15 mo really early wakes and wonky naps, any advice?!?!

[dancingbear]

Hello!

haven't needed to post on here for ages as things were going pretty smoothly. For the last few months Millie has been waking at 6-6.30 which i can cope with! Then nap 1 at 9-9.30 for 40-60 mins then nap 2 at 1.30-2.00 for 1-1.5 hrs and bedtime at 7pm. She goes to sleep independently for naps and bedtime. She has been teething on and off for the last month (molars, eeeek!) so we've had some nigth wakes and sleep hiccups (few buggy naps), but generally its been okay. This last week however she is waking at 5, 5.30 or even 4.30 one day - aaagh!! I always leave her for a bit but she's not resettling. This morning was 5am and when i did get her up she promptly fell back asleep on top of me in the lounge for 40 mins -   . Her naps seem to be getting longer in the morning and shorter in the afternoon too. An average day over the last week is starting to look like this:

5.30am wake
9.00am nap - 1 - 1.5 hrs
12.00 lunch
1.30 nap - 40-45 mins
5.00 tea
6.30 bath then bottle of milk and bed and asleep by 7pm

Getting up in the pitch black with a grumpy baby at 5am is not fun!! Do you think that she's ready to start dropping the morning nap? Should i cut it short? Is it just teething??

Waaah! Any help appreciated before i have to start sleep training myself (was so pooped last night that i couldn't sleep)!!!

emma xxx

[debo620]

I would say definately cut the am nap a bit!

I have been there with those early wakes, this is what we did,

I would pick 9:30am as an am nap and let it run for 30min--so until 10am
next nap at 12:30, my son usually fell asleep by 1pm---and then slept til 2:30 or so.
bed at 6:30, asleep no later then 7

he did start sleeping until 6 or 6:30 once we started this.

[elmarie]

I think she is ready for the 2-1 switch.  Like pp said I will also start cutting the am nap as to extend the pm nap.  I will do am nap 3-3 1/2h A and wake her after 1h and then cutting it with 15min increments every 3-4 days.  Put her down 2-2 1/2h A down for pm nap to prevent OT.  Once you are down to 10-15 min start by putting her down for  1 nap at around 11ish if she wakes at 6amShe will not be rested from a 30-45min nap.  Put her then down for the evening 3-3 1/2h A after pm nap.  this may mean an early bedtime but this will only be until the routine has settled 

[dancingbear]

Thanks

I will start by cutting down the am nap a bit. think i have maybe had too long a time beifre the pm nap then, its usually 3-3.5 hrs, so maybe thats not helping. Although typically her teething has gone into overdrive now, she had a temp yesterday evening and was awfully grumpy. She woke at 9.30pm but settled quickly. Woke at 4.15 fully screaming, so i got her out of bed and gave her some nurofen and some milk (very non-regular occurence!!) but she was clearly suffering. She took a couple of ounces then i put her back in bed and she slept til 6.30.

Will wait til she's settled a bit beofre i change things too much.

One question for elmarie - if i put her down 3-3.5 hrs after the one nap (when we get there) wouldn't that be crazy early. Like if she slept from 11-12.30 for example then surely 4pm is far too early for bed??

thanks

emma x

[elmarie]

hopefully the  1 nap will eventually be 2-2 1/2h and remember the 11 will be pushed to around 12 eventually.  Also the 3-3 1/2h is for when she is still doing 2 naps .  So if you put her down at 9am and wake initially 1h (and then 45min,30min ect) later the next nap will be say 2 1/2 h later at 12pm.  She should be doing a longer nap of 1 1/2-2h then because she will not be totally rested from am nap so she should be waking around 2-2.30.  Once you are one 1 nap you are going to stretch the A time to eventually 5-5 1/2h. ....

[dancingbear]

ahah! thanks that makes more sense now. think my brain has been scrambled by having a hot grumpy baby clamped to me all day! All sleep patterns have gone soooo out the window today but never mind.....

emma x

[elmarie]

Emma, just keep going.  The switch is such a mine field and takes ages to settle.  Just when you think they have settled into the new routine, naps and nights can still go hey wire, but it does settle down.  Go with the flow and try to stay relaxed, it will get better  {{hugs}}