Support and Chat thread for parents of Early Waking Toddlers #2

[deckchariot]

{{{{{hugs}}}}} sometimes it takes a few days for w2s to work, so I wouldn't quit on that just yet. 

[grahan]

Okay, I'm glad you said that.  I will try again.  Today was

awake at 6:05  (Grace woke Hannah with a scream at 6:20)
both napped from 11:30 - 1:30
I'm still gonna try our 7:15 in bed, 7:30 asleep routine and do w2s for Grace.  I think Hannah will be okay.  Here's to hoping!!

[deckchariot]

fingers crossed!

[grahan]

I ended up putting them to bed at 7, they seemed ready.  They slept from 7:15 until 6:30 this morning!!  Plus a 2 hour nap yesterday.  I was very happy   I did do w2s at 5:30.  How long should I continue to do that?   Thanks again so much for your advice.

[deckchariot]

YAY!!!!!  That's fantastic news!!!!!!!  I'd do w2s for at least a couple more nights and then see what happens, if she still gives you the EW, I'd do it for a few more days.  Here's to hoping for another great night!

[grahan]

Okay, so Friday was not so great.  W2S at 5:30 on Saturday morning, wide awake at 5:55.  Nap was from 11:30 - 2:00 and bedtime was a little before 7:30.
And then this morning I did not even get a chance to do W2S b/c I heard Hannah let out a little cry at 5:30.  I went in and Grace was standing up all smiles like she is ready to get up!  Hannah went right back to sleep.  I layed Grace back down and thought she went back to sleep.  Then I heard her at 5:50.  She was just babbling so I left her.  She would be quiet for 5 minutes at a time, then start babbling again.  At 6:30 she let out a little cry so I figured might as well go get her before she wakes Hannah.  I went to the bathroom first and brushed my teeth and when I went in the room, she was not moving.  I kept looking for a few minutes and low and behold, she was back to sleep!!  Then they both slept until 7:45.   This a new one for me.  Late nap today?  Wait until 1:00?!

[deckchariot]

maybe it's her own version of w2s   who knows?!  But YAY on sleeping til 7:45, and yep, probably means a bit later on the nap - see how they're doing.

[grahan]

I ended up laying them down at 12:45 and they fell right to sleep and woke at 2:20.  That was not a great nap, 1.5 hours.  They were in bed at 7:45 but talked and fooled around until about 8:15.  Grace woke at 1:30 screaming.  She was hysterical like I've never seen her.  I eventually did pick her up and even that was not making her stop crying.   The only thing that I could think of was maybe her teeth so I gave her some meds.  She fell back to sleep at 2:15, so up for 45 minutes in the night.  Hannah did not budge, even through all the screaming.  I did not do w2s, I was so tired.  Grace was up at 6:15, Hannah 6:30.  All in all, a pretty bad day for sleep.   Grace has also been sticking her fingers far back in her mouth to the point where she gags sometimes.  I think that her teeth are hurting back there and she is trying to reach.  Maybe I just have to deal with weird, funky sleep until that resolves itself.  Getting up at 6 is not the end of the world.  I just need to make sure she gets to sleep for the night early too.  She also seems to nap better when she wakes around 6, so maybe this is just the schedule that is going to work for her right now.  I just keep telling myself that soon enough I won't have these issues and I will long for them to babies again:(  So, I need to look at the early wakings from Grace as a special time for just her and I to bond... gotta get something positive out of this!

[deckchariot]

sounds like it could be molars - and those are not fun   Sometimes you do just have to ride that out and give pain meds to help.

[Leia and Sabrina's Mom - Jessica]

Hi there! I am new to this thread...I hope everyone is well even if sleep deprived!

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on some W2S techniques. I don't think I am waking my LO enough....it isn't working and I need some sleep.

She is up at 5:15 / 5:30 so I do w2S at 4:30 or just before. I may not be waking her enough....not sure.

It has worked before but only one night out of 5. Whenever she is having an issue of some sort (teeth, cold whatever) and she pops herself up at 4:30 - I put her back to sleep and she always sleeps until 6:30. So I know it theory it should work. I just can't seem to make it happen. We are desperate...I am going back to work and we really need that morning hour. Also- it would make the weekends easier with two full time working parents.

Thanks in advance for looking and some much needed advice!!!

[deckchariot]

what are you doing to wake her?  I never did w2s for EW, but did for nap extensions, and I'd go in and just watch to see what happened when she woke, and found that helped me know better when and how to intervene, so you may want to take a day and just go in and watch what happens as she wakes up.

[Leia and Sabrina's Mom - Jessica]

I kind of just shift her around a bit until she does a flinch or something and then I run away.  I know what she does when she wakes up (we have a video monitor). What do you suggest based on her waking? I am not sure I understand.

[deckchariot]

I found the best time for me to intervene with my dd was just as she started to wake up - if I did it before, I either woke her up completely or whatever I did wasn't enough.  So based on what you see on the video monitor, I'd say the key moment to intervene is just as she starts to wake up (unless she just immediately pops awake).  My dd would squirm around a bit, almost as if she was trying to find a more comfortable spot - so I'd put my hands on her, almost as if I was "holding" her til she settled.  Or I know some mums go in right before they start to wake up and just roll them over, or move them to another part of the bed/crib.  I suspect if she's still waking at the same time even with w2s that you're not intervening enough or you're intervening too early.  Does that make sense?

[Leia and Sabrina's Mom - Jessica]

Yeah - she most def. just pops up. I did get in there the other day as she was waking (trying to extend a nap) and I was able to settle her (of course until DH made a huge racket out in the living room and she realized what was going on and decided to wake up). I am so tired in the morning and she is so random with her time 5:15 / 20 / 30...I would never be able to catch her. I will have DH try it out tonight and see if he is braver than me.

thanks very much!

[J & J's Mum]

How have you been getting on Jessica?

We also have an EWer!  5.45 bang on the dot!  But we are renting at the moment (recently emigrated to Australia from the UK) so our kids are both sharing a room   Not ideal I know!  We are moving in to our own house next month   My problem is, when one wakes up the other wakes up!  DS is 4 and wakes up and shouts us from bed!  We have told him time and time again not to call out in bed, but no joy!! I've now said to him that he can get up when he hears DH get up (that's normally just after 6).

I've been juggling DDs routine around to try and get over these EW!