clock times/A times to get over OT?

[Bryony]

That all sounds good! 

FYI we still had a mega-early wake up this morning after our late nap and slightly later bedtime!!  So we haven't solved ours either - groan.

Fingers crossed for you

Bryony x

[jcsmom]

Yikes! I was wondering about you last night. My DS does that too. Usually after a late nap he still needs to go to bed at around the same time so he gets his normal amount of sleep (usually 13 hours) in 24 hours. Sounds weird but it's almost as if not getting the right amount makes him OT and not so much the A times, iykwim? (((HUGS)))
BTW, what are you doing with her nap when she wakes early?

[Bryony]

Well yesterday and today she fell asleep in the car - yesterday I let her sleep for 30 mins, today I woke her after 10-15 mins so that she could have a lunchtime nap at the "normal" time.  But that was only as we were away for the weekend and had a car - we don't have our own car so this isn't an option for us normally!

Normally I just go for a lunchtime nap at around 11:15 or 11:30 and then end up with another early bedtime....  and it repeats!!

xx

[jcsmom]

Well, we got an hour from 2:15-3:15pm. I am going to aim for a 7:15 in bed in hopes of asleep at 7:30 and then fingers crossed for at least 11 hours at night or we are in trouble. Becky, do you think that maybe 20 mins is just too much? What about 10-15 and then I can get the nap closer to lunch time and hopefully it will be longer. I am off every other day so i can still work on this, or will that be too confusing?

bryony, how did you live without a car when your DD was little? We drove him so much in the first few months ( I know, not very BW) just to get out of the house!

[jcsmom]

7:35-5:35  what am I going to do now? He is off to the childminder's today and a 12:30pm naptime means 7 hours A time which can only mean 2 things. Short nap and major, major NWs. Now what

[Bryony]

Oh hugs!  sounds like our night - 7:15pm - 5:30am with several OT-related NW in the middle - so she only had 8hrs sleep all night...

Does the CM take him out anywhere in the morning?  any chance of a sleep in the buggy?

bryony, how did you live without a car when your DD was little? We drove him so much in the first few months ( I know, not very BW) just to get out of the house! 

I walked for miles with Katie in the sling instead!! 

[jcsmom]

Sounds like us. We used the sling too. I often meet people in my neighbourhood who recognize me as "the poor girl with the sling"!Sorry to hear about your night. Does OT ever go away? It seems that we just get out of it only to get right back into it. We have 2 good weeks, 1 bad MONTH!
He did sleep from 12:15-1:45, not great but not too shabby. But, alas, it is 7:12pm now and he is not asleep. My DH is doing wi/wo.  I am wondering if going BTC may not be our only hope put of this. 2 naps makes it worse instead of better. I am off tomorrow, what shall I do then?

[jcsmom]

An update, he slept from 7:40-5:50 and then B2s from 6-6:20. We can't win here. It took over an hour to get him to sleep last night. I just don't get it. I think part of the problem is that he is teething his second eye tooth and that he is getting sick. This combined with me going back to work and OT makes things worse. Also, his naps, bedtime and wake times are all over the map. The worst they have ever been. Help.

[lesorl]

(((HUGS))) jcsmom, i'm right there with you. 

Is 7:40pm- 5:50am, then another 20 mins, a bad night?  Did he wake at all o/n? 

Maybe he's trying to structure his day from 7:30pm-6:30am, with a nap at 12:30pm?

I've been going by A time myself, but not sure it's working.  We were asleep at 6:30pm, and up at 4am for an hour...

