EW ADVICE

[Nauvoo]

LO is 14months and has been on 1 nap running on a month now.  We did W2S to get a 2 hour nap our of her.  She slept 2hr15min for a nap 3 days ago.  Went to bed at 7:30pm and woke at 5:45am.  over the last 2 days this waking has gotten earlier and earlier (5:30am this morning) and I'm positive it will just keep going.  We used to have issues with crib parties at 1am in the morning but it seemed to have just moved itself later and became and EW.  She is only getting 10hr nights so I assume she's overtired.  Everyone I talk to says to just keep her up another hour (she currently goes to bed at 7pm) and she'll sleep later.  Which I agree but we will still get 10hr nights from my LO who is usually a great 12hr sleeper.  I'm having a hard time getting the right length of nap down also.  I'm not sure what is the right length for a good 12 hr night, if there is such a thing.  And I'm not sure how to get our of this OT business.  I'm also not sure what kind of A time I need after a nap.  I know this is all trial and error but I need someone to help me figure it out, if someone so kindly will.  Thanks.
I think the EW's are unbearable!  After waking early I usually leave her in her crib for up to an hour while she cries off and on.  I eventually get up because it becomes a stead cry and not off and on.  She used to put herself back to sleep after an EW and 10hr night but just can't seem to do so anymore.

[anna*]

Sounds like overtired to me, so I would try an earlier bedtime. At this age, a good lunchtime nap will be a good 2.5 or even 3hrs. What time is she going for her nap when she wakes up so early?

[Nauvoo]

well she woke at 5:30am this morning and I put her down at 11:30am for a nap.  Slept 2.5hrs (longest we've ever had in 14 months)and I did 5.5hrs before bed.  I know these A times are long.  I usually do a 11:45am or noon nap time with a 7am wake up but I'm having such a hard time nailing 2nd A time.  I feel like she can go a good bit before bed but this may be making her OT.  I just don't know.  She generally falls asleep within 5 min like tonight was a 7:30pm bedtime.  I've noticed that it is common for her to have a crib party in the middle of the night or do an EW.  But like I said, it's only been a month and I've got some figuring out to do. thanks for the help Anna.

[anna*]

You're welcome! How was last night?

[Nauvoo]

well last night was an 11 hour night and a wake up at 7:30am.  She woke yesterday at 6:15am and took a measly 1 hr nap around noon and because of previous plans didn't go to sleep until 8:30pm. LONG day but she handled it well.  Today she took a 2hr20min nap and is now in bed at 8:15pm, not quiet asleep but I expect it to be soon.  I'm anxious to see what the night holds and what kind of a wake up we'll get.

[Nauvoo]

Night went well and we had a 7:15am wake up   But a 1hr 15min nap  today?  If only I could get good wake ups and good naps
I suppose I'll  get back when we have an EW which very well could be tomorrow. She was asleep by 7:15pm tonight and I expect maybe OT so we all know what that means.

[Kay Dee]

Hiya, it could be that she's a lower sleep needs bub and after the good nap and good night she was all caught up and only needed a short nap today IYKWIM. It might be worth keeping a log of her nights and naps for a few days and see how much sleep she averages in 24hrs. That way you'd get a good picture of what nap lengths she needs. Then if she has a longer than average nap and night you'll know to expect a shorter one the next day.

Hope that makes some kind of sense!

xx

[Nauvoo]

KDee, thanks tons.  I have been keeping a very good sleep log over the past few months but for some reason it never occurred to me to average out the whole day's sleep.  So far I've just been paying attention to length of days and A times.  I'm right on it though.
She did have a great wake up this morning and an 11.5hr night after just a 1hr nap yesterday.  I was advised on another post to lengthen out her A time, so here goes.  I feel like, in the future, we will be dropping the nap altogether way sooner than I had hoped if we are already having to increase A times.  We haven't been on 1 nap for very long.  Is it possible that increases in A times correspond with growth spurts?  I know you'd think the other way around but I think we are hitting a growth spurt because my LO is CHOWING DOWN like she never has before, asking for food which she never does.

[Kay Dee]

Growth spurts can affect them in all sorts of ways!

That's great that you had a good night. A 1 hr nap might be all she needs to get a long night like that.

Best of luck!

[*Becky*]

Just wanted to say that we are also going through this. If DS sleeps 2 hours in the day we get a 10.5ish night but when he sleeps an hour we seem to get quite a bit longer. He is low sleep needs and sounds similar to your lo.
bx

[Tweakster]

I find that low sleep bubs tend to self-regulate their sleep more.  SO you get a long nap shorter night and vice versa.  They just seem to make sure they don't get a lick of more sleep than necessary lol.

[Nauvoo]

Well growth spurt here for sure.  My LO is chowing down like I've never seen and slept 2hr45min today for a nap from which I woke her.  I just wanted to see how long she'd actually sleep and, well, it got to be too much for me.  She's never in her whole 14months taken a nap that long.   I'm very nervous for the night but hope the growth spurt will make it a good one.  I do think she is lower sleep needs but I'm having the hardest time figuring out a routine that will work.  I'm just unsure of how much day sleep she needs after an 11 or 12 hr night.  I find though that with these longer nights and only 1hr naps we work into OT and that's how we get the EW's.  After looking at my sleep log she averages 13-13.5hrs total day sleep.  If less then we get into OT land.