Evening dilemma

NJ isn't an early bird anymore. I guess it was a phase? He usually goes to bed around 7:30/8:00pm and wakes up at 7:30/8:00am now. He usually is able to stay up for 2.5 hrs at a time, except first thing in the morning. So his routine goes something like this:

7:30- up, breastfed
8:15- solids
9:30- nap#1
11:00- up, breastfed
11:45- solids
1:30- nap#2 (this nap tends to be longer than nap#1)
3:00- up, breastfed
3:45-solids
5:30- nap#3
6:00- up
7:00- breastfed
7:30/8:00- bedtime
(He still wakes up once in the night to eat, usually anytime between 2-5 am. If it's closer to 5, I feed him 1/2 a boob and top him off when he wakes up.)

My question is about his final nap. I try to keep this a catnap. It is usually a struggle to wake him up from this nap. I can tell that he wants to keep sleeping. 5:30 also seems a bit late for a naptime. But if I try to keep him up even to 6:00, he is a wreck. And 6:00 to me is a bit early for a bedtime. What should I do? I try to keep him up longer during the day (to 3 hrs) to stretch out his day and phase out his 3rd nap, but he ends up getting overtired and not napping well at all. Thoughts?

Late Night Feedings

Ok, so I've been having some issues w/ feeding Rachel before she goes down for the night. Originally, I thought it was b/c I was spacing her breastfeeding and solid food sessions out too far so that it was like she was constantly eating and wasn't hungry at night. Although changing her solid food sessions to be closer to her nursing sessions has helped out tremendously, I still run into the issue of her being really tired at the end of the day and sometimes unable to take in a full feeding. This morning she woke up at 4:30AM (and she was crying); she ate from both sides rather vigorously, and then I laid her back down and she slept until 7:15. So, obviously, she's hungry. Yesterday, she woke up at 5:30. I was able to hold her off until 6/6:30 to eat, but she wasn't interested in sleeping anymore pre-feeding or post-feeding. She was wide awake. She was doing well for about a week after I had reorganized her feeding schedule, but it seems like we're falling back in the same pattern. She can't stay awake any longer than 1PM usually in the afternoon, and yesterday, she wound up going for her afternoon nap pretty late (2PM), since the sitter didn't realize what time it was, and then she didn't fall asleep until 2:30. She then slept until almost 4:30. I fed her then, and then fed her again at 7PM before bedtime, but she still fought me at 7PM. I know teething rears its ugle head, but I hate to always assume that and give her more Tylenol. I do give her Tylenol, but I just don't want to do it every night. Sure, sometimes it makes a difference, but other times it doesn't, so I'm thinking either that may not be her issue or it varies from night to night what the issue is.

So, if anyone has any thoughts/advice on this or has run into similar situations, I'm all ears. Generally, Rachel has been a good sleeper and slept through the night (11-12 hours) from about 7 weeks on. But, since 5 1/2 to 6 months, it's been a little hit and miss at times. So, I'm a bit baffled as to why she seems to be more hungry but isn't taking in enough during the day......

Early bird

NJ has turned into quite the early bird. He used to wake up 6:30/7:00am but these days, he is waking up for the day at 5:00/5:30. He used to wake up at 4/5 and I'd nurse him on one side, and he'd sleep until 6:30 or so and I'd top him off and start the day. These days, even if I nurse him on one side at 4/5, he wakes up at 5/5:30 still. The only thing different these days is that he is on solids 2x a day and his bedtime has gradually shifted little by little from 7:30 to 8:00. There is a biiiig difference between the 6:30 and 5:30! Any suggestions to keep him asleep a little longer?

How do you know?

I feel stupid for asking this. You would think that after 6 mo. I'd know my baby by now. But how do you know if baby is crying during naps/night due to
1. hunger (growth spurt)?
2. teething?
3. other sickness or discomfort?
4. reverting back to bad sleep habits? (wants to be rocked, nursed, held)

NJ has had the toughest time sleeping (naps and nights) after a week or so of great sleep unswaddled and decent sleep even before that. I don't know what to do.

Swaddle weaning update

Well NJ is doing fine without being swaddled despite the fact that it's the way he has slept since birth. The first night (no swaddle, no nothing) was rough. The second night (with sleep sack) was rough. The third night, he was up at 8:00, 9:00 then did a stretch from 9pm to 4am, which is great for us! The fourth night, he regressed a bit- up at 10:30, 12:30, 1:30, 5:00. He usually goes back to sleep with some light patting and shushing. We'll see how it goes tonight. He has rolled over with it but it was in his sleep and it didn't wake him. His biggest problem still are that he bumps into the railings and that sometimes when he transitions between sleep cycles, he scratches at his face and that wakes him up. I've been putting no-scratch mittens on but we keep losing them. Tonight, he has socks on his hands. Whatever it takes!

Teething woes and sleep

Don't laugh at me, I must have a very short memory since my elder daughter went thru the whole thing with me by her side... but my almost 6 month old Hayden is just killing me with his teething problems. He'd wake up with 30 min nap nowadays and desperately gnawing on his blanket, his hand, MY hand, everything... How long does this last for each tooth? And are all babies napping/sleeping like this during teething? Seems like he's been like this forever!

Sleep Sacks

I thought I'd try a sleep sack to transition NJ from swaddling. Right now, he sleeps well swaddled with one arm out during naps, but at nights it is a disaster. So for those of you who have tried it, does it prevent the baby from rolling over? That seems to be biggest problem right now. He freaks out when he ends up on his tummy and has no control of his space, banging into rails all the time.
- kyung

It didnt stop my baby from rolling, it did keep her warm durng all that rolling bc loose blanket comes off, plus suffocation hazard :)
- ning

Rolling around in the crib

Last night was NJ's first night in the crib without being swaddled. (He was starting to roll around swaddled and was getting stuck against the rails) He just kept rolling around and around running into the rails and just riling himself up and not sleeping. At firs the was playing, then he got frustrated. Any suggestions as to how to keep him still? Or is this just a phase? He knows how to suck his thumb but hasn't figured out how to use it to soothe himself. He doesn't have a lovey but I'm trying to get him to "adopt" one.