Awake time, 4.5 month old, please help.

[JulieNG]

I cannot find the right amount of time for my touchy/textbook DS. He is generally happy all the time, but I cannot figure out the perfect window for him to fall asleep. Usually he wakes around 7-7:30 and I put him down an hour after that. Sometimes it takes him 1 hour of babbling to fall asleep in his crib. So you'd think he needs more wake time, but when I try that it takes even longer. Then the second nap I've tried, 1 hour, 1.25, 1.5, 2 hours and so far no luck with anything.

Today he woke at 4:45 for bottle, went back to sleep till 7
7 bottle
8:10 tried for a nap and he didn't end up falling asleep until 10:00 when we left the house. He fussed in bed till 9:30 when I got him up to get dressed and change diaper b/c I knew we were leaving at 10. Then he slept in carseat from 10-11 and again from 12:30-1:15 (we were at the mall today). Then he appeared tired at 2:25 and I've been trying to get him to sleep ever since (it's now 4:00). He was in crib for one hour, then it was time for another feeding at 3:30, so I fed him and I just don't know what do do anymore. It's like this everyday. Please help. Would your initial response be more A time or less?

[Aly Mac]

Here is the link to A times for you:

Average A times

Of course with touchy, it makes it hard to get just the right time.  The first A time in the day is always the shortest of the two, but should be the easiest for a nap.  I would try at around an 1.hr 20, and if a good nap then 1.30.45 for the rest.if it's a short nap, then try again 1hr later.  One thing though, this wont' happen overnight. it will take a few days for it to work, so try and be consistent. what windown routine do you have?

[gpmom]

My dd always acted sooooo tired in the am.  Iput hr down an hour after she woke because all the cues were there.  She was tricking me.  I took someones advice and extended her A time and she was cranky for the first bit I would have to hold her but whenI put her down she would sleep for 2 hours.  I always wake Daisy at 7 (so we can go to bed at 7) and she now goes down at 910.  I thought it was a crazy thing to do, ignor her and keep her up but it worked. I would try it gradually.  Good luck

[JulieNG]

Thanks for your advice. My winddown is usually go into his room, change diaper, turn off the lights, he has a winnie the poo musical thing in crib and I turn it on and I rock him for a bit and read a book. Then I put him in the crib awake and he will just babble forever. Sometimes one hour. Sometimes he really starts to cry hard after 45 minutes, but there have been many times where he has been in crib for over an hour and I usually end up taking him out and feeding him because it's that time already. Then I'll either put him back in crib b/c he fell asleep w/ bottle, or I'll keep him up for a bit and we'll try again, still with no success. Then i'll have to leave in the car with him to get him to sleep. This was not always the case. He could fall asleep on his own for naps for a good month, then all the sudden this is happening. I've tried longer A times and it seems that makes him so overtired. With the short A times I always think he is tired, but then he'll babble for an hour or so.

[JulieNG]

One more thing, when you say 1.20 minutes or 30 of A time, does this mean start the windown routine at that time, or it should be complete and they should be in there crib? Maybe that is where I'm going wrong. How long should windown last?

[JulieNG]

I just thought of one more thing...if he wakes at 6:45am and I don't get him out of bed till 7, do I count that time he was babbling in his crib for 15 minutes as A time?? Sorry for all the questions!

[Aly Mac]

A time is any awake time at all - so if he wakes at 6,45 but out at 7, that's counted, as is windown.  the lenght of windown really depends on the bub. sometimes with touchy, they don't like a lot, others like a lot.  you just need to be consistent and see what works best.