Need help tweaking routine pls!

[nike]

He slept through but he woke crying at 7.15 this morning.  He was all smiles again when I went to get him out of his cot, so he perked up fairly quickly.

I think tonight is going to get a little hairy, though.  I put him down for the one sleep at midday (he was really good all morning, only getting a little fractious towards the end there) and he only slept for 1.5 hours I tried till 2 to get him back to sleep, but he was raring to go.  So it's going to be a long afternoon.  I will aim for a 6 p.m. bedtime but I just know it's going to be almost impossible to achieve.  We'll see how we go!  Hopefully he won't be so tired that night-wakings will start - my greatest fear!

I am committed to the one sleep a day thing, though.  Do you think once his body realises it's only getting one sleep a day that that nap will become longer??  Yesterday (first day) was 2.5 hours, which was great. 

He gets heaps of cuddles throughout the day   Hopefully it's just a phase that will pass very quickly.  I am also going to tone down the after-bath routine a little more and see how he settles for bed.  I don't know how easy it'll be getting him into bed that early with his big brother still up   I'll keep you posted!!

Thank you so much again!!

[nike]

Ugh, I'm so HATING being a mummy right now

I took him into the room for bottle tonight at 5.45, which he took ok, and then proceeded to give the usual cuddles.  Well, again he put on a turn whenever I put him back into his cot and left the room.  It's taken AN HOUR to get him to sleep tonight.  I ended up giving him a little teeth medicine and another 100ml (and, no, I know he's not hungry, I think he just wanted to sedate himself to sleep )

I'm totally depressed 

Maybe I should go back to the 2 naps a day, seeing as he's still not settling at night.  I thought at first it was because he wasn't tired enough after the p.m. nap but now I'm not sure any more   Even tonight as I was cuddling him he just didn't seem tired, even though I know he must have been cactus.  HELP!

[Aly Mac]

I found this happened with Lil too when we started one nap (just looked at my log!).  Maybe it is something to do with being tired.  when you think of how us adults are, I know with me, if I"m OT< i'm more emotional, so the same is probably with your lo.

as for 2naps - I think you need to play it day by day for a while - I still do - you know by about 9am if you need two naps. put him down at the normal first nap time, and give him half hour.  if no nap, then get him up and one nap day. 

I'm sorry you feel depressed about it Nike - It's tiring hey? but it will get better.. this is just another hump for us all to get through.

will check on you tomorrow.
xx

[Layla]

I am sorry to hear yo're having such a hard time at the moment

I don't have much time now but will be back in a few hrs & will post my thoughts

[nike]

I understand about tiredness leading to being more emotional, but the crying at night (on going to bed) started about a week before we dropped to one nap.  This is where I'm torn - I thought originally he wasn't settling due to not being tired enough for bed or too much day sleep, but he's still doing the same thing on one nap

Good news is he slept through again, waking at 7.15.  So he slept from 6.45 - 7.15, which I'm ecstatic about.  At least he caught up on a bit of the lost daytime sleep.

I am SOOOOO fearful of sleep debt!!  He's been such a great sleeper in the past and I don't want to undo all of that!!

I didn't want to make too many changes for the little guy at the same time but my SIL is visiting atm and she minded him for me while I popped out to get my hair cut this morning.  He wasn't looking for his morning bottle at all, so I thought I'd also bite the bullet and see if we could drop that.  I gave him some cow's milk in a popper before I left but he wasn't really interested in that.  Anyway, great news is that he ate heaps of morning tea and a large lunch and didn't even look for his bottle   I gave him his first bottle at about 11.40 and put him to bed at 12, and he was laughing at me when I left the room I do know that could be a sign of tiredness, like a hyperactivity??  (I just don't understand why he doesn't do this for his night sleep!!)  Anyway, he's gone down no fuss.  Hopefully (crossing fingers and toes) he sleeps longer than 1.5 hrs today.  I really don't want to get in the habit of having two sittings at dinner, an earlier one for him and later for us and DS1, and then an earlier night routine for him.  As it is, I missed all of DS1's night routine last night

So again we'll see what the rest of the day and tonight brings.

