1/2 times wake for the day & 1/2 times wake, nurse and back to sleep. WHY?

[mommahnatuk]

HI, I'm not sure if this is the correct board to post on so please feel free to move me to anther board if needed. To be honest, I'm not sure that it really needs to be fixed, but your advise and insight would be very helpful.

My LO is 13 months and we have been having the same issue for a while now. Ever since I stopped her dream feed at 9 months she has been getting up at 6 am. Normally with the dream feed she was sleeping until about 8:30. I did stop the dream feed quite abrupt, which I later read in the book that I wasn't supposed to do that because it would cause troubles. So, we would normally just start our day at 6 and she was just fine. Our routine for ages 9 months - 12 months looked something like this:

6 - 6:30 ish Up and ready for the day - breastfeed
7 breakfast
10 - 11:15 nap
11:30 breastfeed
12:30 solids
2:30 - 3:45 ish nap
4:00 breastfeed
5:00 supper
7:00 bath, breastfeed, story, bed

She is usually very easy to put to bed, we rock and snuggle for bit and then I put her in her crib doppy but not sleeping, and sometimes totally awake and she falls asleep on her own.

Now, at 13 months she is getting ready for the 2 to 1 nap transition and we could have something close (but with a bit longer awake times) to the previous schedule, minus the 4:00 breastfeed with the two naps or this one:

5, 5:30, 6, or 6:30 awake and breastfeed fall asleep in my arms and I lay her back in her crib and she keeps sleeping
7:30, 8, 8:30 awake and ready for the day and eat breakfast
10:30 snack
12:30 ish lunch
1:00 - 2:00ish nap
4:00 snack
5:30 supper
7:00 - 8:00 bath, breastfeed, story, bed

We have a renter in our basement, and I have to be careful as to how much she cries especially in the early morning hours so I probably have done some accidental parenting along the way at some point and haven't done pick up put down when I probably should have. We are also getting ready to move in 2 weeks. We are moving into my parent for 3 weeks and then into our new house (stupid timing) and there we have to do some renos. So the poor thing is up for a big upset, although she is very comfortable with my parent and their house and has always been a very easy baby. Oh, and we are getting a new puppy who will also live at my parent with us for about  week. I know, talk about bad timing. Sometimes you can do all the planning possible and things just have a way of changing on you.

So, I guess my questions are:
1. Why is she getting up early to nurse and then go back to sleep 50% of the time and then sleeping later, but then the other 50% of the time just ready to get up?
2. What the best way to help my LO with so many changes coming up?
3. 2 - 1 nap transition, how to I make her naps longer than an hour? She needs more then that for sure.

Any insight is greatly appreciated!!! Thank you.

[deckchariot]

{{{{{hugs}}}}} for all the changes in your life at the moment!  I think you're right that it's the 2 to 1 transition that causing the issues.  The EWs are probably because she's OT if she's only getting a 1 hr nap, or on days she gets more with 2 naps, that can also cause EW because of the timing/length of then naps.  Why she does it some days and not others...well....she's a toddler

There are basically 2 approaches to the switch:
1) keep 1st nap at the same A time every day, but gradually shorten the length of it; at the same time, move pm nap earlier (by the same amount you shorten nap 1).  When nap 1 is <30 min, attempt to cut it out and just have 1 nap.
2) push morning A time later, allow your bub to sleep as long as they want in the am, then do a late pm catnap (can be a shorter A time than in the am, as you don't want them to take a full nap); eventually cut out pm catnap.

If she needs a longer A time before bed, then option #1 is generally better.  If she doesn't and HATES being woken from the am nap, option #2 may be better.  In both cases, you can offer an early bedtime if one/both of the naps is bad.

Whichever approach you choose - it's best to go gradually - so either cut 15 min off the am nap every 3-5 days or lengthen the am A time by 15 min every 3-5 days.  It also is helpful to know about how much day sleep is "optimal" for your dd and how much A time she needs (minimum) between her last nap and bedtime - that can help you plan out the day.

hth
michelle