DD on a nap strike!

[claires mum]

If there are bad nights or bad day naps, I tend to reduce the A time by 20 minutes and try to extend the next nap.  If you can't catch up the lost sleep...then EARLY to bed.  You need to eliminate the OTness before it build up too much.

Good luck!

[~Mama Bug~]

Well we've had some improvements and some setbacks.  She now goes to bed at 8pm, give or take 15-30 minutes depending on when she takes her last nap, and starts her day at 8am. It's quite nice. Except that she is wide awake for up to two hours sometime in the night. Usually around 3 or 4 am. I've tried everything I know to deal with this NW and nothing is working!

She has relented on the nap strike though. That's another improvement. I had to extend her A times to 2.45minutes and then she started napping again for over an hour each time.

Anyway, that's the update, if you have any advice on ridding her of that 2 hour NW I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!
~Kristen

[claires mum]

What is she like when she wakes at 3....crying/hungry?  Do you feed her back to sleep at this point?

If it's not hunger related..then I'm thinking that she might need more daytime sleep.  You would be aiming for 2*1.5 hour naps + catnap in the late afternoon.  Can you post your *new* routine for me and we'll see if we need to tweak it a little more.

Well done..you are making progress!

[~Mama Bug~]

We have two routines depending on how long she stays up for her first A time.

The first routine is generally what happens after the 1-2 hour NWs.
The second routine is when she gets more sleep at night. Obviously she needs the sleep to make it 2.45 hours for her first A time which sets the bar for the rest of the day.

E  8am                                  E  8am
A 8-10:15                             A 8 – 10:45
S  10:15 – 11                         S  10:45 – 12:15

A  11 – 12                              E  12:15
E   12                                   A  12:15 - 3
A  12 – 1:45                           S   3 – 4:30
S  1:45 – 3:15     
                                           E 4:30
A  3:15 – 4                            A 4:30 – 7:30
E  4                                      7:30 – bath/bedtime routine
A  4:15 - ?                             8pm – Bedtime
7:30 – bath/bedtime routine
8pm - Bedtime


This is where it gets tricky, if I give her even a catnap at 5:30 she won’t go to bed easily.  She also won’t take a catnap before 5:30. But that means she’s awake for 3.5 hours before bed, she doesn't fuss or yawn or anything during that time but I still wonder if shes not OT. 

If her A times aren’t 2.45hrs then she won’t take a good nap.

When she wakes up at night it can go either way. Sometimes she wakes up crying, then once fed will play in crib for 1-2 hours but has to have someone in there with her every couple minutes. Other times she wakes up and plays until she gets tired or wants to eat I think, then she'll cry until someone soothes her.

I'm so tired and frustrated with it all that at night I get pretty close to going back to AP!

Thanks for any help,

~Kristen
P.S. I'm sorry if this doesn't post right. I copied it from Word and I"m not sure the columns will remain straight

[claires mum]

Thanks Kristen..that's great information.  This is what I would suggest: 

1) keep the morning A time limited to 2 hours
2) keep all remaining A times limited to 2.5 hours
3) try to get 2*1.5 hour naps + catnap during the day
4) keep the bedtime at 12 or 12.5 hours after wake up (so 8-8 or 8-8.30...which you are doing)
5) if she doesn't take a 1.5 hour nap..then cut the next A time by 15-20 minutes and try to extend the next nap.  If you can't make up the lost sleep during the day..then it's early to bed.

Now I know what you're probably thinking...that's nice but I've already explained that she won't sleep unless she has 2.45 hours A time and she doesn't take a catnap easily.  My gut feeling is that she's having too much A time during the day and is a bit overstimulated.... I could easily be wrong.  Do you think you could try a 2 hour A time in the am...sometimes this is the easiest nap to achieve with a shorter A time and see if it shifts your day in a more positive way?

[~Mama Bug~]

You're too funny

Right now we're struggling with OT. She's not been eating well lately and I think it's been affecting her overall sleep. I'm trying to get her to bed whever she yawns which is sometimes after being awake only an hour. Sometimes she sleeps 30 minutes other 1.5 hours, it's totally random but I think it's all due to OT. Once she's caught up on her sleep I'm going to try for what you suggested. One question, if she doesn't take two 1.5 hours naps should I try for three or four 45 minute naps? It screws up the routine but maybe she won't get so OT?

So hard to think straight when tired!

Thanks for all your help, it keeps me going!

[claires mum]

You're doing everything right....good on you for following the sleep cues.  That's the best way to reduce OTness.  Some babies just love the 45 minute naps...it's no big deal if that's the way she is.  You're correct..if she doesn't take 1.5 hour naps...then substitute with 2*45 minute naps.  The way I look at it is that each baby has a total number of hours they need to sleep in a day/night...so you try and fit in the naps based on cues/routine to meet that need.  Some have a high/medium/low sleep requirement so don't stress out if she's not living up to your *sleep* expectations. 

Let me know how you get on.  I think you're doing great.

[~Mama Bug~]

We're doing better. Night times are wonderfully better. Still working on napping though. She's been going to bed at 8 and waking up at 7 so I need to figure out a routine for a 13 hour day. I'm heading over to the EASY Forum to see what kind of routines others have come up with who have the same issue.

[claires mum]

It sounds like the routine you have is actually working well..STTN is a great outcome!!  Well done.