Gina Ford followers please help!

[oloughlin]

My ds is all over the place with his naps.
I've only reciently started following Gina ford (my ds is 9 1/2mts old) as we were having a big problem with night wakenings (every hour for the dummy) He was getting 2 naps a day, an hour each but thought I'd give the Gina routine a go as she says long naps in the morning could be the reason for early morning wakenings. We got rid of his dummy last week, which went surprisingly well and little crying and we're finally getting a full nights sleep due to reducing the morning nap to 30mins.

His routine is as follows:
7am wakes up
7.15am Bottle (5oz)
8/8.30am Breakfast
9.30-10am Nap (I have to wake him up from this nap)
10am (very small snack)
11.30am Lunch + 2oz formula before bed)
12.30-1.15pm Nap
2pm Snack and 3oz Bottle
4-4.30pm Nap
5pm Dinner
6pm Bath
6.30pm Bottle (7oz)
7pm bed (sleeps through till morning)

Well the last few days have been a nightmare! He goes down ok for his morning nap, lunchtime nap he cries for about 20mins and then only sleeps 30-45mins (ive tried to let him cio and go back to sleep but he just won't) and afternoon nap he won't go down for anymore (cries for 30mins and I know he's not gonna sleep so I take him up) but then come 5pm he's absolutely wrecked cause he's been up since 1.15, but if I put him down for a nap at 5, then he won't be tired enough for bed at 7.
I've tried earlier and later bedtimes and they don't seem to make a difference.
His room is also completely blackout and the temperature is right so I know that's not the problem. I just don't know what to do! Even dropping the evening nap (as he's chosen not to go down for the last few days) has made no difference, except more tired. If I let him sleep longer for the morning naps I'm afraid it's gonna cause early morning wakenings again. He's only getting 1-1.15hr during the day (Gina recommends 2-3hr) I'm so stressed (suffered PND after he was born and feel it's rearing his ugly head again cause I just can't deal with all the crying when he goes down for his second and third nap)
Please help!

[Ragwort]

I followed GF and it worked very well but I started it much, much earlier ......... why don't you just try letting him sleep a bit longer in the morning? From memory (my DS is a teen now ) he had a long nap in the morning and a long nap in the afternoon and went to bed at 7pm. Do you let him self settle? I would put DS in his cot, stroke him gently and then leave the room, yes, he grizzled a bit but soon learned to self settle.

BTW, you are brave, GF is not at all popular on Mumsnet .

[FATEdestiny]

I've heard it said that GF is the cause of many a case of PND.

Are you asking specifically what you should do within the GF routine? Or for general 'what would you suggest' advise? I have not used GF and don't know the intricate details of the process, so cannot be specific within the GF routine.

My DD (about a month older) dropped the frequent naps about a month ago, so at your DSs age. She decided that she mostly wanted just one, long lunchtime nap. She will still have a morning half hour nap if we are out and she's in the pushchair or carseat. But if I am able to keep her going by playing, she is happier having her 2-3 hours in one nap at around 12pm-2pm/3pm

Maybe your DS would prefer this? Can you work at keeping him going in the morning to not have a morning nap at all? Sorry if this isn't in keeping with GF, just trying to help.

[ScottAndStonebridge]

I followed Gina successfully up to a certain age (can't remember what age) but then it just stopped worked for us and instead of having 3 naps dd just had a morning 1.5hr nap and then an hour at 2.30. She still slept 7-7, maybe keep a routine but not necessarily the GF times if they don't suit.

[dementedpixie]

At that age mine had just 2 naps. Are you sure he needs 3?

[NoMontagues]

I would just eliminate the 4pm nap altogether and leave everything else as it is, but just give it a few days for your DS to adjust.

[trilbydoll]

It looks really stressful trying to fit in 3 naps. I agree with pp at that age DD was sleeping 9.30-11ish and then again at 3pm.

Although I'm sure it isn't in line with GF, would it work to "force" the naps for a few days by going for a walk/drive then he might be a bit more up for repeating the routine at home?

