6 mo old awake for nearly 3hrs - but not unhappy - what do you do?

[Bryony]

Hi there --- just wondered if I could pick some brains!

We had problems with night wakings (due to overtiredness I think) until about two weeks ago, when I tried for two catnaps and/or earlier bedtime which seemed to solve it (thanks to help from Zoe and momofclaire!)

Then yesterday we had a bad nap day, the first for a while, as Katie woke up after 45 mins at lunchtime and I just *couldn't* get her to go back to sleep....  I did an early catnap and put her to bed early and hoped for the best, but she woke up at 1:30am. The wierd thing was, she wasn't particularly unhappy, she was just lying there talking to herself...  for nearly 3 hours!!!  I stuck my head in at one point to check that she wasn't up against the cot bars or anything, but she wasn't, so I left her to it.  Eventually the baby monitor went quiet 3hrs later, but she then woke up every hour for the rest of the night and was really unhappy - so I am sure she was way overtired by then.

So my question is, is there anything I could have / should have done to help her get back to sleep, if she is not crying out for me? She has excellent self-soothing skills (muslin on face!) and can get to sleep independently so I wanted to leave her to it, and I wasn't sure what I could have done in any case, but we now have one very tired LO (and one very tired mummy!)

Hopefully it was a one-off but just wondered what I should do if it happens again?

Aagh, gotta go she's woken early from her nap...  just quickly our routine is:

7am wake and BF
9am nap - usually 1.5 - 1.75 hrs
11am BF
12:45 nap - ie 2hrs 10 mins after last woke - either for 45 mins or 1.5-1.75 hrs. If wakes at 45 mins I put her in the buggy and we go for a walk and she will usually have another 45 mins, which takes us up to about 3pm
15:00 BF
17:00 catnap
19:00 BF and bed
22:30 DF

Thanks 

Bryony

[¤ Efka ¤]

Well is sh is no unhappy and not crying out,as she was, there is not really much you can do. Actually its petty normal that babies wake sometimes at night for some play, this was unusually long A though.

Was something differently yesterday?

[Bryony]

Thanks Efka

Only the naff nap, as far as I can make out!

ADDED: was just racking my brains to think of other stuff - but can't really think of anything. We started solids (baby-led weaning) about two weeks ago, but I would say that the last few days are the first that she's really eaten anything to speak of (broccoli, rice cakes...).  Doesn't seem to be teething at present, no major milestones reached. She's not rolling or anything yet.

She's soooo tired and cranky today and even woke early from her morning nap - that's really unusual!

Bryony

[momofclaire]

Bryony,

I think it is normal for babies to wake during the night for a little play time. Claire did this when she was about to reach a milestone. I think if she isn't calling out for you I would leave her.  If it continues for a few nights and you are going to risk getting stuck in a cycle of overtiredness I might go in and say, "night night," to encourage her to go to sleep. 
Keep us posted.

[Bryony]

Thanks momofclaire....

Yes, she often wakes up to play for half an hour at 4am, but this 3hour marathon session was a real record!!!

She's been really overtired ever since, so we are now trying to get back on track...  but last night at least we were back to only two night wakings...  uh-oh I hear her 45 mins into a nap, here we go again!

Bryony

[¤ Efka ¤]

Okoo this little ones keep you really on your toes.

[momofclaire]

Does she always have a wake at 4?  You could try w2s to break that if it has become habit. 

[Bryony]

I'm not sure...!!  Either sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't - or she always does and sometimes I hear her and sometimes I don't 

Provided she can get back to sleep herself I'm not really bothered - I think I will focus on tackling the overtiredness first and then see what happens....

Bryony