How to respond to the first NW?

[deep]

My lo STTN for 1-2 weeks and then starts waking up at night. I think he gets in a UT/OT loop. And we have to do WI/WO a lot. I thought maybe I am responding to his first wakeups wrong. I always suspect that something is wrong and try to comfort him by patting and going into his crib. Should I start doing WI/WO immediately even though he is OT?

Thanks

[*Becky*]

Hi there, ok well if I knew DS was not ill or teething I would start the wiwo but it will def work better if his routine is on the right track. If you post we can take a look bx

[deep]

Hi again,

We are in a transition right now. So I will write our old routine and the problems.

He was waking up around 6-6:30 am
Nap from 12pm to 1:15-2:15 pm
Bedtime 7:15-7:45 minutes.

He naps well at daycare but not at home. So he was doing 1.5 hrs nap and 10.5 hrs at night.

He sleeps fine for 2 weeks like this and then he starts waking up at night 1-3 times. I always thought he was OT and tried to put him to sleep earlier. But this last week he just wouldn't go to sleep early. I tried every accidental parenting. Also I noticed that he was not tired or sleepy.

So now I think that he needs less sleep at night. He was never a good napper and after he started daycare he started napping better. So I know he is not that tired at bedtime.

Now I am worried that this theory might be wrong and he might get in a OT loop. Still I am wondering if he is OT and if he wakes up at night should I start WI/WO after checking with him first.

Thanks for your help. I know my son has low sleep needs and I am worried that I am trying to keep him in bed too much.

[*Becky*]

how old is he?

[deep]

19.5 months.

[babybarr]

When is wakes first in the night what is he like?  Does he cry / chat or whinge?

If he's low sleep needs you may find that you need to give him a shorter nap than you think.

[deep]

Yes he cries hard. Also he goes to daycare and naps more than usual there and I have no control over it. And I actually prefer him sleeping less at night so that we can spend more time together. Right now we are working on bedtime 8-8:30 pm (depending on the nap) and wakeup 6-6:30 am. He used to sleep a half hour more but lately he wants to go to sleep later. I am worried that he will be OT but he gets in a cycle of sleeping well and more and then early wake ups and OT and NWs. I am tired of doing WI/WO and hearing him to cry. I wish I could figure this out. He has a routine and I am very careful about him not getting OT and yet this still happens every couple of weeks.

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate your input.

Best.

[babybarr]

I think that the A time between end of nap and bedtime is too long.  We have about 5.5hrs top between nap and bed (granted DS does nap a little less)  I wonder what would happen if you did a marginally earlier bedtime and got them to wake him after 1.5hrs at daycare.

Maybe something like
wake 6-6.30am
nap 12/12.30 for 1.5hrs
Bed 7.15/7.30

What do you think?

[deep]

Hi,

That is our old routine. It would work for 2 weeks and than he would start NWs. So I know I need to change something. I don't think the daycare will like the idea of waking him up after 1.5 hrs especially if he is moody afterwards. Also he usually sleeps for 1.5 hrs anyways. I just think that he needs less sleep at night. Are there 20 month old los that can handle more than 6 hrs A time?

Thank you very much for your input.

[babybarr]

I think if he is crying when he wakes in the night then I think he's probably not getting enough sleep / too long A time in the day.  I wonder if it'd be worth going back to the old routine for a day or to to catch him up and then try again with you rnew routine - BUT maybe push the nap back a bit so there is less A time before bed.

Has he got all his teeth?  I know canines are a nightmare to come through.  Have you tried meds before bed and does that make a difference?

[deep]

Yes his canines are coming. I will give him motrin tonight. Also he slept all night last night from 8:15 pm to 6:00 am. He had a 2 hour nap. His nap time is fixed at daycare. That is the only thing that I can not change. I am trying to figure this around it. It is okay for me if he wakes up early in the morning so he has more A time before nap and than less A time after nap.

He just doesn't go to sleep early anymore even if I put him to bed early. He just says "No sleep". And cries for us to go get him. It is not the tired cry. It is the I am mad cry.

But last night he was tired around bedtime and he didn't complain.

Hopefully, he won't go in an OT cycle.

Thanks for your help. I am so grateful for this board and the moms who spend their valuable time to help us.

[babybarr]

It sounds like something worked then!!

I definitely think at this age - from experience - they need less sleep than we think and that the OT cycle thing *tends* to be less of an issue and they cope with it better. 

Let us know what happens tomorrow to see if we can see a pattern.

[deep]

Hi again, I just wanted to let you know how last night went. He had a nap from 12pm to 2 pm at daycare. Then we went to his room after bath at 7:30 pm and it took him until 8:45 pm to fall asleep. So that is 6 hrs 45 mins of A time after the nap. He didn't fuss though.

He woke up at 3:30 am and cried. I did WI/WO two times and he drank from his sippy in his bed and went to sleep. He might be going through a growth spurt because he is eating a lot lately.

I will still try to put him down around 6 hr A time but I will let him slown down if he needs more A time.

I just want to say that being able to share this with you makes me feel better.

Thank you.