[madwomanbackintheattic]

Omg. You put it in a title. You did.

[Fugghetaboutit]

3 naps is a lot for a 10 month old, cut one down. Ds was on one nap by 14 months

[NeverHadHaveHas]

That would be way too many naps for my dd who is a month older. As with FATE's dd, my dd is much happier sleeping 12-2/3. Personally, I would bin the book and be led by your dc.

[LibrariesGaveUsPower]

I second FATE's question. Do you want comments, or advice on how to make him do Gina?

Lots of babies that age seem not to be ready for a long after lunch nap but like a longer mid morning and mid afternoon one.

I am not convinced by Gina view on morning naps causing early waking. In fact FATE posted something on this a while back that I agreed with. I think it's often a developmental phase you have to ride out personally.

[Iggi999]

Gina Ford, dummy removal and Cry It Out all in one post - poor sod.

[scarletforya]

You can't use language like that on here!

[ginagslovechild]

Why did you take away his dummy? Sorry but that's not nice at all, anyway, my ds is 14 months and has a 2 hour nap at 11 and a 45 min generally about 3, he sleeps all night from 6.30-7 am.
And that's without GF.

[caravanista13]

Poor little scrap. ????

[PalaceGirl]

Follow your babies lead. Not Gina's. The routine doesn't work for every baby.

[girliefriend]

I think def ditch the 3rd nap and encourage a longer nap after lunch if possible if he is having none of it then don't stress just try and get him through the rest of the afternoon and poss put to bed slightly earlier.

If he was waking every hour for the dummy then can understand why you would ditch it!

Gina Ford saved my sanity and enabled me to continue breast feeding much longer than I would have done otherwise.

[Ladyleia]

I know my DS went through stages where he just did not want to sleep for the whole afternoon nap. I did try my best (walking him round, letting him sleep on me) to settle him back down for the whole of the time up until 2pm. In hindsight (and certainly when you have more than one child you can't do that), I would let him sleep for as long as he likes at lunch and if he wakes early, I would take him for a stroll in the buggy at 4.30/4.45pm so he could have a little catnap in his buggy until 5pm. This would mean that he would be refreshed enough to make it through til 7pm.

If he didn't sleep in his buggy, I would just bring bedtime forward so that you are not dealing with a screaming child from 5-7pm. It will mean a sllghtly earlier start to your day the next morning but hopefully he will then be tired enough to sleep properly at lunch.

[ffffffedup]

Never mind what "Gina" recommends she's never met your baby and every baby is different. You are the person that knows him best trust your own instincts do what's best for you 2 rather than what you think others are telling you you should be doing

[Milkyway1304]

I tried on many occasions to try get my DD into a daytime routine as she was getting so little daytime sleep. No matter what I did she only slept 45mins at a time in the day until she was 11 months. At which point she dropped to one lovely long lunchtime nap all on her own. I think the ability to take a longer nap is a developmental stage that babies reach at different ages. And if it helps in our case at least daytime sleep has absolutely no effect on night time sleep.

[NormanLamont]

Omg. You put it in a title. You did
**



OP What routine (or not) were you following before she-who-must-not-be-named?

[Lagoonablue]

Oh god. If baby not sleeping longer than 45 mins then probably doesn't need to sleep longer. Why force it?

[Lagoonablue]

I don't think babies need 2 naps at nearly 10 months either.

[Lagoonablue]

3 naps I mean.

[vez123]

Could you try putting your baby down a bit earlier, maybe 12 and then aim for a long nap? It could be that he/she is overtired by 12:30 having only had half an hour in the morning.
I followed GF fairly closely with DC1 with mixed success. Agree that early waking is a developmental phase as whatever I did 5:30 was his time until he was about 4.. Now having a similar problem with DC2 but no longer stressing about it..

[GrinAndTonic]

Is it an alternative universe? Have aliens attacked? I never, in all my days, thought I'd wake up to see SWMNBN actually named in a post!