Really got to break this habit - please help!!

[DebLillian]

Thanks for the encouragement!  I guess I'll go for it on a night that DH isn't home.  He is always trying to keep her up late b/c he thinks she'll sleep longer   Today she took two great naps (2.25hrs and 1.25hr) so hopefully she isn't quite as OT.  I suppose I'll know for sure by the morning.

[LisaM]

Hi

Clairesmum - We did try one nap consistently for about 2 weeks which is when the NW's started again I guess due to OT.  She only took one long nap (almost 2 hrs) and the best apart from that were 1hr 15 mins and some only an hr so it didn't go great.  Its hard to know where to pitch it and also as I said I have to fit in around Phoebe's schedule.

Today will be a one nap day though as she woke last night at 4.30 (9.5 hrs sleep again) but went back off almost straight away and then slept til 5.40!  So because I can't fit in 2 naps very easily I am going to try for one at about 10.45-11.00am.  I hope she will take about hour and half and then I need her up anyway as preschool starts at 12.30.  Will be a long afternoon up so bed at 6pm tonight and hope no NW!

Emma - yes its all about guilt isn't it.  But you are right I love having the two of them, they play together so lovely (at times!) and make each other laugh so much its so sweet to watch.  When we went back to preschool on Monday, Grace got upset cos she didn't want to leave Phoebe there - bless her.

Did you do W2S last night - how did it go?  Does she go straight back off to sleep - how do you make sure she doesn't wake up properly?

Deblilian - I would try for a 6pm bedtime too, normally doesn't make Grace wake earlier and then at least she gets more overall night sleep.  I hate doing such early bedtimes, DH never sees her if she does, he doesn't get home til about 7 so is lucky to see her on a good nap day and also its not so easy to fit in to our routine but I don't want the OT to get any worse.  I know she is not likely to wake later on such early bedtime but I just hope at some point we can push it later again once she is settled on one nap and hopefully starts having some longer naps.

[RACHPEM]

i'm in the same boat as you ladies.  My lo is waking anytime between 4.30 and 5am regardless of day sleep or what time she goes to bed.  My dh is always saying I put her to bed too early and that now her "wake up" time is set and if I continue to put her down ealry we will never get later wakes.  I must admit I am starting to wonder too as we all have our automatic wake ups no matter what time I go to bed I still wake at the same time.  And if I put her to bed later for a good wk or more maybe her body would reset.  I just dont know any more I am so fed up with stressing over her sleep and getting up at a unearthly hour.  Sorry for the moan.
Rachael x

[LisaM]

Rachael

We have always had the EW so I don't think there is probably much that will change for me but when things were at there worst - she woke EVERY day between 4-4.30 for months on end and had early bedtimes so we did decide to try later nights for a trial period.  This did make a difference after a while and she kind of stabilized at waking around 5-5.30 with the odd very early one again.  It did mean she was only ever sleeping about 10 hrs at night though, but for her unfortunately this is pretty normal.  Once we get though the 2-1 nap problem (if we ever do!!!!!!!) I will try again to push out her bedtime in the hope that we can move the time just a bit later.

[bethanys mummy]

Hi all

yesterday was not as good for us, she only had a 1.5 hour nap, refused her cat nap and then its the most difficult night to get her to bed early, once again due to Dh being away and having to deal with DD1's activities. So she was OT by bedtime and then took an hour to go to sleep, seemed restless all night etc. So she did 10.5 hours, (with W2S) which is much better than is has been, but still tired when she woke so will be on a 2 nap day today. I guess thats how it will go, if she is OT because of nap / bedtime mess up one day then try to compensate for it the next day. Makes sense really. I do recall DD1 catching up the next day at this age, just the world revolved around her so I had the flexibility

Lisa - if you seem to have a fixed length of night sleep i would def try W2S

Rachel - I would def try to pack in the sleep to tackle OT first

Sorry cant type much more, at work!!

Check in soon

E x

[bethanys mummy]

Sorry, meant to say

Lisa- yes did W2S last night, although she was restless anyway as I said. but 10.5 hours is better than 9.5!

Think this backs up my thoughts that W2S works best for her AFTER I have got rid of excess OT as Claire's Mum said ages ago!!

I creep in, gently jostle her (tummy rub as suggested in the book did nothing), in the end she jolts (a bit like they used to do when they were younger when coming out of a nap) but at the same time my other hand is holding her down and then rubbing her (which has always been one of her many AP's!) to resettle her

The first time I did it it went very wrong as i bf her back to sleep - not recommended!!

Claires Mum does something similar In the book in one section it talks about tummy rubs, gentle jostling etc, in another it suggests you change their nappy (!!!!) but not found anyone that brave yet. Let me know if you want me to find the page no's when I get home

I use an hour before she normally wakes. So she was doing about 10 hours so I go in 9 hours after she went to sleep.

HTH

E x

[DebLillian]

I changed her diaper for a w2s... it worked great the first two nights as she was still in a deep sleep but the third night she was having some sort of a digestion issue and she had a poopy diaper which caused a whole bunch of fuss.  I think it depends on the part of the sleep cycle.

