How long can an (almost) 8 month old go?

[Julie C]

Our LO will be 8 months in 2 weeks. This past week, she has started resisting nap time -- especially the morning one. Here is our normal routine...

7am --BF
8am -- cereal, fruit
9:30 -- nap 1.5 hours
11am -- 8oz formula
1:30 -- nap 1.5 hours
3pm -- 8oz formula
5pm -- cereal, veggies and or meat
7pm -- 8 oz formula
7:30 -- bedtime routine, asleep before 8pm

She seems tired when I put her down, but man does she squawk! She has also started waking after only 30-45 mins. Sometimes she'll go back to sleep, but not often.

We got rid of the catnap at suppertime, and everything was working beautifully for about 2 weeks. Is it time, I wonder to let her stay up longer between naps? How long can an 8 month old go?

[marensmama]

Here's a link for typical amounts of A times.  She could do with a bit more A time in the morning - work up to 3 hours over a few days.  Also,  she's OT from that long stretch before bed.  I'd move bedtime earlier by 1/2 hr at least, so maybe she was asleep by 7 or 7:15.

HTH!

[Julie C]

Hmmm...

If she doesn't nap until 10am, but has her bottle at 11am, she'll only have an hour nap. Should I change her feeding schedule then somehow?

I don't see the link (I've searched the whole board, too!).

Thanks for your help!
Julie

[marensmama]

Sorry, I can't add the link for some reason, but it's in the naps FAQ section.  And I would just feed her when she woke up from her nap.  HTH!

[Julie C]

Thanks. I'll try that tomorrow. Tonight I tried putting her to bed at 7:30. She had a .5 hour nap and a 1.5 hour nap...waking at 4:30pm.

Guess what? She's still up...partying away in her crib. She's just recently learned how to pull up on the rungs and kneel. What great fun! I've just come back from removing her mobile -- which she seems to think is hilarious.

Sigh.....ahhhh to be so easily amused.

[Julie C]

Today has been a nightmare.

Our LO woke and ate just before 7am and started rubbing her eyes at 9:45am, so up she went to bed. She screamed and crawled and pulled up for 50 mins. I finally gave up; it was time for her bottle. After she finished her bottle, I read a book to her (she had reflux as a wee one, so I hate to lay her down right away), and then tried again. She took 25 mins to settle, but slept for about an hour and 20 mins, getting up at about 12:30pm.

We went to the park, played and she had her next bottle at 2:45. By 3:00 she was rubbing her eyes, so up she went for a nap at 3:15, only to scream -- a REAL TANTRUM this time-- for 45 mins. It's now 4pm, and I can hear her whining in her crib.

I just don't know what to do. She is acting tired, but is refusing to nap which is leading her to become OT.

Now her whining has become crying. Gotta go.

[marensmama]

Oh, it sounds like a rough day at your house!  So sorry for that!  My first thoughts reading what's happening are SA or teething.  You know what the routine 'should' be like.  Just do the best you can for a few days, she's obviously going through something... try to be patient, go by her cues, and eventually the problem will either settle down or make itself clearer.  Often with Maren I would get worked up over days like that because I couldn't figure it out and was so worried about AP, but then the problem would surface and I think, well, if I'd only known that was going on...

I'm sorry I can't be of more help.  Just give it a day or two, it will get better!

[Jann]

julie c, i just posted on the boards, my lo is 7.5 months and going thru exactly the samething as you.  i could have copy pasted your post.  i feel so bad when he has pulled himself up and is standing there crying poor thing.  i was thinking teething but i don't see any coming thru.  then i thought maybe waking hungry.  anyway i hope someone can think of something soon

hugs

Jann

[Julie C]

It's just so strange...almost like she just can't control herself from crawling and pulling herself up. Over and over, with her little eyes actually rolling in the back of her head. Totally exhausting...

However, today was much better. I just rocked her to sleep like I did back when she was super little...to the point where she is awake still, but too sleepy to resist being put down... and definitely too sleepy to stand up. I did this for all her naps and for bed. She actually seemed thankful if that's possible. lol.

She slept fine during the night last night; we'll see how tonight goes. I hope I'm not on some slippery slope of AP!!!

[Gina M]

Hi there. I am not sure if this will help or not, but.....

I read this from your post:

She's just recently learned how to pull up on the rungs and kneel....

I know that once a baby learns something new they have a tendency to do it at sleep time - or even WHILE they are asleep.

I called a sleep specialist in my area a couple of weeks ago because my LO (6 months old) learned how to kick her legs and would do it for HOURS in her sleep. I brought her to our pedicatrician - I was convinced she was having a seizure. She kicked so had she moved the cirb into the wall making such a loud bang it woke my husband out of sleep (and he can sleep through ANYTHING).

The specialist said this was normal - and babies who often do that will sit up, stand up, pull them selves up, rock on their knees, roll - you name it - all at sleep time, and a lot of them will do it while they are fast asleep!

So, my LO did it for about 3 weeks, and now that she has learned to make new noises she is doing that instead. Sigh..... maybe we'll alll sleep again when they are in college!

[Julie C]

3 weeks? UGH!!!

Last night she woke at 9, 11, 12, 12:30, 2 and 4. Rose at 6:30am for the day. Right now she's partying in her crib fighting the first nap of the day despite my rocking attempts.

I don't know if I can go 3 weeks.