How do I do wake to sleep to extend naps?

[Pointlessfan]

DD is 7.5 months. She sleeps well at night and wakes for one feed. Problem is in the day she only naps for 30 mins at a time, usually 3 times per day then she is shattered at 5.30 so we end up putting her to bed at 6 then she wakes really early (5.30-6).

I've been reading about wake to sleep and think it could work but it says to go in after 30 mins assuming a 40 min sleep cycle but she is already awake after 30 mins so I'm not sure when to go in to disturb her.
Any suggestions please?

In my experience, the time of going to bed/number of naps during the day/number of wake ups during the night doesn't affect eventual morning wake up time. I think it's just something you have to put up with for a while, and adjust your own sleep patterns to fit.

Could there be any external noise that's waking DD at 5.30? Milkman for example?

My DS stopped catnapping at 6 months when I shifted him onto 2 naps - he started doing 2x 1.25 hour sleeps instead of 3x 40 minutes

My DD only napped for 30 mins at at time until she got to 8 months and naturally started having an hour at lunch time. I never dared try the wake to sleep thing as she probably wouldn't have gone back to sleep we would have ended up only sleeping for 20 mins instead of 30!

Yes that's what I'm worried about too! My other idea is to miss out one nap altogether and see if the other two become longer but if I do that won't she just be overtired and find it harder to sleep?

DD has been asleep for the last hour and a half without me doing anything! Ironically I am considering waking her up so she will still sleep tonight. Should I?

A bit late now but at that age I always made sure she was awake by 4.30pm to make sure she would sleep by 7pm. At 7.5 months I think we were just dropping to 2 naps rather than 3, which was probably what prompted her to start having the longer nap at lunch time. I used to agonise over naps then realised it was impossible to manipulate them and just let her do what she wanted/needed. We have much less angst over it now she has fallen into a fairly regular pattern (she's 1 next week), but it took a long time to get there.

I'm wondering if I'm overthinking it a bit! She woke up of her own accord at 5, played for 45 mins, ate some cheese on toast then yawned, had her bath and went to bed about 10 minutes ago. Maybe I just need to let her figure it out?

Looking back, I definitely over thought it. I got myself really stressed about when/how long she should be napping and what other babies were doing. She has naturally found her own pattern though, and life is now much easier .

Thank you, that's very reassuring