6 month old - new routine, new night waking...?

[ElsMom]

My DD is 6 months old, and in the last few days started showing signs of wanting a 3 hour A time.  So I followed her cues (she makes a certain noise when she's sleepy), and we went to this:
6:30 awake
7:00 E
8:30 solids
9:30 - 11/11:15 S
11:15/11:30 - E
1:00 solids
2/2:30 - 3:30/4:00 S
4:00 - E
5:00 solids
6:15 bath, wind down (including BF)
7:00 bed
10:45 DF

Before that, she was doing about 2.5 hrs A time.  The 3 hrs has been great during the day - she's taken good naps, and hasn't been fussy at night for the first time since we dropped the catnap.  But since we went to this, she stopped sleeping through, which she just started doing about 3 weeks ago when I finally started doing the DF instead of just leaving it up to her (was previously doing 1 NF whenever she asked for it).  The last 2 nights, she's woken at 3:30 or 4:00 am crying for me and won't settle without a meal, but seems more into comfort than the food.  Like last night, she kept trying to play with my face, my shirt, the pillow, etc, and was suckling on and off.  She finally fell asleep after 20 minutes, but the first 10 was just playtime, even though I was ignoring her and had my eyes closed.

Is it my EASY?  Is 4.5/5 hrs too long between BF, even though she's getting solids in the middle?  Should I be waking her from naps at 4 hrs?  And any advice for how to get her back down without feeding at 4 am if she wakes again tonight?  (I've heard 3 days makes a habit).  She's reaching for me, crying, and pulling up on me or the crib.  I was doing shush/pat before, but now that's she's started reaching for me so actively, I can't seem to get that to work.  She just grabs my hands and tries to get out. 

Last thing - last night, she woke about 30 minutes early for DF, so I just did it early.  For the 3 hours before that, she moaned and groaned and let out little fusses about every 10 minutes.  It's like she wasn't sleeping well, but she didn't act like she was uncomfortable during the day.  Last time she popped a tooth, she had a certain cry and was crying out randomly at night.  I haven't heard that, so I don't think it's another tooth, but I could of course be wrong...

Help is appreciated!  Thanks!

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

mmm  I KNOW all los are different, but 3 hrs seems a lot for just-turned-six-months old.  We are just now on 3hrs A for morning, 3hr 15 lunchtime and bedtime.  E is 7.5 months old.  Sometimes, she, too, makes a lot of noises in the few hours after bedtime - usually when she is overtired.  Or lately when she's desparately trying to crawl.  Any new skills for Elsie recently?  Extra clinginess, which sounds like you're having at night, is a sign of overtiredness for us.  You could always try wake to sleep at 2.30 or 3, but I haven't had much luck with that for wakings that time of night. 

[Grace's Mom]

With any routine change it takes at least 3-5 days for their bodies to adjust, or longer.  With in that time so wackiness can occur! 

Is she getting the same amount of food now that she is on two naps?  If she is getting the same amount of food and she was sleeping through fine before then I wouldn't feed her when she wakes (unless you think it's a growth spurt) because if she isn't truly hungry, but is being fed anyway, it will only become a habit.  If you are breast feeding, I would have someone else go in to help her settle back to sleep when she wakes to make it easier on her as she will smell your milk and even if not hungry will want it anyway thus prolonging the night waking.

[ElsMom]

Wow - it just took me 1.5 hrs to get her down for the night.  I'm exhausted and tear stained, and she's now asleep but moaning again.  As for new skills, she's been trying to crawl and pull up for a couple of weeks, and started sitting up on her own last week.  Nothing brand new that I'm aware of.  She's definitely started being more clingy to me in the last week or two.  She'll scream for me if I'm not in the same room, and will push against whoever else is holding her and reach for me - that's all new within the last week, but I wouldn't call it a new "skill"!! 

She's getting the same amount of food as before - maybe more, since we're eating solids now.  She gave up the catnap at 5 months, well before she was ready, but she just started refusing to take it then.

Thanks for the advice...  I wish I could have someone else go in and settle her, but I'm kind of alone in my non-CIO methods, and DH would probably try if I asked him (he's never handled a NW before), but would lose patience after a few minutes and would let her cry.  He supports that I don't want to do CIO, but really only because I'm the one taking care of it.  Not bad-mouthing him, we just have different ideas and he defers to me since I'm the one that takes care of her 98% of the time.  So...  I kind of have to do it, and I get especially lazy in the middle of the night and do what works - I know, that's bad bad AP.  Maybe it's teeth - she did kind of act uncomfortable in all of her not-falling-asleep she was doing tonight.  I'll give her tylenol at the dream feed if she keeps moaning until then.  If she's up again at 4, should I do PUPD? 

[Grace's Mom]

I would check out the PU/PD boards in regards to that. I know it should be used as a last resort but other than that I am not sure....especially since you just had a rouine change and what not! 

Do you think she is having a hard time settling due to being overtired at the end of the day? 

Melissa

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

Sorry to hear you had a bad bedtime. 

[arabesque]

Hello lovely!
I was just researching how to fix Toby's EWs, and here I bump into you! You could be writing my story at the moment, except for the 3hr A time bit.

So, I have no advice because I'm in the same basket, but just wanted to say "hugs" and eat some chocolate/slice while you read this reply

I tried out PUPD today during hellish Nap 2...woke after 45mins screaming, same as this morning (at 5:50am). And it worked! Maybe give that a go? If Toby wakes early tomorrow morning I'm going to change nappy, then PUPD. This morning I changed his nappy and after about 20mins he went back to sleep, but then I woke him at 7am 15mins later I feel a bit the same about DH...I feel like he won't do it like me and so it's easier for me just to do things. I ask him to close Toby's door to keep the light out if he goes in early to resettle and he never does, which is frustrating to me! Has DH read BW? That's next on my list of things (for him to do, haha!)

Anyway, I'm raving on like a mad woman (close to the truth!)
Love ya
Bec