8 mo waking early from naps - but not crying

[soji]

Hi all -
I've posted once before so I'm sorry for the repetition, but things have changed (as always!)
My DD is 8 months old today!  yay!  But she doesn't like to sleep during her naps anymore.  They used to be 2 hours each but not anymore.  SH'es on a 4-4.5 hour easy (sometimes even 5 hour).  We dropped the catnap about 2 weeks ago and tweaking her schedule.  However, I don't think that's really the reason why she's having shorter naps.  We've been working on extending her A time - which she doesn't really have a problem with, but I don't really like how a 4.5 hour or 5 hour easy works for us toward the end of the day.

Anyways, here's the thing.  She doesn't wake up crying for me - ever.  She's happy to play in her crib for the remainder of the nap - be it 15 minutes or 1 hour!!!  Sometimes she'll just go back to sleep for a little bit and then start rolling around again.  She just started to crawl and she's a master at the rolling thing!  lol!  I've posted before and the advice i got was to just leave her in crib if she was happy and not crying for me.  To be honest, if I didn't have the video monitor on I probably wouldn't even know that she wasn't sleeping all the way through (I have a love-hate relationship with my vm).  Sometimes she yelps a bit, but not the crying that would alert me that she's awake and wants out.  She's very happy to play by herself when she is awake so it's kind of in her personality to just play by herself in her crib.

I guess my question is.. is there anything I can do to help her extend her naps?  Or is it just as well that she's having quiet time and she'll sleep when she wants to.  Sometimes she does give me a nice 2 hour nap, but it's not the norm like it used to be.  Is w2s or pu/pd useful in this situation?  Or would it not be appropriate for my LO?

Thanks for your advice.  I just keep racking my brain trying to figure out if there's something I can do or to just let it go (including turning off the vm!!!)

[*Natasha*]

Could you post your routine? Is she waking after 45mins?

[Anthea01Charlie]

This sounds SO familiar!!  I'm sorry I don't have any advice, but I can sympathise with you! DD isn't crawling yet, but like your LO has mastered the rolling thing  I spy on her (no VM here) and she spins around and talks to herself, her toys, her paci - its kinda cute I guess!!  But in the back of your mind, you think, PLEASE go to sleep so mummy can relax and they don't think sleep is important when they are learning to do all these exciting new moves!

So ~~~long nap vibes~~ to you 

[soji]

Here's our routine lately...

7 am wake/ bf
8 am solids
9:30 nap
11:30 wake/bf
12:30-1 snack - yogurt
2:00 nap
3:30/4:00 wake/bf
5:00 solids
6:30/7 bath
7:00/7:30 bf/bedtime

She will wake up anytime after 45 minutes to 1 hour.  But, like i said, she doesn't cry for me so I just leave her in her crib until "nap time" is over (unless she really starts to cry towards the end of the time then I go get her).  I like to keep her in her crib so that she can try to go back to sleep and most of the time she will nap again, albeit 10-20 minutes at a time (sometimes 20 mintues sleep, then 5 minutes rolling, then 10 minutes sleep, then 3 minutes rolling, etc...).  Sometimes I wonder if she's really awake and other times I know she's really awake and just playing.  I have to admit that I'm not really liking the switch to the 4.5 or 5 hour easy.  I like that she has more awake time but her last block of time is packed with too much food - bf at 4 or 4:30 (on a 5 hour easy) and then solids and then bf again by 7 or 7:30.  I feel like all she's doing at that time is eating. 

Maybe I'm making too much of this.  Maybe as long as she's content in her crib I should turn off the vm, stop spying on her and leave her be?  I dunno.  I'm a little discouraged.  She is teething right now.  I gave her some orajel before her 9:30 nap yesterday and she slept for 1.45 hours!!!!  Tried it again in the afternoon and she only slept for about 50 minutes and played/napped the rest of the time.  THis has been going on since she was about 6.5 months old.  Before then, i was in 2 hour nap heaven!!!  lol!!!

Thanks for your responses/encouragement.  Sometimes I just feel like I don't know what I'm doing.

[Anthea01Charlie]

I gave her some orajel before her 9:30 nap yesterday and she slept for 1.45 hours!!!!  Tried it again in the afternoon and she only slept for about 50 minutes and played/napped the rest of the time. 

Oh, this brings back memories   I tried some remedies for various ailments. The first time you use it, you get a long nap, and you think GREAT!! I'm onto something!  Then the next time things go back to "normal"  and you are back where you started 
You are doing a great job! And I know its hard not to spy, but sometimes I think it is healthier for us mums to just walk away 

[croft]

Hi Soji,

My boy is the same as spotted on  "8 months..need help with routine" thread. I have noticed that Daniel is teething, but it doesn't worry his night sleep, so I didn't think this could be the cause, but maybe. And yes maybe developmental, he isn't crawling yet, but I have noticed when I put him in the cot now he always rolls on his tummy and tries to push himself up. This can go on for 5-10 minutes before falling to sleep.

He will also play in his crib for the remainder of the nap - be it 15 minutes or 1 hour!!!

I went back to the 2 1/2 hour mark this week (as I read this is standard for his age), so I put him in the cot then and he usually falls asleep @ 2.40-2.45 mark. Still haven't been able to get him to nap more than 1 hour (total 2 hours or less a day).

Maybe I'll try orajel before his next nap.

Sharron

[soji]

Good luck Sharron!!  My LO is definitely on something new hear.  In the past 2 days she has given me a nursing strike, and lots of crying at bedtime last night (1 HOUR)!!  This was completely UNUSUAL as she has been going down without a fuss for months now.  It was very distressing last night.  ugh.  My DH went in and tried to console her but holding her did nothing.  She eventually went to sleep.  I'm baffled. But I'm also hopeful that this will pass - sooner or later!!  I'm really rethinking bringing back the catnap.  Maybe I can sneak in a few more zzz's that way.  She's so sleepy at bedtime that she's been falling asleep nursing.  I have to wake her up and then last night she just went bonkers on us.    I'm hoping today is better.  You jsut gotta take one day at a time, right?  hugs to you!!!

[croft]

Hi Soji,

Daniel's nap this morning was the same, had to help him to sleep, I really think it is teething causing the problem, and he is not getting good sleeps/naps and becoming over tired.

I am sorry you had a tough night. If it is any help, when my LO does this, I take him out of the room and do something he likes quietly for 10 minutes or so and then we do the whole routine again and usually he falls asleep without the crying.

Hug to you too! It's nice to talk to someone in the same boat!

Sharron