12 Month old used to sleep great- now wakes after 45 min. for nap and nighttime

[jmosery]

My 12 month old suddenly the past 3 days has started to wake after 45 min.

if we go in to sssh/pat he stares at us and does not go to sleep. he thinks its a game

not sure what to do

he is whining now and i dont want to go in because I end up standing there forever

nothing is wrong. he just wakes and starts crying

why?

his routine: been on this for a couple weeks now

6am- 9:30 awake
9:30-12:30 sleep
12:30-6:30 awake
6:30 asleep for the night

he will NOT take an afternoon nap. if he is tired, he'll sleep from 4-4:30 but then he doesn't go down at 6:30

so we've dropped it and he is fine. no signs of tiredness

its been the past 3 days

what to do? go in? i hate that he's crying but sh/pat doesn't work and if i go in and then leave, he really gets hysterical and i feel like we're interupting a sleep mode

[Layla]

Hi there

so we've dropped it and he is fine. no signs of tiredness

Although they may seem fine, he is awake for 6hrs in the pm so if you are dropping the pm nap, I would suggest you push the morning nap towards midday. When they are on 1 nap, they really need to have it in the middle of the day (more or less) so that they are not awake for longer than 5ish hrs (for a 12mo).

Since he has been taking a 45min nap, have you offered him an afternoon nap?

I get the feeling he is very overtired & I would work towards pushing the nap towards 11.30pm. Its not always about how much daytime sleep they are getting. You also need to consider how long they are up for & when that nap is taken. A nap is most restorative when in the middle of the day (if they are down to 1 nap)

hth
Layla

[jmosery]

LAYLA

thank you

he doesn't take 45 min. naps, he wakes after 45 min. and we ssh/pat him back to sleep

but he has been doing this for night sleeps too the past 4 days

he's been on this schedule now for over 3 weeks but these wake ups after 45 min. have occured the past 4 days

all of a sudden

we keep trying to push back the morning nap but he can't go longer right now

if we push it back to 11;30, then he's awake 5.5 hours in the morning and he usually sleeps 2.5-3 hours, so he'd only be up 4 hours in the evening before bed

if we put him down after 4 hours, he wouldn't go to sleep. he would either cry or lay in his crib playing(if we shh/pat him)

if we leave he would get hysterical

do you know what would cause him to suddenly wake after 45 min.

[Layla]

Overtiredness can be cumulative & something you changed 2 weeks ago can take effect now. If his naps av 2.5hrs, then I would be aiming for a nap around 11-1.30/2 & bedtime 7pm. Is he doing 14hrs at the moment? I would probably be waking up at most 2.5hrs to protect bedtime

Have you tried leaving him rather than shh/patting?

Is he showing any signs of teething?

Have you just recently given birth??? Do you think the arrival of a new bub has had an effect on his sleep. Certainly not uncommon & happened here!

[EsMum]

Hi Jaime,

My LO has just turned one and we are also on one nap a day, and I've been going through something similar with her. She started waking at the 30min mark in her naps and at night (as well as NWs, EWs, short naps, hysterical crying...you name it, we've had it!).  I believe it happens from OT, and especially now because the 2-1 switch can be a pretty tough transition.  She did really well for the first couple of weeks but then everything went bottom up.  It looks like things have started settling down again, but now I'm prepared and almost ready for them to mess up again and for this to keep happening at least for the next few months.

Also Ella just had 2 teeth come through in 2 weeks, so I think that may have played a part in messing up her sleep. 

Hope that helps!
Michelle.

[jmosery]

yup

new baby in the house. so could be part of it.

he's got 4 teeth coming in so could be part of it

we tried going back to 2 naps but he was a mess. he does NOT do well with a 45 min. early nap. he's always had a long AM nap

so we were doing a longer AM nap and short cat nap but then he wasn't tired for bed

he WAS waking at 5-5:30 since 4 months old.

since we've gone to 1 nap, he sleeps longer at night

[Layla]

I believe its related to the arrival of the new bub as well as overtiredness from being awake for too long in the pm. I would do my best to push the nap closer to 11. Start by adding 15min increments every 3-4 days. If he wakes at 45min mark, you could do wi/wo or pd (or shh/pt if its working butmake sure he's not being shhed to sleep or you will become a prop. For nightwakings, I would also do wi/wo (or which ever method works best for you) & just ride it out for now. New baby can throw their schedule off so its a matter of him getting used to his sibling. Try to spend one-on=one time with him when the bub is sleeping.

When J was born, Isabella had some terrible night wakings as well. I had to do wi/wo to help her out. I used to stay with her though until she settled & only then leave (but not stayed with her until she was asleep). It takes a few weeks before they get back to their old routine.

Hang in there, it will pass