OT or SA or both?

[*Becky*]

Hi,
DS is 17 months and has been on and off one nap now for about a month but we have now had 10 days with no 2 naps days.
He naps anywhere between 1-2 hours and we find that he needs the longer am A time if we want a decent nap. If he does 2 hours we get a 10.5 night, any less and we tend to get longer. He is low sleep needs.
Anyway - one nap has been going ok. On Friday DH and I went to a wedding and left DS with my parents. He did a good 1.5 nap for them and then an 11.45 night so more sleep than for us!
Anyway yesterday we came back and he had only napped for an hour as I think they put him down too early after that good night. He was up at about 1pm and then we did bedtime at 6.30pm.
I can see that this was a long A time but we have done this before many times and always been fine.
So....DS woke in the night, not sure of exact time and was crying s I went to him and stroked his head and he went back to sleep. Then he woke again and was just saying mama mama mama for ages and ages. Then it turned into a cry so I went in and reassured him and then left but he went crazy crying etc. In the end  lay down next to his cot and just sshed him and he went to sleep fairly quickly.
So....this is unusual for him. Does this sound like OT? I was unsure whether it was SA but he does not really display any SA type behaviour usually.
How do I handle this if it happens tonight?
We cannot do a 2 nap day today as we have plans we cannot change but if it is a bad night tonight I will try although am not sure if it will work tbh. He does not get more sleep with 2 naps anyway, just shorter A times.
Any help would be great
Thanks
bx

[becky1969]

I'm a little confused about him being a low sleep needs kid, by still being on 2 naps sometimes at 17 months.  Most low sleep needs LOs are on 1 nap by 12 months or so.  So I'm wondering if a) he's not low sleep needs, but VERY sensitive to being OT, or b) he IS low sleep needs and the 2 naps are messing him up.

don't know which! But you know his history, so you probably do! 

At any rate, I actually suspect a different culprit: teeth.  Around 18 months those canines come in.  That means at around this age they start feeling discomfort from those teeth.  I betcha those multiple wakings/inconsolability is because those teeth are bugging him.  Next time he wakes, then I'd try some medication and see if that soothes.

[*Becky*]

thanks Becky. Yes I am confused by him too. He has been on 2 naps as he has never ever napped well so I stuck to 2 naps for as long as I possibly could so that at least the A times were short and so it prevented him getting OT.
He has been throwing tantrums all over the place today so going to medicate tonight and see.
bx

[scucci1979]

what you are describing is exactly what Madison was(is) going through. It is those canines!! We are waiting for her last canine to cut-hoping this week.  Definitely try medication and see if that helps.

[*Becky*]

thanks Sabrina. Today was awful, he was just being SO difficult about everything! Aaagh....medicated and will see.
The weird thing is last night he woke crying the first time but the second time he was just shouting for me but not actually crying which made me think maybe it was not pain.
bx

[becky1969]

shouting can still be pain.  Maybe not pain but discomfort for sure, you know? Especially once they're toddlers.  When they're babies, all they can do is cry!  But once they are toddlers they have other vocal ways to tell us stuff just ain't right! LOL!

I think I've told you before that I *really* wonder if your son doesn't have some food sensitivities/allergies that are interfering with sleep.  I forget: is he a touchy?  Have you taken the toddler quiz lately? Sometimes personality stuff starts becoming more obvious when they're a bit older.

Hugs! Hope it all resolves QUICKLY!

[*Becky*]

thanks Becky.
That makes sense about the shouting...well we medicated the last 2 nights but only one dose before bed and he slept great. Tonight I am trying without. He shouted 'mama' ten mins after bed and I have just heard him again so it does seem to point towards discomfort I think.
Yes he was very very touchy and still is with sleep but in all other areas he is spirited now...I did the quiz quite recently to check.
As for food, I don't know. I often wonder about this but generally when teeth are not an issue he STTN well. In fact we have always considered ourselves lucky in that way but we do struggle with EW's if something is off and we have always had terrible naps although since we have been on one nap we have had no nap resistance which is just amazing and long may it last.
He has had a streaming nose for about 2 months now and he did with molars too so am putting this down to canines shifting but I think once all teeth are through then if we still have these problems I will get him checked out for food issues. The only thing I know he cannot tolerate is mango and suncream makes him blotchy so I am looking into more natural brands.
Thanks for checking in
bx

[becky1969]

Definitely sounds like a touchy, then.  My son was MISERABLE with his teeth too.  And of course each tooth took 2 weeks to come in, except for molars which took 2-4 months each.    I'm hoping it's just teeth weirdness and after the canines you'll get a few month break on 1 nap! You could have a very lovely life for awhile if that's the case!  I'd probably stick with the nightly meds for awhile.  My ped always said 1 dose a day isn't going to hurt -- you can take 4-6 doses/day, depending on the med! So 1 dose for a week or more won't do anything major.  And that's what we did, and my son seems juuuuust fine.  It kept me from killing him, so that's a plus!