Sorry to be back again. Can you tell I'm feeling desperate?
Stan's down for his morning nap and I'm letting him sleep. He woke up at 6, possibly dropped off again but was awake for the day by 6.30. He lasted til 10 for his morning nap (the usual time). But if I cut the nap short, he'll need his afternoon nap earlier (say 1.30 or 2) then he'll be up from that by 3.30 and that will mean 3.5 hours A time before bed. Plus I want to take him swimming today so he'll be really tired for his afternoon nap even if I don't cut the morning one short. I know I said that an earlier bedtime was better, but, that doesn't always seem to be the case and I don't want to end up on a 6.30-6.30 night. Although at this point anything which doesn't involve 2 hours awake in the middle of the night sounds good.
So today our routine will be
Wake and BF 6.30
Breakfast 7.30
S 10 - 11.30
A 11.30
lunch 12.30
BF 1.30
S 2.30 - 4
A 4
tea 5
bath 6.15
BF 6.30
bed 6.45 for sleep at 7
NW some time between 11.30 and 1.30ish.
That's still 3 hours daytime sleep BUT he started the day half an hour earlier. Does that make sense?
This is basically the 'old' routine (although starting at 7) that we've been on for a few weeks now and was working quite well most of the time.
He goes to sleep independently for naps and at bedtime. No props, he has a 'lovey' which he sucks on to comfort himself (except when he doesn't want to, when he hurls poor Robert (the rabbit) up and down the cot
).
He's just learned to crawl. When he wakes in the night, he is not usually sitting or crawling, just lying on his back crying. As I'm trying to settle him he'll often be rolling around and pulling himself up to crawling position, but I just lie him back down. No signs of teething at present, although I sometimes do give Calpol in the night just to rule out pain.
At the NW I lie and listen to him until I am sure he is not going back to sleep and the crying is escalating. I go in and he is on his back, crying, he quietens down as soon as I go into the room but starts crying very upset as soon as he realises I'm not getting him up. I try to calm him down by giving him his rabbit, turn him on his side and rub his back. This will usually calm him down but it doesn't last, he soon rolls back onto his back and starts crying again. Repeat 100 times. Last night I tried WI WO for an hour before giving up and getting him out of his cot. As soon as he is on my lap he calms down and zones out (not asleep, but very relaxed and still). I gave him cuddles for a few mins then lay him down in his cot (cries again) and then stayed right by the cot until he was fully asleep and not looking around to check on me any more.
I've updating this to give more detail. THank you Nicola!
