How to improve naps

[carrotcakefan]

Hi everyone,

Looking for some helpful tips! I always seem to be putting my 7month to bed overtired- she's crying, hitting out, and it's not fun for either of us.

For context, she's always struggled with sleep but I have worked really hard on trying to improve things. Her routine is currently:

Wake at 6.30
Nap in pram at around 9am for 1-2 hours (pram is best way of ensuring a long nap)
Second nap around 2pm, in her cot, this never tends to be longer than 40minutes.
Would love her to have a short nap at around 5, but this never materialises. I try but she fights it.
Last bottle at 6pm, take her up to bed at 6.30pm. Asleep by 7 after a struggle.

What would people suggest to help lengthen nap 2 or introduce nap 3?

I'd suggest swapping around your first and second naps.

Shorter nap in the morning. Longer nap after lunch. This will also make your second nap earlier.

How do you get baby from being fully awake to asleep in the cot?

Also,is baby sleeping through the night?

Thanks for the advice @FATEdestiny I will try swapping naps.

I rock baby in my arms until she is almost asleep- she wakes up when I put her in the cot and I put one hand on chest and one on legs. Rock gently and she's goes off (sometimes takes more than one go. I have significantly reduced amount of rocking though, used to to this for a crazy amount of time!)

She doesn't sleep through, no. She wakes after about 3 or 4 hours and we change, feed and re-settle. On a good night she then sleeps through till the morning, but this has only happened once or twice! Usually have 2 resettles during the night. She sleeps with a dummy so sometimes it's a case of popping this back in and gentle rock whilst in cot, and she goes back off. Other times it takes longer...

Afternoon nap on pushchair too?

(It's what we do).

I think your baby needs (at least) 3 naps a day. I wouldn't move to 2-nap days until naps are consistently over 90 minutes, or sleeping through the night.

I'd aim for 2h wake windows between each nap.

When you do the pram nap, ideally have the pram stationary when baby is asleep. Use movement to get baby to sleep, and movement to resettle if stirring awake, but not movement throughout.