6 months - and only two 45 minute naps p/day + getting over paci addiction

[Anniemoo]

Hi,

I have just sifted through the FAQ oboard trying to find applicable advice, but can't get anthing age or problem appropriate for our Annie (6 months)!

She has dropped from three 30 - 45 minute catnaps to 2 about a week ago, the first is around 9.30 - 10am. (after a 6.30 - 7 start) then again at 2.30pm, she then stays awake till 6.30 - 7pm by which time she is cactus and falls to sleep easily enough after a feed and story at night. She doesn't whinge but that last hour awake is pretty tough and I think she'd be a lot happier if she slept for longer, and went to bed at 7.

We also gave up the pacifier cold turkey, 2 weeks ago, and going down has started to take on nightmarish proportions after an initially good start. We have gone from having a baby that rarely whimpered, let alone cried, to having a very unhappy little girl at nap time. I am trying to do p/u, p/d now she is older (pat shush was never necessary with the paci - she'd go down without a problem), but she is crying regardless of whether I am holding her or not, and will only stop when we run into feed time (3 1/2h). Then, she calms and tries to fall asleep at the boob, but I keep her awake and put her down with just a little cry when she has finished. Then all we get for that hour or so of tears and hysteria is a ~40 minute nap!

Any advice greatly appreciated! Thanks Bonnie

[Anniemoo]

Thanks for responding Stacy!

her routine is generally:

wake - 6.30 - 7.00am
breast feed immediately
activity at home 7.15 - 9.30am
sleep - 9.30 or 10am till 10  -10.30am

to get her to nap, I put her down in her crib, she cries and i pick her up - she often cries more at this point but I try to calm her for 5-10 minutes by shhing and patting and sometimes rocking a little, then putting her back down when she is calm. mostly she doesn't calm down in this time and i put her down again anyway and put my cheek next to hers (in her crib), make sure she's got her lamb (she sort of pulls at this angrily) and she eventully calms down most times. At this point i just lie in my bed (next to her crib) and reassure her by holding her hand if she tarts to whimper or look like she's getting unsettled again. If she has screamed for an hour without relenting, I feed her and then put her down sleepy but awake and she usally goes down with just a little whimper and sucks a bit (just gesture, no thumb or paci).

ok. rest of day:

11.00am introducing solids: we do 3 days of a pureed vegetable then add something new or change veg
11.15am breast feed (if it didn't happen at previous sleep)
11.30 out activity, mothers group, supermarket etc...
sleep - 1.30-2.00/2.15pm either in my arms if we are still out, but in crib at home

2.30pm breastfeed
2.45pm - activity at home till 4pm (unless we were out through previous sleep)
4pm - walk dog
5pm - used to be a catnap in sling without paci, but this seems to be going out as of two weeks ago. she actually slept on walk last night for 30 minutes. this delays bed till 7.30 but it's great because she is not falling asleep in the bath or crying when being dressed and missing her story time etc...
5.30 -rice ceral and pureed fruit
6pm - bath
6.20 - story time, breast feed, bedtime cd goes on, cuddle etc...
6.30 - 7pm sleep

she wakes once one sleep cycle into the night sleep, and can't self soothe. i have to go in, reassure her with a pat and she will sleep till 2am, 4a or something and then screams if i don't feed her. this is new and i am resistng unless it is after 5am that she wakes because i assume she is genuinely hungry then. she sleeps if I feed her.

I am feeling absolutely terrible about the paci because even though her naps have not changed in duration since removing it, she has gone from being a baby who really didn't cry to one who is crying a couple of hours a day. I took it away because it got so that I was having to hold it in her mouth to get her to go to sleep and she woke frequently in the night looking for it from about 5 months, whereas she had formerly slept through 8pm-6am from 12 weeks, in her own room. My partner objected to me moving into her room so I got him to move her crib back into our room so I din't have to get out of bed 10X a night, but even being ditsurbed without getting out of bed was enough to convince me I had to get rid of it. I understand you (Stacy) had a paci problem too and was glad to read that you'd got through it, but I'm thinking I have made things worse at this point and have turned an angel into a grumpy baby. I am only relieved that whatever other mistakes I might have made, her naps have only ever been 45 minutes.

I only just got Tracy's book a couple of weeks ago and strted reading site at that time. I actually have not had much time to read all I need to b/c I'm knackered from lack f sleep and busy with bub except for two short naps! Please excuse my mistakes with method. I hope you don't think I've totally stuffed baby up - she was so good!

Thanks for any help, Bonnie
 

[Lara's Mum]

i guess some babies need more sleep than others....so if bub is ok with her two naps, and isn't overtired when she's put to bed, then i'd say that's just the way she is....i just have to add that my dd did drop a nap at 6 months and only got two 45 min.naps at which time she started sleeping 10.5-11hrs at night., now she takes one 45 min., and one slightly longer one with an 11 hr. stretch at night... so i'd just go with the baby till u figure out her exact demands....

no two babies are alike though...

good luck

love

[Anniemoo]

They are good tips, thanks Stacy and Shahira.

Things may be improving a little. It is school hols and step daughter is with us so whole family is at my parents. I decided things were bad enough that the routine didn't need protecting! Anyway, Annie is doing ok here. Her first nap this morning she went down with me just pottering around the room quietly so she knew I hadn't left her, she just grizzled a bit, and as we speak my partner has got her to sleep - whatever method he uses is fine by me, because he has NEVER been able to do it before, it has always involved my presence. So I'm feeling good about that. The other thing is since being here she has picked up a third nap again, so that's good for now.

No p/u p/d has been necessary over the last few days really. I did try it last night at 4am and she just screamed. I ended up feeding her and she went straight beck to sleep. We have also reintroduced the dream feed, and that's going ok too. The tip about solids may apply here, b/c just b/f she used to sleep 12h with no feed, so it is interesting that she is now needing two extra feeds. Growth spurts frighten me a bit. Bub ways 10kg at 6 months! She was 4.1kg (9 pounds at birth). She really could slow down a little in that department without any harm being done at all!

I will persist with wake to sleep, but so far no success. I might need to cover he eyes as she's a big looker. I still remember her at 4hours old trying her darnedest to focus on me!

Thanks again for your help, Bonnie