6 mth old naps...please help!

[loulourw]

Hi

I have a 6 month old and so far he had not been on any kind if nap schedule. The first nap of the day tends to be around 8.45/9am. He doesn't sleep longer than 35/40 minutes. He is my second child and I have a very high energy 2 yr 10 month old also. Obviously needs cross over on a daily basis. I struggle to make lunch for my eldest knowing its about the time my baby is tired. So I end up pushing him on until I've done lunch but by that point he is getting closer to milk time so I have to feed him & he has a sleepy rest on the breast but this is not his nap. Just recently I feel I can't keep facing each day with no routine just going on how long my baby has been awake for as sometimes at that point when he needs it I can't dedicate that moment to helping him sleep as I may be getting my eldest ti try to nap or something else. My question is how many naps do your 6 mth old have? 2 or 3? Also what times of day do you do these? I feel I can commit to giving him his 9am nap daily but at the moment this only takes him just past 9.30 & I know he is tired again within two hours. Ideally I would love some nap crossover with my baby and wks ear child. She naps for a couple of hours around 1/1.30?

We are in a very similar situation, I have a dd who is 2.11 and another dd who is 5 months.

Whats works for us at the moment is morning nap tends to be either in the car or pushchair as we tend to do things in the morning.
We come home for lunch and I breastfeed dd2 whilst dd1 has her lunch, dd2 then gets popped in the pushchair as it means I can still watch dd1 (I previously tried dd2 in the cot but it just didn't work) after lunch dd1 goes up for her nap so usually I have at least an hour where they are both asleep.

Dd2 will usually have a power nap about 5 or just a snooze whilst feeding.

It really is such a juggling act isn't it? X

Thank you. It sounds like you've got it better Sussed than I have! It is a constant juggling act & y'day I felt like a complete failure all round as everyone was tired & not sleeping when they needed to & everything backfired anyway. My eldest started pre-sch for 3 mornings a wk in sept so I have the mornings here to do nap with baby as my husband often takes my daughter in. I think I will try to start doing what you do and get out by 9am the latest (gosh that's early isn't it!) on the two weekdays my daughter is home so we can at least get somewhere! You know how it is...baby wakes/baby feeds/ 2 yr old climbing the walls then it's lunch!! That's a great idea. Thanks. I am also just beginning to work solid feeds into the daily routine so that's a struggle too. Phew! I think I'm going to stick to 3 naps a day where possible (often that last one of the day he refuses & we end up with sleepy boob nap too).

Thanks for your advice & good luck with your two handfuls of joy!!