Naps and weaning

[puffling]

Our girl is 5 months and one week and has been on two meals of solids for nearly two weeks (at 11 and 5.30). She has taken to solids well but for the last few days her naps have gone very strange and I wonder if this is connected and how to respond.

She has never been a good daytime sleeper (excellent at night) but has typically been easy to put down at 9am for 45 minutes (she typically wakes between 6 and 7 and gets up for her milk at 7), then at noon for anything between 1 and 2 hours and a catnap at around 4.45 for 15 minutes.

The problem now is that even though she is looking tired around 9am in the usual way she screams and screams when put in her cot. Yesterday we took her out after about 25 minutes of this and she took a 30 minute nap in her swing from around 9.30. This morning she has screamed again but finally went quiet at just after 9.30.

What is she trying to tell us (if anything). Does she need her nap pushed back closer to 9.30 (even though she looks very tired at 9) or is she struggling to settle without having had solids in the morning.

So, breakfast or a later nap?

Finally, at the risk of trying everyone's patience, its also worth mentioning that she has struggled to take her late catnap as well. We have resorted to taking her out in the car but even then she can take until 5.15 to drop off even though she only slept for 50 minutes at lunch. Is it possible that she needs to drop this nap and still having it is affecting her readiness for the 9am nap next morning. Sounds unlikely but you never know!

[Hattie05]

Is it really worth driving around for half an hour just to get a 15min nap?

It does look like she's adjusting her nap times herself. She is still quite young so i wouldn't think adding a third meal will help. She is getting older and wiser now and she may just be deciding that although she's tired its pretty boring being in a cot and so creating for you!

Sorry don't have any magic answers - but if you didn't put her in her cot at 9 would she survive until later in the morning? Perhaps she will have one longer nap in the middle of the day now instead.

[puffling]

"Is it really worth driving around for half an hour just to get a 15min nap?"

It certainly isn't. We have done this a couple of times when she has only had 40 minutes at lunch. Otherwise she would be awake more than 6 hours.

"... but if you didn't put her in her cot at 9 would she survive until later in the morning? Perhaps she will have one longer nap in the middle of the day now instead."

She's not showing any signs of that unfortunately. Not yet anyway

[Seona1973]

far too young to have just one nap in the day - happens more toward the 1-1 1/2 year mark.

It is funny how she settled at around 9.30am both days - could you try extending her wake up in the morning by 15 minutes at a time e.g. try 9.15am, then 9.30am. You could then try pushing the lunch nap a little later too which would then mean your lo could probabyly last till bedtime without the late catnap.

Its all trial and error I'm afraid and just as you think you've cracked it they decide to change the rules again. Good luck anyway

[puffling]

Still all haywire today. Refused a lunch nap with heavy duty screaming for an hour until 1pm. Took a nap in the car at 4.20 (quite early for her).

Also her mood has been a little odd. Smilier than normal but co-inciding with boredom/irritability, growling noises and leg flexing. Not sure if there are any digestive issues following the introduction of solids. Hadn't thought so but the mood and nap change is so strange.

[hermykne]

puffling i'd suspect the digestive thing. my ds was like this at 7mths, started solids at 6mths.
and he was very disgruntled, for a few days, gave him pureed prunes and pear and he came round.hth