Hitting milestones.....short naps?

[bneydgrl]

I hear that milestones can affect nighttime sleep - early waking, night waking.  What about regressing to shorter naps? 

For about 3 weeks (after dropping the third nap) Ella was doing well for about 2-2.5 hrs worth of naps at about 10 and 2 and bedtime at 7 (waking about 6:30).  Then we were on a trip and she still did the two naps for about five days.  Then on Sat she did 2 x 30 min naps.  Fought back with an early bedtime (6 v 7).  Next day was in the car coming home.  Yesterday and today workmen were in the house but the noise level wasn't anything real special and she did 1x 30 min and then 1 x 1.5 - bedtime at 7.  Today she's back to 2 x30 min and I guess we'll go for the early bedtime again.   

Nothing changed as far as A time or whatever....just came out of the blue.  She just cut her first two teeth and saw her getting her legs into motion when she'd been commando crawling/pulling forabout a week.  Now she's really getting on the go although not up on all fours.

Any words of wisdom?  The girl loves her nighttime sleep thank goodness but naps seem to be where she's vulnerable to disturbances....

Thanks!

[Mom to M&M]

Developmental milestones can definitely lead to short naps - we went through this when DD learned to roll and also to crawl. Teething can also be a factor. Try to give her as much practice commando crawling during A times as possible. Also, what are her current A times? My DD is 2 weeks older and we currently do A times of 3 hours in am, 3.25-3.5 in pm and same before bed.

[bneydgrl]

She does 3-3.5 in the morning.  Then three before second nap and four before bedtime.

Put her down at 6 p last night...woke at 15 til 7  .  She seemed a bit better today but we'll see how the day progresses.

Thanks for your input.  Nice to know we're not the only ones who go through this!

[Mom to M&M]

I might limit first A time to 3 hours and try to push her to at least 3.25 hours for second A time. Also, how long are the naps?

[bneydgrl]

Her naps are usually about an hour to an hour fifteen.  Anytime I've gone longer than 3 hrs for the second nap she's short napped me .  Contrary to what's normal she seems to handle a longer stretch before the first nap (if she wakes early for example) then trying to stretch her to her second.   I'm tryingt o aim for set naps at about 10 and 2 -- putting her down about 10-15 min before so she has plenty of time to fall asleep when she's tired instead of me trying to guess when she's tired (b/c i don't do so well at that). 

[Lola]

Hope its okay for me to jump in but maybe that's what i'm going thru with M. She is 8 months and has been commando crawling for about 3 weeks now. She got her two teeth in February maybe is teething with top two? Im at a loss. ..
WE are all nap messed up too...our bed time is a mess bc dd thinks she is supposed to wake about 1.5hours after going to sleep just fine! I've got posts in other places, I'm not sure I've found the right answer or help yet. She's just lost her pm nap completely today So I think today is a write-off. Thanks for the vent...glad missy M isn't the only one alone

[Mom to M&M]

Rebecca - set naps work well - just keep in mind that you may need to adjust by 15 minutes on either side depending on quality of night sleep and first nap. If those A times work for your DD, go with them - I would expect that things will settle down soon - give her lots of practice time during A and it may pass more quickly!

Lola - what is your current routine?

[Rubycino]

Hi Karren

Sorry to be jumping in but i too think i am facing the same issue. Ruby has lernt to crawl this week and is on daytime sleep strike! This is day 4 where she has refused to sleep and i am not sure how to fix it as she is very strong willed and refuses even with PU/PD which the other day she did not calm instead vomited. I was wondering what your routine was as i am thinking i may need to change Ruby's nap times from 3 to two but not sure where to start with this.

Thanks
Amy

[Mom to M&M]

How old is Ruby? Marisa is 9 months today (!) and we currently do this - give or take 15-20 minutes on either side:

Wake: 6:45
Feed: 7am - Bottle
Feed: 8:30 - Solids
Nap: 9:45-11:15
Feed: 11:45/12 - Bottle
Feed: 2pm - Bottle (She's not on lunch meal yet so we split her lunch bottle into 2 4-6 ounce parts)
Nap: 2:45-4:30
Feed: 5pm - Solids
Feed: 7:30pm Bottle
Bedtime: 7:45/7:50

[Rubycino]

Hi Karen

Thanks for that, Ruby will be 6 months next week. I have been looking around tonight at the different routines and i think after today where she had no sleep until 5pm in the car that i need to adjust her routine. I think i may extend her A time and try from there as she is on absolute refusal of the cot at the moment which 1 week ago she was going in for naps by herself and no settling and lasting 2-3 hours all i can think of is that she can start to crawl, can roll both ways and maybe teeth?

I had introduced solids but this had a knock on effect of her refusing the 7pm bottle. So as of yesterday i have gone back to just breakfast and will gradually reintroduce over the next few weeks.

