13 months - wakes every 45 minutes - when will this stop????

[shilpa]

Hi all,
My LO is 13 months. She has one long nap during the day in the afternoon, for 1 and 1/2 hours to 2 and 1/4 (more recently 1 and 1/2 hours). Thing is, that she wakes up after 45 minutes, cries or yells out and then goes back to sleep. Shes up for a few minutes between the sleep cycles. She also does this at night time when I thought she would be in a deep sleep. She can be up for an hour before going back to sleep, not crying or anything, just being awake.  She has also woken up crying at about 5.00am for the last two nights and both times, it took me 2 hours to put her back to sleep (for 45 minutes, then she was up for the day).  I have tried PU/PD when she wakes but she just sits in her cot crying 'mummy, mummy' and I cave in after 20 minutes.

I am confused as she doesn't really show any sleepy signs (no whining, ear pulling or anything) so I put her down at the same time everyday for her nap and bedtime.

When will she stop waking at the transition points? Why is she staying up for so long between her sleep cycles?

Her routine is:
7.00-7.45 wake up
8.00 - 8.15 breakfast + bottle
12.00 - 12.15 lunch
1.45 nap (with bottle but I am trying to cut this out and give it her when she wakes up)
3.30 - 4.00 wake from nap
5.30 dinner
7.15 bath
8.00 bedtime (with bottle)

Pretty sure shes getting enough to eat so don't think thats the problem. Milestone wise shes been walking a while and talking too.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Shilpa

[mari]

How long has she been on 1 nap and how does she go to sleep at night time?  Do you stay with her or does she pu herself to sleep and does she go to sleep on the bottle?

[Layla]

Shilpa, I think it might have to do with the timing of the nap. If your lo has gone to 1 nap, you'll need to bring that nap forward to 12/12.30 pm. Otherwise she is awake for more than 6.5 hrs, which is alot for 13mo. The average A time from wakeup to nap is 5.5 hrs and then the same from nap to bedtime. Nightwakings can also be from overtiredness.


HTH
Layla

[yaya]

Hi there! I just wanted to say that my DS went thru exactly the same thing at this age. My ped said to me that when babies are teething they r often awake for hrs at night even though they r not crying. Sure enough DS popped out 2 molars after all this!! Have u tried giving some pain med? Also is she falling asleep indep? this can be a huge factor. Hang in there, it will get better

[shilpa]

Thanks guys,

Yep she is teething - top and bottom molars at once! She used to fall asleep independently (after her bottle I just put her in the cot and leave the room and she would suck her thumb and go to bed), but the last 10 days or so, she goes all rigid and says 'no' and 'open' (points to the door) when I try and put her horizontally in her cot (or even hold her horizontally)! She only does this for her nap. At bedtime she is fine.

Shes been on 1 nap for about 3 weeks now (after a month of trying to figure out the 2-1 nap transition!).

I really want to move her afternoon nap forward but she just won't sleep before 1.45 - I will try and bring it forwards every day. Her lunch seems to re-energise her and sleep is the last thing on her mind.

Any tips for getting her to sleep independently again?

And I give her bonjela (teething gel) before bed. Calpol if she has a fever.

Thanks
Shilpa