...what time is bedtime? What does your LO's nap schedule look like?

My kids (8 months) are pretty consistently waking up in the 5:15-5:30am range. This wouldn't be terrible if they were sleeping through the night! But usually I am up 2-3 times nursing one or both of them MOTN. Almost always they have pooped when they wake up after 5. In changing them I pretty much lose all hope of putting them back down, especially if they both are awake and crying. I could hypothetically change them and put them back in their cribs to cry, but I'd rather not start the day like that. I won't let them cry when they wake up at 5ish because I know they've usually pooped.

Anyway, I'm resigning myself to early mornings and a strong cup of coffee. I'm wondering when other early risers go to bed though. My LOs routinely fight their 3rd nap, then only sleep for 30-45 minutes. I think they are ready to go to two naps (and hopefully their naps would lengthen this way), but then they would be ready for bed before 5 pm! Right now they go down around 7:45, 11 am and 3 pm for naps. Bath starts at 6:45 pm and they are usually asleep by 7:15. Dropping the 3 pm nap would mean they would wake up around 12:30ish and not go back down until bedtime. I'm thinking that would put bedtime at 4:30-5ish?

DH is really really against that early of a bedtime because he would only get to spend 20-30 min at most with them after work. However, if this has any chance of improving their night wakings or get them past that 5am wake time, I think he would try it.

Anyone have advice or commiseration? I'd love to know how others deal with the early wake ups!