17MO DD Need to get back on track...

[nsmum]

Hello,

My husband and I recently went away for 10 days without out DD (who is just 17M). My parents stayed in our house and looked after her, she had an absolute ball and was well looked after BUT she started getting up super early when they were here (between 5 and 5.50am) and this has continued since we got back (2 weeks ago). I ignore her in her cot until after 6am, if she gets up closer to 5am she is UP, even if I ignore her for close to an hour she will not go back to sleep....she has turned into an early morning waker!(she was waking around 6.30am) The other thing I should mention is that we have just transitioned to 1 nap and last week she was sick with an ear infection. I have also heard that once you move to 1 nap that it can take a while for them to settle into a longer sleep - sometimes she only has 1.5 hours (i will leave her for 2), sometimes she has  longer. I also suspect canine teeth are on the way (her molars came down months ago).

Typically our day looks like this (for sleep)

5.45am wake up
11/11.30am sleep (depending on what time she woke up) - min 1.5 hours, sometimes longer -hoping this will become longer once she settles into this new 1 sleep routine)
6/6.30pm bed

She has always been a good sleeper from day one so I'm hoping that she's just transitioning into a new routine but it's stressing me out a bit so I'm hoping for some support/advice on this board. I was so careful in the first year setting up a good sleep routine (which succeeded), but now I feel like all my good work is coming undone!

Thanks

[Layla]

Wow, sounds like there was quiet alot going on.... It looks like she is getting the right amount of sleep (that is, if she's falling asleep at 6.30 and sleeping till 5:30ish and having a 1.5hr nap), so..... I woul suggest that you actually keep her up until 12pm nap time and go for a 7pm bedtime. This should bring her wake up time close to 6-6.30pm and then you can eventually go to 12.30nap time and 7-7.30pm bedtime with a 6.30-7am wake up time. I would do it gradually though (as in, start with 12pm nap & 7pm bedtime for a week to see if her morning wake up changes) and then again in another week do 12.15/12.30nap time with a slightly later bedtime.

Your work is not coming undone. She's not crying at 5 in the morning, she's happy to stay in her cot. You've just to move her day forward a little.

When they transition to 1 nap, it can take a little while before you see 2hr naps.... but then again if she's doing 11hrs at night, 1.5hrs might be all that she needs. The av is 13hrs in total. Isabella went from 1.5hrs (at the start of the transition) to 2hrs and now back to 1.5 . I wouldnt let her sleep more than 2.5hrs cause that could also be robbing her of night sleep and she could be waking early from that as well.

Let me know how it goes
Layla

[nsmum]

Hi Layla,

Thanks for your reply, I felt much better.

Things are improving, she is sleeping for 2 hours min (except for 1.5hrs today - she had a suprise in her nappy), we are getting closer to a 7pm bedtime and she is sleeping just past 6am. I wanted to ask you what your experience has been with eye teeth coming through, is this generally disruptive to toddlers?

Thanks again, will post again if things go pear shaped again.

Justine

[Layla]

Justine, from memory, we did have some early wake ups but it passed... To be honest, Isabella didn't really have many issues with teething... well nothing that sticks with me. I didn't even give her meds... although I do remember her having "cold like" symptoms around that time (runny nose). Jasmine on the other hand has had a fever with every tooth so I think she'll take eye teeth & molars pretty badly.

I am so pleased that she is sleeping in now. 1/2hour in the morning can make all the difference

 

[nsmum]

Hi Again,

Have had a bit of a shocker last week or so. Has had a constant runny nose and really biting into things (I think eye teeth) and sleep has been a bit all over the place. On the weekend she woke after 1 hour and would not go back to sleep but was really irritable and upset. She is also back to 1.5 hours of day sleep more often than 2 hours and sometimes waking up early. Hoping this is the teeth and things will settle down. I just seem to find that if she gets up early that's it, she's up, same with day time sleep - I leave her in her cot but she never goes back to sleep....AAAGHHH the joys of motherhood.