Can 2 naps be enough for 4.5 month old?

[curlyLJ]

DD is 20 weeks and we have at last got into a bit of a nap routine...trouble is, no matter what I do, she will not go down for the first nap of the day until she has been awake for about 2 hrs. I have tried countless times to get her down earlier, but always fails. If I leave it and put her down once she has been awake approx 1hr45m she will usually drop off fairly easily within 20 mins or so.

She then goes at least 2 hrs between any subsequent naps, sometimes longer.

Trouble is, this means that in order to get 3 naps in, things are pretty tight. Eg today she woke for the day at 8am, first nap 10.15 - 11.am. If I put her down soon, say 1.15 (to get her to sleep by 1.30ish) by the time she wakes there is no way she will nap again until at least 5pm, and that is, I think, too close to bedtime??

Is it better to keep her awake a tiny bit longer between naps so that she only has 2 as I'd like her to be in bed about 8pm latest?

Oh what to do? Please help!!

Why do you want 3 naps? My DS (5MO) has 2 big naps, morning 7.30-9.30 (he gets up early at 6ish!) and from 12-3ish, then goes to bed 6.30ish, but sometimes has a 10 min catnap in car/buggy in between naps and/or bedtime.

Just as aside but do you have any trouble getting your ds to sleep at night MrsJamin? My DS (4months) can sonetimes take a realky long lunchtime nap and i never know if i should wake him after 2 hours or just leave him....

Hi, no he doesn't have any trouble going to sleep at night, DS2 has 3 hours + in the afternoon so he can be awake from 3-6.30. I wouldn't wake him if I were you.

Most things I have read say that babies under 8 months should have 3 naps a day, that's why. The trouble is you end up getting worked up when your DC doesn't fit into what the books say!

She won't take big naps very often - they are generally 45mins - 1 hour. If she were taking longer naps I wouldn't worry so much. The only way I can guarantee a long nap is to take her for a drive!

If she has two naps she can sometimes be really cranky from 6ish intil her bedtime routine starts at 7.

The other question is of course, how do I get her to take longer naps. She often still looks tired when she wakes but I have never managed to re-settle her yet.

Don't take any notice of what books say your baby needs - observe for yourself what your DD needs. What about starting her bedtime routine at 6ish?