8 month-old has 4 30 minute naps a day and is slowly driving me mad!

[scoopdewhoop]

I'm new to to the site and have just read the section on daytime sleep but doesn't seem to help our situation.
My daughter has always been a catnapper. Her 'routine' (it's always changing! Can't seem to force one on her!) at the moment is:

5-6:30am wake
8ish (after nearly 2 hours awake) nap for 30 minutes
10ish (after 2 hours awake or less) nap for 30 minutes
12:30/1 nap for 30 mins (after nearly 2 hours awake)
3/4/4:30 nap for 30 minutes when she looks tired (worst nap of the day, usually she cries loads)
6:30/7pm bedtime after a strict bath/song/ feed routine
2/3am nightfeed up until a couple of days ago.

Occasionally she will have a longer nap, two weeks ago, she slept for an hour and 20 minutes in the cot. Last week she had two 40 min naps in the cot so only had 3 naps. I would love to get her to have 3 longer naps and feel this is more age appropriate. I do rock her to sleep on my chest for naps which I know is very naughty so wonder if she can't settle herself back to sleep after 30 mins but then she has had longer naps sometimes? Do I need to extend her waketimes? Should I not worry as she is just about sleeping through for 11 hours and settling herself back to sleep at night?
It is just hard to arrange our days around 4 naps and when we are out she usually ends up being an overtired mess if I cant go for a walk and get her to nap eg baby groups, swimming etc. Sorry for the wall of text, hope someone can help!

My 8 month old slept through the night but only slept for 1 x 30 minute nap during the day. I’m no expert but I think what you’re describing is normal in the sense that it’s meeting her needs (though perhaps not yours!). I used to wish mine would nap for longer but I’m not sure it’s something you can force.

I think stretching out wake times will help, it has with my 8 month d.
Going to more like 2.5-3 hours between naps, should hopefully lengthen them, maybe not immediately.
What also has made mine nap for longer is being in her cot, with no sleepyhead, being free to sleep how she wants which is usually on her front.
Ime it’s hard to do 3x naps when they wake that early though - usually ends up being a 4 nap day when mine wakes up at that time

Thanks, it's good to know other babies have similar nap routines. Sometimes I think I just don't know what I'm doing at all! I think I will try extending her awake times gradually and see what happens. What's a sleepyhead? She sleeps in a grobag and seems like she has free movement.