I was thinking of trying the following:

E 7am
A
E 8:30
S 9:30

E 11
A
E 12:30
S 1.00/1.30ish

E 3
A
S 4.30 cat nap

E 6.00
A Bath etc
E 7pm

DF 10pm

[Lola]

Hi Ya, thanks for the reply...Madelaine's routine (as such is as follows: OUR problem is that she (angel/textbook) was doing really well until a week ago. I put her down for bed and she goes to sleep right away (I do nothing-she goes on her own). BUT she wakes after being asleep for only an hour to an hour and a half. Then I do pu/pd for lately,last night again TWO hours. I'm not sure it helps at all bc i think she would go on her own eventually. She doesn't really cry, just plays and sits up and crawls around. I do the pd part of pu/pd but nothing works. She thinks everything is a game. As I said, she was going down at 7pm but I thought I was missing a sleep cue (ie overtired) so I backed it up. It's not helping. I have NOOOO idea what to do. last night in tears
Wake:    6:30
Eat:       7:00
A:         
S:          9:00-9:30 (lately early bc she isn't getting enough at night) until 10:30-11:00

E:         12:00
A:
S:         1:30 until 2;30-3:00

E:         4:30-5:30 (depending when I get home from work)
A:
S:         6:30 (backed her up bc I thought I was missing her sleep window and she was getting overtired).

 

[Mom to M&M]

Sounds like a good plan for Ruby - let us know how it goes.

Losa - when she wakes up at night is she crying out for you? If she's playing and crawling around what happens if you just leave her be unless she starts to get upset?

At 8 months, she really should be able to handle closer to 3 hours A time. If she's waking at 6:30, I would hold out that first nap until as close to 9:30 as possible. If you allow her to sleep early to make up for not sleeping at night she has no incentive to change her ways with that, KWIM? So maybe try this:

Wake: 6:30
Eat: 7:30
Sleep: 9:30-11
Eat: 11:30/12
Sleep: 2-3:30/4
Eat: 4
Eat: 7
Sleep

[Lola]

Hi marisa Mom..No she doesn't cry (not usually-she did last night a bit-was getting really frustrated). I usually do leave her alone but the last few nights she just plays. She will play for two hours! This A time is where I might be getting confused. She has an am nap usually between 9-30 and you are right, I usually do aim for 9:30-9:45 or so. I did that this morning and she is still down-it's 11:20 
She never sleeps that long but this week at night she has been losing lots of hours. So then, I am confused about the Eat at 4pm and Eat at 7pm ?? What about the afternoon nap because she usually only goes for an hour or so from about 1:30 or 2:00 until 2:30 or 3:00 depending if I extend that A time to 3 hours. By the time 3 hours is up, she is usually pretty zonked. I was afraid of letting her get over-tired so i was going with the 2.5 hours. If I put her down at 7 again (which i was doing before this hubbub) she will be going from 3-7pm. I was worried she was getting overtired which is why she was waking an hour after i put her down? So then i pushed her bedtime back to 6:30 ish. Gosh this is confusing. Drops dead off to sleep right away..just the waking an hour adn a half after putting her down I don't get.
Do you think she isn't tired enough? Is that why you suggested moving her bedtime to 7pm?
is brekkie a real issue cuz I have to leave the house by 7:30 (I bring her to work with me so I feed her at home before I go)

[Rubycino]

Hi Lola

Sounds like you are having similar issues. It is so hard to determine if to extend or shorted naps sometimes! I have just left Ruby in her cot since 3.30pm as she has been awake since 1.20pm. She has been playing in there happily for the last half hour and this confuses me as do you count this half hour as part of their sleep time or not? Also since she is not crying and laying under her blankets i dont want to try and pat-shush or PU/PD etc as this is likely to get her more upset than laying quitely by herself.

Today we managed to start off on a good foot, Ruby woke at 7am after i went in there and woke her (no 5am wake or feed!). She had a full bottle and headed off to our first swimming class at 9am. We were home by 9.45am and she was dead to the world in the car, managed to transport her to the cot and she slept a full 45 min there. She also went down this afternoon for her nap at 12.45pm and then woke at 1.30 happy as larry which is a start considering what we have been facing. I went in there to put her to sleep and she just chatted for a few minutes and then went to sleep. Maybe we are on a new path and that 3 hr actibity is ok for 6 months.

[Lola]

Sounds like a good start. Seems like such a long time for your LO to be awake though. Funny how all babes are so different.
We are just putting Madelaine down to the 3 hour activity time starting last week with BW's advice. Last night was the first night she went down at 7pm and didn't wake to play an hour and a half later. On Sunday night after going to sleep right away at 7pm she woke at 8:30 and played until 10:30... She's nuts
So I've been putting her down after 3 hr activity adn waking her after 1.5 hours of nap time. Seems to be working.
Will keep fingers crossed for us all