16.5 mth old EW's & possibly OT

[Rara27]

Hi everyone

MY DD has always been a good sleeper since we started BW at 8 weeks old, sleeping from 6.45 to between 7-8 am & waking happy. But for the past 8 weeks she has been waking earlier than normal & waking really unhappy & crying. For the first 2 weeks it was anytime from 3-30 onwards but for the last 6 weeks it's normally from 5.30 - we've taken to sleeping on her floor when she wakes because l am very reluctant to get her out of her cot!

l think it all started because of milestones & teething but now l'm wondering if it's just a habit she has herself in & how do we get out of it??

Before the milestones her afternoon nap was 2.5hrs - 3hrs long, then 1.5hrs & now she seems to have settled into 2 hours  - going down at 1pm.

ln January l started working 2 days a week, l'm a nanny & take DD with me & MIL has her for 1 day, & as l said earlier these EW's & short naps didn't start until about 8 weeks ago. But being back at work does mean her routine is very disrupted.

At the beginning of the year her EASY was

7-8 - wake
1-3.30 - nap
6.45 - bed

Now it is

5.30ish - wake
1-3 - nap
7-7.30 - bed. Depending on if we've been working etc

Looking at her EAS now l realise her day might be too long but another pair of eyes to give some advice would be gratefully received!


Thank you xxx

[~inbalance~]

Her day is long but I think her routine is good and personally I don't think it's a routine issue, though someone else might see something otherwise.  The only thing I might suggest is moving her nap earlier and waking her earlier, say 12:30-2:30, if you can so she has more A time before bed.  Perhaps she is a tad UT at bedtime which is why she is waking earlier.

Is she teething at the moment?

I think that given she has slept so well for so long, this is probably just a temporary blip that will pass once you figure out what is going on, or even on it's own. 

[Rara27]

Thanks for replying, Martina.

She was teething when this started 8/9 weeks ago but don't think she is now, she's not showing any signs or pains.

True to form the day after l wrote this thread she started to sleep longer at her afternoon nap & her EW's have slowly got near to 7am, which is lovely!!

Thanks again xxx

[Rara27]

l forgot to ask - occasionally l have to shh/pat DD, is she, at nearly 17 months, too old for this now? l saw something about WI/WO, walk in/walk out??, should l be doing this more now? Thanks xxx

[~inbalance~]

Ssh/pat is generally a technique for young babies and tends to overstimulate older babies or toddlers.  But that's not to say you can't use it, if it works then by all means keep doing it.  Wiwo is a technique that we suggest to help get toddlers' sleep back on track.  You can use that as well, if it is appropriate to your situation.  You might find you end up doing a bit of both - ssh/pat to calm her in her crib, but then wiwo returning as necessary to resettle.