[LisaM]

Thanks for that info - don't worry I do have the book somewhere so can dig it out.  Def not brave enough for the nappy change - she seems to be such a light sleeper, when she slept in our room as a baby I used to wake her up nearly every night when I went to bed- was a nightmare!

Still in 2 minds - I will log exactly how many hrs sleep she takes over next few nights and see if close enough to try it.

Anyway, early bed for us as only 1 nap - 1 hr 15 mins which is standard for Grace.  So off for bath now - fingers crossed all goes well and sleeps 13 hours (in my dreams of course - even 12 is a pipe dream!!!)

[bethanys mummy]

Lisa

any thoughts on if you can get more sleep in in the day through a catnap in the pushchair or car? Works for us.... sometimes!!

E x

[LisaM]

Emma - Don't think it would work - she used to sleep in her pushchair when she was really small but then wouldn't do it anymore.  The most she has ever slept in the car is 30 mins and it used to take at least 40 mins for her to go off to sleep, just not practical with dd1 to think about as well. 

She did OK last night slept from just after 6pm to 4.20 then straight back off til 4.50am so total sleep not too bad.  Back to 2 naps today though - having her first now which I will probably have to wake her from after an hour.  I wonder if its confusing for her with us always doing something different for her nap times - I think a lot of people shuffle between one and two naps for a while though and not really a lot else I can do as I did try going cold turkey for just the one nap and she got too OT.

How was your day/night?

[bethanys mummy]

Hi

big pity about the car / pushchair, just gives you more flexibility for a cat nap when you are tied to DD1's schedule eg we sometimes go to the park and bethany wil be asleep in the pushchair so I can focus on caitlyn. May be worth trying again... sorry just trying to think of ideas!

11 hours sleep not bad though..... if fact great, and going back to sleep is  a big plus too.

Not as great here. Got a 2 hour nap and another 50 mins into her yesterday and she went down better at night (20 mins not 1 hour.....) so thought we had counteracted the day before's OT, but she still only did 10.5 hours and woke up grumpy. Not terrible, but not the habit breaking 11-11.5 I am hoping for. She is a little warm to day though so may be coming down with something

So today's strategy is 2 naps and prompt to bed ansd W2S after 9.5 hours not 10, although not sure if this makes a difference or not!! And tomorrow is MMR jab (if she is well) so all ideas go to pot!!

E x

[claires mum]

Hi all...just an update from us.  Claire has started resisting am and pm naps (3 hour A time and 3.5 hour A time originally...but yesterday was 5 hour A time + 4 hour A time and only 10 hours sleep at night).  Today I decided to follow a thread by Aly Mac which is to put them down super early in the am for a 1 hour or 45 min nap.  That's the only way I figure I can get Claire another 1.5 hour nap in the pm + a reasonably early bedtime around 6.30 or so.  I thought I'd have huge troubles putting her down just 2 hours after waking...but she went to sleep in minutes.  I'll keep trying for a few days and let you know if this strategy works.

[bethanys mummy]

Oh we try everything dont we! I am keeping a log of sleep in teh hope I can work something out as well. Looking back on this post helps too!!

Mixed bag here. Nursery go 2 sleeps into her yesterday but they were way too far apart in my opinion. Ok to go to sleep but restless again. So much so that when I went in to do W2S she was already half awake. Patted and patted and patted her back to sleep and then she slept for another 2 hours, so 11.5 in total. So good final result but not good method!

I am assuming that she is still OT, so frustrating that the mess up on Tuesday is still having after effects. I think that OT for her causes restlessness at night first and slightly EW's, then followed by NW's and very EW's if I dont get on top of it??? Either that or I am completely worng and its something like teething! Claires Mum - I think this sounds similar for yourself??

Anyway MMR jabs today so all bets are off, just try to keep on top of her sleep and fingers crossed

E x

[LisaM]

Emma - Hope the jabs went ok and didn't hurt too much. 

Claires mum - we tried that really early nap the other day (I haven't seen the post you refered to though - have you got a link?) and she went down 2.5 hrs after waking and it worked!  Was gonna try again today but just didn't think she looked at all tired and so went for one nap which was her usual 1 hr 20 mins which is OK ish but when I went in to her she started to really cry, a sure sign not enough sleep but I know her well enough to know that even if we try for ages she won't go back off.  Early to bed tonight again, hopefully she will sleep 11 hrs til 5ish.  Last night she woke again at 4.20 but back off til 5.15 so not so bad, although only 10 hrs in total.

Hope you both have a good weekend - I;m actually going out later with a friend for a meal and good old chat - make sure I'm home by 10ish though!!!!!!!!!!

[DebLillian]

Hi!  We are still struggling with NW and EW.  I tried the earlier bedtime but she just wasn't tired   Yesterday she napped from 8-8:45 and then 12:30-3.  Today the am nap was 8-9:30 so we'll see what happens this afternoon.  I think she is just getting a lot of daytime sleep to make up for the EW.  I sure do wish I could convince her to change that.

Emma-  Good luck with the jab.

Claires mum- Do let use know how it works.

Lisa-  Enjoy the outing with your friend.  I'm sure it'll be good to get some "Y" time.