I am so desperate, can someone help me?

[RACHPEM]

Please accept my apologies for my plea but I really need help and I dont know how I can carry on in this situation.  I have another thread open and have had some great advice and support and I hope they dont mind me posting here.
My dd is 19months always been bad at napping/sleeping but with the help and support on here we have got her sstn for the first time in 19months. But it is the ew's that are kiling me, we have gone from 5.30-4.30 and I cant break the cycle.
I feel like I have tried everything, catnaps, late bedtimes, early bedtimes, set times all sorts of A times and I cant get it right.
She only takes approx 1.5 hrs in the day although mostly 1.20 and 10.5 at night , I really hope someone can shed some new light on our situation before I end up going crazy!!!!
Rachael x

[yaya]

hmmmmmmmmmm are you sure she's not OT? doesn't sound liek a  lot 10.5 hrs at night and less than 1.5 hr in the daytime?
when did she swtich to 1 nap?

[skatty]

Rachael have you considered homeopathy? I have just ordered some tablets called Calms Forte 4 Kids after reading amazing reviews, they are completely natural and help the mind and body calm down when OT and stressed. I have the ones for adults and I can't believe how well they work, they are by the same company that do the teething tablets, Hylands. I have been researching reviews on the net and people who have children with severe sleep problems have had much success with them, just giving them before bed helps them sleep through the night not by putting them to sleep like a medicine but by relaxing them, you could probably give them at the early mornings. I have ordered some for when we have had a busy day with lots of stimulation and also to help when teething as L sleeps quite restlessly, they just sound like something that will be useful to have on hand. If they are anything like the adult ones then I find within half an hour of taking them I am drowsy and can hardly keep my eyes open while reading my book and the go on to have a great night sleep whereas at the mo' I was a lot in the night and am very restless in the early hours, much like your LO! Definitely worth a try for less than $5 

[Vicku]

Rach, I'm marking this so I can keep track of your progress
They sound good Katt, might have to get some for myself.

[RACHPEM]

Hi Yaya, i keep flucuating between Ot and doe sshe need less sleep? i just cant work it out, apart from a brief stint on holiday where she was taking oodles of sleep she has always beenthe lighter side.  We have just tried about everything.  I just dont know how to fix it? We have just got her sttn after a long bout of nws but when she was waking in the night for 1hr or so she was actually sleeping longer overall. We have just gone back to earlier bedtimes but ew arre even earlier.  I hope you can point me in the right direction, 4.30 is not good for my sanity!
Rachael x

[skatty]

Vicku, they are fantastic! I bought them of Ebay but the kids ones I had to get from a US site, Rachael you should look into it for yourself too, you must be so stressed 

[yaya]

rach...try keep a sleep log and plat around with the times but at 19 mos I would maybe have
wakeup 7am
Nap 11.30-12pm for as long as you can get (definately try extending past 1,5hrs)
bedtime 5 hrs after so say u get a 2 hr nap then wakeup 1.30-2ish and
Bedtime max 7pm


(adapt to your current wakeup)
try this for 1 week at least before you decide it doesn't work, you never see the results/chengaes after only a few days.


If no joy give it 3 more days then we'll come together for another plan of action.


Side note: does she go to sleep independently?

[RACHPEM]

Hi Yaya, yes she does sleep independantly now, although naps are harder later to get her down for.  What should I do today though still aim for 11.30 ? as she has been up since 4.30 so that will be 7hrs! and what about if I cant extend her nap, still go with 7pm?
Rachael x

[yaya]

oh didnt kno about the EWs too....
what worked for us and EWs was to ignore them and treat 7 am as wakeup time, after about a week her body got used to it and started catchin up the sleep in those early morning hrs... i think at the end of the day when u reach the end of the tether and can't sort out the EWs any other way then u need to 'starve' them if that makes sense. Yes you have a few days of bad OT but it works out in the end

[RACHPEM]

So I should go with a 11.30 nap still today and bed at 7pm regardless of how long she naps? and do this for a wk?
Sorry to sound thick but i want to make sure I am doing right,
Rachael x

[Iris75]

Rachel, the EWs really sound a lot like what my DS used to do. He also woke up at 4.30 am (sometimes 4 am) for weeks and weeks (it must have been 3 or 4 months of that I think). Bringing him to  bed earlier has helped us and he now seems to wake sometime around 6 am. I've also ordered a kidsleep clock that tells little ones when it's time to get up. I haven't tried it yet, but I am hoping that it might help. After all, they don't know how late it is, they are just eager to start the day and be with you again, so having that device might help them realise it's still time to sleep.

Anyway, you are getting some great advice, but I thought I'd leave you a note to say that I feel for you. 

[yaya]

yeo thats what I would do

[RACHPEM]

Thank you, wish me luck!
Rachael x

[yaya]

good luck!

[becky1969]

I think you're having the classing 10 hour OT wakings.  They happened at our house for awhile too.  I don't know if your DD is teething, but for my son whenever he gets teeth in it makes him EXTRA tired, so it meant I had to put him down 30 minutes earlier for both nap and bed.

Everyone has given great advice, so I'll just be sure to check back in a few days to see if you're having any success.

One last question -- have you tried any sleep extention methods at that 4:30 waking? In other words, have you tried giving warm milk, rocking, soothing, ANYTHING to help her go back to sleep?