7 months - Bad naps & early mornings - please help!

[Amelias Mum]

Can any one help? Please?!

My daughter is nearly 7 months and is an extremely 'spirited' baby!

She has always slept really well in the past. She would sleep 1-2 hours for each morning & afternoon nap, then go through the night from 7am to 7pm. This was until about 6 weeks ago (the same time we started weaning). She now sleeps badly at nap times, typically 45 mins am & 60-70 mins pm. No cat nap (tried it and she wouldn't go to sleep at bed time for hours & hours!) I've tried everything to get her back to sleep & on the odd occasion I have succeeded but not often. She is so lively, she thrashes around pulling & hitting at anything she can get her hands on, she thinks it's a great game. She also wakes at either 5:00, or if I'm lucky, 5:30 every morning & will down a 9oz bottle. She then wants to get up (have got her back down a few times but then the routine is in a mess) In fact the routine is hard to do when she wakes this early anyway. She is a very good eater - 2 x 8oz & 2 x 9oz plus 3 meals (each of approx 3 ice cubes worth). She is also slightly under average weight.

She's a really happy girl & she's not often grumpy (unless not getting all your attention!), so am I trying to fix a non existant problem? I just don't want to get up at 5:00 am, aaaaaaargh!

Any idea's gratefully received!

Thanks Rachel.

[M and N's Mom]

It would probably help to see your routine (however it looks).  Early wakings are often the result of being overtired at bedtime and with short naps that might be the culprit.

[Amelias Mum]

It goes something like...

5:00 / 5:30 - wakes up  (try & get back to sleep but wont)
6:00 - 9oz  (downs bottle so obviously hungry)
7:30 - sleep (45min)
10:00 - 8oz followed by solids
11:30 - sleep (30 min)
2:00 - 8oz followed by solids
3:30 - sleep (1hr)
6:00 - solids
6:30 - 9oz
6:45 - Bath
7:00 - Bed

It does vary though depending on if I can get her to nap longer. Sometimes she may nap for 90 min or more but will wake a couple of times during.

Sometimes she may not be able to stay awake long after her first feed of the day so ends up with sleep time being only 30 to 40 min after her feeds. So messing the whole routine up.

Why the change? She was regular as clockwork until 6 weeks ago, 2 hourly naps & 7am wake up.

Any ideas??



 

[M and N's Mom]

I think some of her awake times are too long for 7 months and could be causing overtiredness, which causes short naps, resulting in early wakings.

Looks like the first A time is about 2-2.5h which probably isn't bad.

But then you have a 3.25h awake time, after only a 45 minute nap.  I would think that would be way too long.  I am having trouble figuring out my DS's awake times, but I would think after a short nap you would probably only have about 2-2.5h again.

Then, you have 3.5h before the third nap which again, I would say is too long after a 30 minute nap.

I am definitely not a nap expert (we're having problems of our own ) but I would think that too long A times, and overtiredness are causing your problems.

[momofclaire]

I agree with M&Ns mom.  Your A times are too long for this age.  The first one is good but 2.5 hours is probably the longest I would go for a 7 mo old.  I would try to extend that first nap by using w2s and see if that gets him to sleep longer also. Hope that helps.

[Amelias Mum]

Sorry for the delay in reply my internet keeps going down, in my moment of need too!

Thanks for your advice. I agree but have terrible trouble getting her back to sleep. I can spend an hour doing so & then it's time to get up again!

I also tried w2s yesterday morning. I woke her at 4:15 & it took until after 5 to get her back to sleep. She then woke up at 6:15. So it kind of worked but was a lot of effort for the result. Does it improve if I persevere?
 
Bare with me & my late responses I'll have to use friends PC's.

Thanks Ladies.

[M and N's Mom]

I woke her at 4:15 & it took until after 5 to get her back to sleep. She then woke up at 6:15.

You didn't actually wake her, did you?  Or am I misreading this?  Make sure not to actually wake her, just stir her.  When I have done w2s, I have gone and touched my ds's face, moved an arm, etc. until he stirred a bit, then I hurry out of the room so he doesn't see me.  The idea is to just disrupt their sleep cycle, not actually wake them.

[Amelias Mum]

I did actually wake her! I must have misunderstood the book, oops!

Yesterday afternoon we had to travel quite a distance in the car & she slept for the whole 2 hours I also put her to bed earlier than usual. She slept well until 4:30 am then woke herself, then with only a little help from me got back to sleep after about 30 mins. She then slept until 7:50!!!!!! Yippee.

I will see how she is tonight & if she wakes at 4:30 again I will try w2s the following night (without actually waking her!) And I will try it for extending naps too.

Thanks so much to both of you for your help.

Rachel.

[momofclaire]

Rachel- Not a fun misunderstanding huh?  I have a light sleeper and the first couple of times I tried w2s those eyes popped right open and I thought "Oh my God what have I done, this can't be right!!!"   

Great news on the sleeping. I hope it keeps up.  Good luck