11 Month old waking 45 minutes after going to sleep

[bella0X0]

Hi there,

For the past couple of months, my 11 month old has been waking up 45 minutes after going to sleep at night, crying and sometimes she seems to be inconsolable. Sometimes if I go in and rock her, she will go back to sleep, other times she seems to want to play.

What could be the cause of this? Is it part of a developmental leap?

Thanks
Bella

[katie80]

Hi Bella, welcome to BW!

It could be part of a developmental leap, but those type of NWs tend to be more in the middle of the night and more just awake rather than lots of crying. And they don't often last a couple months. My guess is that it's either routine related or discomfort. Is she getting any teeth at the moment?  Would you please write out her daytime routine for us to take a look at?

Something like this...
Wake 7am
Nap 1 10:30-12pm
Nap 2 3:30-4:30pm
BT 8pm

Is she an independent sleeper?

[bella0X0]

Hi

She has been teething for what seems forever. I think she is getting her molars because all of her gums are swollen.

The daytime routine is
Walk 7.30am
Nap 1 10:30am
Nap 2 3:30pm
Bedtime 7:30pm-8:00pm

Her naps only last about 30-45 mins!

Sometimes she wants to be held at bedtime!

Thanks for your help.

[katie80]

Ok, it looks like she's in a pretty classic undertired (UT)/overtired (OT) loop right now.  Meaning, the time until her first nap isn't long enough to get a restorative nap (at least 1.5hr), so she short naps and then the next A time is too long and she gets OT and short naps again.  She's quite OT by BT then, as she's only had the two short naps and is waking 45min after being put down (one sleep cycle into her night).

The good thing is at this age, she doesn't need two full naps, as she is at the age where the transition to one nap starts (with the changeover happening somewhere between 12-18mo). Have a read through this link and let me know your thoughts... From 2 to 1 nap transition (10-12m and older)

If you wanted to keep the short morning nap, you just need to pull the afternoon nap earlier.  It might look something like this:
Wake 7:30 am
Nap 1 10:30-11:15am
Nap 2 2:15-3:45/4pm
BT 7:30/8pm

Or, you can start pushing the morning nap later until it gets longer and keep the afternoon nap as a short nap just to get to BT.  That would look something like this:
Wake 7:30am
Nap 1 11:30-1:30pm
Nap 2 5-5:30pm
BT 7:30/8pm

Have you been giving any pain meds for the teething?  Molars can be really tough. 

HTH!

[bella0X0]

Hi Katie80,

I tried both of those routines but she is still doing it.

For her teething, I give her Panadol or if its really bad, I give her Nurofen.

I spoke to the nurse from the baby clinic today and she mentioned that it sounds like separation anxiety.

Thanks for your help.

[katie80]

I tried both of those routines but she is still doing it.

For how long did you stick with each one?  I would pick the one that you think works best for both her and you and stick with it for a good week or two before deciding if it's working or not. 

Does she go to sleep independently?

I spoke to the nurse from the baby clinic today and she mentioned that it sounds like separation anxiety.

It sure could be SA.  She's at a prime age for it, but for it to be happening for a couple months it seems like there's more to it than that.  Here is a link with some good tips on dealing with SA: Tips for seperation anxiety