recent independant sleeper with short naps

[moynihan]

Hi there:
Just looking for some help or advice. I have a 9 and a half old daughter who has just recently been sleeping thru the night on most nights. Sometimes will have one or two wakings but goes back to sleep very easily after I go in and put her back down again. She has always been a poor napper but used to nap for an hour in the am and about 20 min in the pm with another 30 minute cat nap around 4pm (but I have to drive around in the car with her!!) Since we have got her falling asleep without her help, her morning nap is anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes a the most..and the pm nap is pretty much the same as it used to be. We have a very, very tired girl on our hands. So by 6pm, she is passing on when I bf her and I have to fight to keep her awake until 7:15 when I put her down awake. I have tried all different times with A times to see if this will make a difference. Each time I try, nothing works. Is it possible that this is how she just is?  I just don't know what else to do with this nap problem. Should I give up on the naps and put her to bed at 6 instead? It's so frustrating b/c she looks so tired all the time. She generally is rubbing her eyes even she wakes up in the morning. Last night she slept for a solid 11 hours - the most she has ever slept and she still awoke tired looking. She was born 5 weeks early and has always been a horrible night sleeper and napper.. I'll post her routine but it does change quite a bit as I really try to watch her cues. Also - she will nap in her crib in the  am ok but her pm nap - she wakes within the 20 min mark. If we are out in the car in the pm she will nap an hour or two...What can I do?
6:30 or 7am wake
7am bf
8am - cereal & fruit
8:30 to 9am - sleep for about 20 min to 40 min
9am /9:30 to 10:30 to 11am -playtime
11am - bf
11am to 12pm - playtime
12pm solids
12 to 1pm/ 2pm - playtime - start trying to put her down for naps at 1pm
230pm/3pm-bf  - sometimes falls asleep for about 20 minutes between 1pm and 3pm
around 4pm I give up and take her for a drive which she generally falls asleep until 5pm
5:00  - solids
5:30 to 6:30 - walk in stroller
6:30 to 7pm - quiet play
7pm bf & bedtime routine
7:15 in crib and asleep usually by 7:30.
7:15

[brenda2]

hi
i assume you mean 9.5 MONTH old. right?

if she is 9.5 mo, 2 hours first thing is very short A time and she may be UT for this first nap.  at this age most LOs are doing at least 3 hours, sometimes 4 or more hours A time during the day and doing 2 long naps or at least 1 long and one short.  sleep needs do vary and each baby is different, but typical day sleep at this age is about 3 hours with 11-12 at night.

typical routine for 9.5 mo:
7 awake and bf
8 solids
10-11:30 sleep
12 solids
2 bf
2:30-4 sleep
5 solids
7 bf
7:15 bed

i think she isn't very tired first thing when you put her down after only 2 hours but then with only a 20 min nap by the time the afternoon rolls around for the second nap she is very OT.  i would try putting her down for nap #1 after she has been awake for 3 hours first thing.  if this results in a long nap try another 3 hours after she wakes up before she would be asleep again, and then about 3 hours after she wakes from this nap (if it's long) before bedtime.  if her f irst nap is short try putting her down for nap#2 after just 2.5 hours and see how it goes.  basically if short napping you have to shorten up the subsequent A times and try to fit in more naps.

she may also have a prop problem.  how long has she been sleeping independently?

[moynihan]

hi - yes I mean a 9 and a half mth old. I will try putting her down at 3 hour A time and see what happens. I have been putting her down at 2 hours and a bit as she always seems so tired. If putting her down at 3 hours does not work, what should I do? Should I try even longer A time then? by 15 minutes..or  half hour? Grace has been only sleeping independantly for about 2 weeks. It involves a lot of put down and walk in walk out, but usually within 15 to 20 minutes - she is asleep. The only prop that I can think of is that at nap time and bed time we play sleepy lullaby music for her - mostly just to drown out our noise as we live in an old small house that has very creaky floors! Do you think that might be a problem? If so -any other suggestions to help block out noise for her? We have  a small fan near her crib to help but it would not work just on it's own.
thanks!!

[brenda2]

hi
the music shouldn't be a problem.  it does take a while to get used to independent sleep.  it's been 2 weeks, it may take her a few more days to adjust.

try the 3 hour A time for a week and if it's still not working out then we can adjust.  by this i mean try 3 hours first thing.  if she does a long nap (longer than an hour) repeat the 3 hours A time but if a short nap reduce it to 2.5 hours and try to fit in an extra nap if both naps end up being short.

[moynihan]

Hi there - that sounds great!! I will do this for  week and then get back to you and let you know how's it working. I'm crossing my fingers!!!! thanks - take care!

[brenda2]

good luck, keep us posted.