How to improve 4mo nights?

[porpentine]

DS is 19 weeks old. He used to be a lovely sleeper - 7 til 2 or 3, sometimes up again at 5ish, sometimes straight through til about 730. Nights were always better the more sleep he'd had in the day - the night he slept 7-5 followed a solid 6 hours in the daytime...

About a month ago, he learned to roll, started teething, and went through a truly grisly sleep period - virtually no naps, multiple night wakings (once every 45-90 minutes). Things have now definitely improved, and we're back to mostly two night wakings which is ok for the time being. BUT the first one is inevitably much earlier than it used to be - 1 very occasionally, often 10 or 11 - and he's also taken to waking up about 6ish, not hungry or upset but very much awake.

Is there anything I can do about this, or is it just one of those things? We do have a routine, although naps have always been difficult but I usually manage to squeeze at least 3 hours daytime sleep into him.

Hey.. What's your routine?

When it works Ds gets up at 7 or 730, sleeps for a couple of hours about 90 minutes after waking (so 830/9-1030/11), then another 1.5-2hours over lunch (1215/45ish -230ish) and then has a 45 minuter around 4 or 5 before bedtime (6-7, depending on naps). He usually sleeps 12-13 hours overnight, waking at 10 and 2 and more recently any time between 4 and 6, when he often stays awake for a while but usually goes back to sleep unless he wakes very close to 6.

More recently though he's been reluctant to sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time during the day, so gets very overtired and difficult to settle - the early morning wakings are definitely worse when he's slept less in the day.

Hey- first thing it seems to me is that he has quite a lot of day time sleep- so perhaps the early wakings and also why he stays awake quite a while in the middle of the night... He's simply had enough sleep. Is it possible to keep him awake a bit longer between naps?
My son is the same age and he lasts up to 2.5 hours without a nap (obv every baby is different tho!!) I also wake him from naps if I need to- some people are not comfortable with that. He naps 45 mins in the am (usually around 9 as he is up at 7), 2hours over lunch, and then 20-30 mins between 4 and 5. Bedtime is half 6/7 - I wake him for a dream feed at 10 (scared to drop this) and he then sleeps til 7.

Could it also be worth trying to feed him more during the day?? There's a growth spurt around 4 months so that would maybe help the multiple wakings?

Also re the 45 min naps- I had that problem for a while - he grew out of it after 1 week/ten days. I just kept him in his cot/pram during nap times (unless screaming) and he soon got the message heheh

I suspect you're right. It was 5am this morning (shudder). I'll try cutting the late afternoon nap and see what happens. Thanks!

Well, that really didn't work as hoped... I cut his late nap to 30 mins and last night he woke at 10, 1230, 230 and 4. (although after 45 mins of inconsolable crying at 4 he did sleep until 8, so I suppose strictly speaking the early waking issue was solved).

Should I persist with the short late nap and hope it improves?