NW straight after bedtime - 6 month old

[mumma2cubs]

Hi guys,

Hoping you can help me out with this one.

I have a 6.5 month old who until 4 nights ago was a dream EASY baby. She is a textbook/angel.

We have had the same routine from day 1 - and nothing changes except her A times when necessary.

I know that her A times are a tad short for her age - but I am getting great day naps, so don't mind.

Anyway, the problem we are having is she will go down like a dream for her bedtime, 1 hour later wakes up and won't settle for another 2 hours. This 2 hours consists of PU/PD and the second I turn to leave her room she cries until I come in and comfort her.

At some point at the 2 hour mark she drops off and only gets me up once during the night for a feed and straight back down (mostly, sometimes she wants an extra cuddle but is pretty good)

SO - below is a very typical EASY for us of late - I wonder if we are battling the beginnings of Separation Anxiety? I did notice while her daytime naps are great, during the day she needs to see me or she gets upset (out of character). Teeth are definitely ready to bust out - but aren't. We manage the extra drooly days with paracetamol and an amber necklace (on always)

E - 7am - Wake, BF and cereal
A - 7.20am
S - 9am

E - 10.30am - Wake, BF and fruit
A - 10.50am
S - 12.45pm

E - 2.30pm - Wake, BF and vegies
A - 2.50am
S - 4.45pm

E - 5.30pm - Wake and BF
A - 5.40pm - Dinner (meat and vegies), bath and wind down
S - 7.30pm

E - 2.30am - BF
S - 2.50am (straight back down)

From 8.30pm or so all hell breaks loose and DD decides she is happy to wake up and have another 2 hours A time...except it's because DD isn't happy with me leaving. Even DH has tried to settle her, but she just wants me....

Any ideas on how to manage this - or does my EASY need tweaking?

[*Ali*]

I know at 6.5mo our A times jumped from 2hrs to 3hrs in a few weeks. We were getting good naps but a few accidental long A's made me realise he was happy to do much longer.
Do you think your DD is ready to increase A time? Maybe she is seeing that 1hr sleep at BT as a nap and waking ready for another A time as she is UT? Have you tried increasing A time lately? Maybe just try it by 15mins or so.
If you think it could be SA have you tried staying in the room with her for a bit but not interacting? Sometimes I just sit away from the cot until DS falls asleep if he is having SA issues.
What do you think?

[mumma2cubs]

I think that sounds good  

I guess I know the A time needs extending, but each time I've tried - even 10 minutes she winds up OT which gives us another issue altogether  

I've just pushed out her first A time 10 minutes - I figured first in the day she is pretty tired so I'll see what that does.

Do you think it's worth going straight to the 3 hours and just dealing with OT for a week or so?

Funny you should mention viewing that BT as a catnap of sorts - that was exactly what I said to DH last night.....so I wonder if it's also time to get rid of that catnap?

To be honest, I haven't tried not holding her and sitting with her but not interacting. I'm a bit of a sucker and don't mind the cuddles. She's a good baby and isn't "needy" as such, but I like that idea - less chance of forming a bad habit!

[*Ali*]

Erm, going straight to 3 hours will probably be too much too soon but having said that it is what we did more or less (albeit by accident we were on holiday and got distracted by timing for meal etc at the hotel). It took about 2 weeks to get a happy balance. DS has always handled big changes quite well. If you do do big leaps make sure you keep her distracted so she isn't just crying for bed for the last bit of A. Something low key like walking around holding her (or carrying in a baby carrier) or sitting reading a book work well for us. Maybe try 2.5hrs first if you do want to try big jumps.
The CN will go once A time is long enough for her to run out of time. You may have to do a few early BTs to stop the OT at the end of the day until A times are long enough. Don't drop the CN if it will mean a long super A before bed as that is a sure route to OT.
I wouldn't just sit there by the cot if DS is crying for me but I find that he stays calm if I am there and then just falls asleep. I use my voice to either whisper lullabies or say reassuring phrases. I always give independent sleep a chance (and it mostly works) but if he cries when I leave the room a few times I try staying in there. Nothing wrong with lots of cuddles but make sure she is falling asleep in the cot so you don't form bad habits as you say.
Good luck.

[sharon31]

Hi

Sorry you are having a difficult time, I know how frustrating it can be!

I agree with one of the previous posts, if you stretch out your A times then the CN will go and you will probably find the NW's will settle down, we went through the same thing with our DS between the age of 6mth-7mths. Around the 6.5mth-7mth age I was aiming for a maximum of 3 hours of naps per day

What do you think?

Good Luck!