Thanks for popping over I&J's mum.  If you have any other advice I'd love to hear it!!

[nike]

He woke at 3.15

So what time do I put him to bed tonight??

[Layla]

I would probably do 7pm

[nike]

I feel like such a dope   While playing this afternoon, I got a peak in DS's mouth and - what do you know - I could see his upper eye teeth coming through   In hindsight all the signs were there, poor attachment on his bottles, lots of drooling, grizzly behaviour and, of course, aforementioned bedtime problems.  I seriously feel like an idiot

So tonight I gave him some teeth medicine before bed, some gel on his gums, and a nice big cuddle.  Then popped him in his cot - he gave a little grizzle and I thought "oh no, here we go again" but he was right with just a little pat on the back.  Haven't heard a peep since

Thanks, Aleesa and I&J's Mum, for everything.  I am going to stick with the one nap a day and hopefully it won't come back to bite me on the bum.  Like I said, sleep debt (and consequent night-waking) is my greatest fear!!

Fingers crossed those little teethies will pop through and all will be back to normal

xxoo

[Aly Mac]

Oh Nike - did any of us suggest teeth??? why didn't I think of that? mind you, they were not L's teethign symptoms, but still.

good luck.
xx

[Layla]

Oh no!!! Poor baby! Eye teeth are brutal  .

Please keep us posted on how he does with 1 nap. 

[nike]

He woke earlier this a.m., at 6.45.  But that was from 7 last night, so nearly 12 hours.  (Maybe didn't sleep longer bc of 3 hour nap??)

I had to go out this morning and he fell asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car.  He napped for the rest of the journey, which was 20 mins.  Of course then I didn't know what to do, whether to consider that equivalent to a morning nap and try for a later nap in the arvo, or still put him down for a midday nap   As it turned out, on the trip back he was really crabby so we just went straight into lunch and bottle, down for nap at 12 p.m. without a fuss.  He did that laughing thing at me again   So...hopefully he'll do a long enough nap to get him down tonight at about 7, otherwise it's an early dinner and bed again.

When transitioning from 2 to 1, should I try and stay home for a while to get him into that routine so as not to risk him falling asleep in the car do you think??

On the upside, this is day 2 of no morning bottle so I think we can safely say we've dropped it....YAHOO!!

[Layla]

Ok, so with the car thing... if he falls asleep for say 20mins then try to have him in the cot for the pm nap about 2hrs later. If the morning catnap is 30mins, then 3hrs later.

I don't think you should entirely stop getting in the car.. if you have to go, you have to go and if he does fall asleep then do an afternoon nap 2-3hrs later (again, depending on how long the am catnap was).

[nike]

So I wasn't far off with the timing then    He napped in the car from 8.50 to 9.10 and I had him back in bed at midday.  He slept till 2.30 almost to the dot.  In bed at 6.45 (absolutely no drams, after teeth medicine and teething gel) and he slept through till 7.10 this morning

I have been plying him with the Hylands homeopathic teething tabs this a.m. and he's been a much happier boy.  We had some vigorous play in the park this a.m. (it feels so WEIRD going out so early.  Note to self:  I have to get myself more organised!) and home in time for lunch at 11 a.m., bottle at 11.45 and bed by 12.  He is very happy to go to bed and giggles.  What the?! 

So I think we finally have a new routine emerging.  Thanks for all your help....much appreciated!!

[nike]

Ugh, he woke after 50 mins but only whinged for about 5 mins before going back to sleep, but then woke at 1.30 (so only 1.5 hours sleep)   I tried resettling but it didn't work.  I guess a shortish nap is a sign of OT?  Should I aim for 6 p.m. bedtime?

[Aly Mac]

Thats' what I've been doing NIke - and watching to see if she is ot and whipping her to bed (that was last nigth).

we've had some 1.5hr naps too, and she's not too bad as long as I bring bedtime forward.