NW after 2-1 transition - could it be the schedule?

[Mama2boys]

Hi all,

My 15mo has made/is making the transition over the last 2 months, and now more often than not takes  a nap at 12:30 for about 2.2.5hrs. His schedule is as below on most days:

7am Wake up and milk
8:15am Bfast
11:30 lunch
12:30-2:30/3 nap
milk on waking
5:30 dinner
7/7:30 sleep

As some of you might know we have struggled with NW for feed and before the transition managed to wean him off the feed and he would start his day early about 6/6:30 with milk and all was well, till the transition and then cough/cold happened.

Also he has about the same time made the transition to cow's milk.

now NW are a disaster, he won't fall asleep even after milk and stays awake howling/moaning for about 1 or 2 hrs an then only falls asleep with exhaustion and manage to sleep till 7. These are not on a fixed time and can vary from 1:30-4am!

This wake-ups are killing us. The poor guy really cries when he wakes up, his throat gets hoarse etc. He refuses water in a sippy cup and I have not offered water in a bottle as don't want to take yet another step backwards.

Any thoughts on what we are doing wrong?

Also after every 3/4 days DS will take his nap early say about 10:30 and then may or maynot have a PM nap, which obviously messes everything further. We try and do an eraly sleep time but he rarely goes down before 7am.

Please feel free to suggest everything/anything.

Thanks,
Mukta

[Layla]

Hey Mutka,

I am sorry to hear you're still struggling with nightwakings. Just wondering... maybe he's not tired enough to sleep at night??? Do you think he might be ready for more A time before bed... cause at the moment if he's taking a 2-2.5hr nap and also going to bed at 7ish pm... expected to sleep 12hrs then maybe thats too much for him . What about trying to limit the nap to just 2hrs and putting him down 5hrs from the time he wakes from nap (so say 7.30pm) to see if that will help?

Do you think he might be having an allergic reaction to milk or some sort (totally not my area btw.. but just wondering if there is a coincidence?)

If he seems totally pooped even before the afternoon nap would begin, I would probably offer a catnap rather than let him sleep the full nap length and then nothing at all before bedtime.. OR let him sleep the full 2hrs and then put him down for the night super early (so around 5hrs from the time the nap ends)

hth a little
Layla

[Mama2boys]

Hi Layla,

Thanks for your reply..

by about 7 he is normally so exhausted I think he can manage only a 5hr A time...so a bit of an issue here but I am so willing to try out anything right now.

What should the day at this age be like 12 hrs or more? or less? Maybe if I understand that I can move the schedule around to make it work?

The 7am wake-up is on a good day, today it was 6:30 and i think he had been up, flipping and flopping since about 6. And he still has not gone down for his nap and its 11am.

i think the milk allergy angle might be a possibility but he has been taking cow's milk in small doses for about 6 months now..but will try and check that out.
Hope I can crack this before he goes off to college!

Mukta

[Aly Mac]

Hi Mukta - my goodness, this was us last night.  L had what I thought was a wonderful one nap day, only to have her cry at 1.50am, I fed her as I could not get her down, and it was 4.15am before she would settle to sleep. To have her cry out again around 5 (I didn't go in, she seemed to settle) and wake happy as at 7am...we had playgroup, so she slept from 11.15 to 2pm but soo tired I put her to bed at 6.20 tonight instead of 7.30....... For once I had no idea why she wouldn't sleep - we both tried.

I know for L more A time int he afternoon I don't htink she could handle.  and if I push the first A time I get a shorter nap, and it all starts again...with EW...!!!

do you think teething?

[Mama2boys]

Hi Aly,

You know its really sad but I feel better knowing that its not just me and other parents and kids go through this as well.

Not sure if its teething as he does have 12 teeth already, so all tahts left is the canines and the second molars...but he has at times been chewing his tshirt sleeve..very unusual for him!


I too had thought that yesterday was a good day a 2 hr sleep at 10:30 and the a 30min at 4:30 but man wa sthe night hard!

I do think that part of the problem is the baby monitor as I can hear every ohh and ah and stay awake expecting a full blown wake-up. I might try killing the sensitivity of the monitor today or if I dare even tunring it off. We are right next door so will still hear DS if he break out into a full blown cry.

What do you think?

Mukta

[Aly Mac]

I gave up on the monitor when L was about 2monrths old LOL.  we are right next door and I hear what is needed to come and get her.  definately wait it out if the cry stops and starts.  YOu know hwen it escalates.  L has never been one to wake and us settle her easily back down.  so I lie there thinking, god there goes at least 45mins of sleep.......

I think tooth for you though...sound like it and those canines ahve been the worst for us.  we only have the 2nd molars left.

Hey, dont' feel bad, I feel better too knowing that is wasn't the moon or something that set her off LOL>  Maybe it just really is the switch.....

[Mama2boys]

hey that makes me feel better. teeth will come out soone ror later and w can have a night life (read sleep) again!

[Aly Mac]

either that, or have no bloody clue why they are waking 

[chesterella]

hi everyone
i am going through the SAME thing. trying to manage the 2-1 switch but LO only goes down for 1.5 everyday at 11-11:30 and then needs a catnap at 4:30 to manage through dinner and bedtime. he WAS waking all night long and i thought i nipped it but it has started up again. the problem is, at 14 months, NO TEETH! not a one! it looks as if he is growing a mouth full in there and one morning he is going to greet me with a big toothy smile! not sure how to handle NW's if he is in pain but he was going through SA when waking at night from tooth pain. to fix that, i just told him "it's time for bed, lay down" everytime he stood up to see if i was in the room. eventually after nights of about 4 wi/wo's and telling him that phrase he went down by himself and has been sleeping through the night for about 10 days. BUT, now the wakings have started again. i have noticed that the Hyland's Teething Tabs (4 every 4 hours) have been really working. hope this helps or maybe finds some comfort!

[Mama2boys]

wow...thats great that you are manging the NW and no teeth, how cute.

We have had teething non stop since LO was 3 months old and got a break only lats month after the molars cut through but looks like canines and 2nd molars might be a cause again.

Btw I am having no trouble with the nap, DS goes down for 2/2.5 hrs but I still have NW maybe its too much daytime sleep? but its a vicious circle because if I cut short his nap he has EW and NW due to OT and if I let him sleep longer on the day he has NW and EW as too much sleep.

Am I totally losing it?

[Aly Mac]

Well it happened AGAIN!!! 2.30-3.45....ughhh!!!! nothing would calm her.... i am sooo shattered.  a two nap day for my little one today....

[Mama2boys]

It looks bad here as well Aleesa....he slept at 7:45 and have ha dto replug the pacifier 2 times already and its only been just over 3 hrs!

btw are you planning to sleep train at some point. i'd like to but can't gather the energy and DH won't support he thinks DS needs the milk!

[Aly Mac]

I have sleep trained soo mannny times it's ridiculous...really.  it's the damn teeth.  they just pop up again and we start all over again..... when no teething she is fine.  glad this will be the last.... I"m actually thinking of stopping the morning bf as it's the only one, but she seems to want it when she wakes and I don't think ti's helpoing any. just makes ehr mad when I pull her off after 30mins and she wants more....big sigh.......  we'll get there!!!!

[Layla]

Girls, so sorry to hear about the nightwakings....

Mutka - do you think the dummy is a problem? Maybe its the milk at night?

[Aly Mac]

Mukta, I hope your night went well.

I'm goign to do WI/WO for all nw now (I think!!) - not getting her out of the cot, and me ending up bfing her.  It makes it worse.  Wish me luck!!!

Do you or Layla have any other advice?