[jcsmom]

I heard him moan and groan a few times. I guess not such a bad night? Only 10.5 hours. I am too wondering if going BTC may be my best option now as he will be going down at the sitters at 12:30 no matter what anyway. I find that all of these strange times may be making things worse. A times worked there for a while, but we have always gone by clock times. Practically since 5-6 months or so. He used to go down for naps and bedtime like a dream, even if he had a late nap or something. Now I think he is just not sure when to sleep. I am kind of giving up trying to get over this OT as we keep just going round in circles.
L- I really hope that you can figure out M's sleep issues soon. Tiring isn't it? Do you work? I just went back as of yesterday so I am exhausted from these early wakings. (((HUGS)))

[skatty]

It does sound like the best option is for you to go back to BTC, if he has to nap at 12.30 anyway have a set bedtime too and at least his body will reset itself, it can't get much worst and sometimes you have to do something drastic to get results, it also helps you knowing that you have a set plan. If you keep in mind things could get very ugly for a short while but then you should see some great progress it should help you stick with it. Huge (((hugs))) you must also be so tired 

[becky1969]

Yes, I agree.  I thought our best chance to make A times was while you were off work.  But you had lots of disruptive factors so that didn't go as well as I'd hoped!    Since you're stuck with a constant time for naps, you might as well go BTC from here on out and hopes that he soon grows into his new routine.

As for if OT gets better? ABSOLUTELY!  My son has ALWAYS been very sensitive to being OT.  Ridiculously so. We so immense improvement in OT at around age 2.  Now he can skip a nap and not have NWs or EWs.  That's HUGE for my son!  Your son will get there too.  Teeth can be a huge factor as well.  Two year molars didn't affect his sleep as badly as all the teeth that came before.  So, hopefully after the eye teeth are in you can look forward to less sleep disruptions. ((((hugs)))))

And, I really don't think that was that bad of a night.  The fact that he went back to sleep for a bit is very encouraging!  I know that EWs are tough, but you have gotten improvement even though it doesn't seem like it.  Those longish naps are especially a big improvement.

[Bryony]

((HUGS)) 

I'm doing a bit of a combination of A times and clock times - ie aiming for certain A times (5.5 - 6hrs AM and 5-5.5hrs PM) but I also have "rules" about the earliest and latest that nap and bedtime can be - ie nap is no earlier than 11:30 and no later than 12:30 (these days it's always on the early side though!!) and bedtime is no earlier than 6:30pm (can't get her down any earlier on work days) and no later than 7:30pm.  That way we dont' get TOO much variation but there is still some flexibilty based on how well she slept earlier and how tired she is.   Can't say that it's the magic answer as we still get some NW and EW but we kind of soldier on....!

xx

[jcsmom]

Thanks for all of your ongoing support ladies and hugs too. I am thinking that you are right, that BTC may be my best bet now. I managed to keep him awake until 12:20pm. He went down after moaning for 4 mins. A HUGE improvement!I hope at least a 1.5 hour nap.

becky-I really do hope that we do get there as far as OT is concerned. He has always been ridiculously prone to OT as well. Didn't know that until I came here and now I realise as an infant I kept him awake too long thus super looooong NWs and poor naps. Now that I am "in the know" I thought it wold improve things, but I can only do so much, ya know. I can put him in his crib but I can't make him sleep, right!LOL.I really think that these eye teeth are the biggest culprit. It is funny, when we are away from teething (which is only for a month or 2) I always look back and see that being the reason for our sleep issues.

bryony-I pretty much have a rule like that too. But over time the naps got earlier and earlier and bedtime too until we went from a 6:30/7 wake with a 12 pm nap and a 7/7:30 bedtime to a whole hour+ earlier. I can't get him down any earlier than about 7pm after getting home at 5:30 having super and a bath that is about as soon as I can get him down now that I am back to work (which by the way is going well!)so I am hoping that his body adjusts. Really hoping!

skatty-I figure things can't get any worse than now so i am biting the bullet. Thanks for the hugs. I am tired, but it seems like a way of life now for me. 

[becky1969]

Another year or so, and you can leave teeth behind you!  Even though my son is working on his LAST molar right now, my DH swears that he'll probably get 10 more teeth since they've been the bane of his little existence so far!    It's funny, but babies who tend to be sensitive to being OT also tend to be really sensitive to teeth to.  Just read a book called "The Highly Sensitive Child," which I think explains the reasons for this! It will be very interesting to see if your son is 'sensitive' in other ways as well (emotionally, physically, etc.).  Fascinating little monkeys, aren't they?