. having the early bedtime has been WONDERFUL...and sometimes they do wake up before 6 but we let them CIO. it has seemed to help stretch their sleep in the early morning. have you let them cry when they wake early? it sounds terrible but we just turn off the monitor until it's time. hope it gets sorted out soon... but my vote would be an earlier bed time if they could learn to stretch their morning sleep a bit. keep us posted!
     
  10. Becca34

    Becca34 Well-Known Member

    I'm surprised everyone else is dropping the third nap, because my two are nowhere near ready to drop it (I feel like we just dropped the fourth one!).

    Our schedule is different from everyone else's because my kiddos go to bed late, and get up late -- but here's what we're doing currently:

    9am -- Wake, and eat 6 oz.

    10am to noon -- Nap

    noon -- Wake and eat 6 oz.

    1pm -- Lunch (solids)

    2pm to 3:30pm -- Nap

    3:30pm -- Wake and eat 6 oz.

    5:30 to 7pm -- Nap

    7pm -- Wake and eat 6 oz.

    8:30pm -- Start bedtime routine (baths, etc)

    9pm -- 6 oz. bottle, then bed


    I have no idea how to go down to four bottles instead of five, and no idea how to drop a nap, either. But, I suspect we will stretch their morning waketimes when they're ready....
     
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