Re: sleeping less and less - 16 mo off track

[mmom]

You are not crazy!! I am just impressed you had a notebook!!  I had a food journal instead, because my LO never slept...lol.  I am sorry your LO was up last night BTW.  It stinks.

I already keep my LO up for 5 hours after the nap.  Sometimes it is 5.5 if he is looking good.  So would I still push bedtime back even with the long A times?

The nap today was only 40 minutes.  I tried to have it so he was sleeping by 6, which would have been a 4 hour A.  But he didn't fall asleep until 6:15ish.  I am anticipating a bad night, because this is the 2nd day in a row of bad naps.  Although, he did almost sleep 12 hours last night, so I didn't think he started the day too OT.

[mmom]

My LO woke a few minutes before 5 this morning.  At 5:30 he started freaking out.  DH went into his room to keep him quiet, but that didn't last long.  DH turned the lights on at 5:45 to change him, because he said he couldn't take the smell.  Oh please - give me a break!  Anyway, I do consider this an EW even though bedtime was 6:15 last night, because my LO only slept 40 minutes yesterday.  I do think he is OT now.  I have to go out with my mom this morning, but I am going to tell DH to put him down for a cat nap and see if he'll take it.  It is too bad I am going out, because I could AP him into a stroller cat nap.

[Mashi]

DH turned the lights on at 5:45 to change him, because he said he couldn't take the smell.  Oh please - give me a break!

Better than my DH who would ignore the smell and then when I went in to the bedroom later and said something he would feign ignorance

Sorry about your bad day - I am anticipating a few of these ourselves with Christmas rush.  And here it's only me, DH and DS so it's not like we have a lot going on, but I am finding even this much a lot. I can't remember what it was like when I lived at home and had family and friends!

I did an early bed last night - asleep at about 630 I think. Which confirms to me that the bedtime resistance we had a few days ago at 650 was definitely OT.  Well, either that or it was UT and three days later some OT has built...how is that for "confirmed"  

Today I took him for his nap a bit before 5h and he was very upset.  Stood in his cot whining and pointing to his door...which is a pretty classic UT shout from him.  I got him up and let him play and 10 minutes later he yawned, so I took him straight to bed despite his protests.  Asleep quite quickly so was about 5h15m.  Will see how this goes....

[mmom]

Again, a crappy day!!  What is going on here? This is not a good way to go into the holidays!  Starting on Monday it is going to be total chaos.  DH put him down at 9:15 this morning for a cat nap.  Our LO didn't fall asleep until almost 10.  DH said he was going in to get him out of his crib, when all of the sudden he realized it was quiet and our LO had fallen asleep.  So that was a 5 hour A.  DH didn't know what to do because since he was planning on just a cat nap, our LO hadn't eaten since breakfast.  So he only let him sleep 20 minutes.  I put him back down 2 hours and 30 minutes later and he did fall asleep until 2:10.  So almost another 4 hour A and he only slept for 30 minutes!!  Why?  Of course we can do an early bed time, but why aren't we getting any sleep during the day?

Mashi, DH will change stinky diapers.  He can't take smelling them.  That is good for me, because my pregnant nose doesn't like them either!  However, I could have withstood another 15 minutes this morning.

[mmom]

OK, we need help.  We seem to be back in a bad place.  My LO was asleep at 6:15 last night and woke at 5 this morning.  So not only is the day sleep getting less and less, so is the night sleep.  Two weeks ago, he would have made up for the crappy day by sleeping more at night, but that is no longer happening.  Yesterday, the cat nap was a disaster, so I don't even know what to do about today. I do think he is OT, but I don't know how to get out of it.  Maybe I can try and AP an earlier nap?  Yesterday, we tried putting him down at 4 hours and 15 minutes and he didn't fall asleep until the 5 hour mark.  I am afraid to just put him down at 10, because that would leave us stuck later.  I also am afraid to push him to 11, because I am assuming he is OT.  What to do?

[LucySol]

can you do 2 naps?
say 30 mins at 9.30/10 ish and then a longer nap 4 hrs after that? that works well for us! xx

[mmom]

Lucy, that is what we tried yesterday and my LO didn't fall asleep until 10.  DH only let him sleep 20 minutes and then he only took a 30 minute nap later in the day.  He really isn't sleeping well during the day.  I can try it again, but he doesn't seem to want the cat nap.

[LucySol]

what A time did you give him after the 20 mins? D can manage 3.5hrs after 20 mins but if i think she is OT i have to reduce it.
do you think you got the 30 min nap due to OT? i know 30 mins is OT for us.

[Mashi]

I was thinking the same with two naps.

Not sure where I wrote this - this thread or your thread Lucy, but we have hit this territory as well -- no longer making up for lost naps at night and taking 1.5 hour naps.  The past two days I have had to go to him when he woke at 1.5 hours and rock him against his will to get him back to sleep at nap time, and both times he eventually went, and did another hourish....so it is def OT here, but I hate the havnig to force rock him back to sleep. Today I did nap early, at 4.5 hours b/c am convinced 5h is too long, but he played around and refused to go to sleep. Fell asleep at 5h mark but woke at 1.5 hours...and rocked him back and ended up getting 2+ hours out of him in total.  So he needs the 5h A time but yet doesn't. SOOOOOOOOOO frustrating!

[mmom]

Lucy, I tried putting him down at the 2 hour 30 minute mark after 20 minutes and he didn't fall asleep until almost 4 hours later.  He just rolled around and played in his crib, only to wake 30 minutes later.

Mashi, we are in the same zone with needing at least 5 hours, given our experience yesterday.  But that would mean a nap at 10, so we would be stuck when it comes to bedtime.  

[babybarr]

FWIW and I know this isn't ideal...  Every permutation possible has been tried here, in the end I kinda ride out the OT an evenutally he decides to make up for it either with a few good days of long naps or one night with long night sleep.  I would find myself going crazy trying to work out the perfect solution and getting SO frustrated when things didn't work out.  I know that isn't much consolation but thought I'd mention it!

BTW DS was amazingly good at my brother's wedding.  He walked down the aisle perfectly!  Didn't get to bed till nearly 8.30pm and was woken by our heating at 6.15am 

So I guess plodding on as usual!!

[mmom]

Laura, I too get so stressed trying to figure out the perfect situation.  We have just ridden out OT in the past.  But I fear that it is going to get worse over the next 2 weeks with never ending family functions.  Tomorrow starts a snow ball of them and if my LO goes into this OT, we are really in for it.  We have family visiting on both sides and I can't see us getting our LO to bed every night at 6 KWIM? 

I am so glad your LO did well yesterday.  That is great!!  Actually, sleeping until 6:15 isn't bad is it?  If I kept my LO up until 8, we would get an OT 4 am waking.

So, it is 9:20 and my LO is sleeping.  He was whining and crying all morning, so I filled his belly and put him down.  Right or wrong, we are just going to let him sleep and figure it out later how to handle the cat nap.  He just needs rest and I am afraid that I am going to wake him and get another 30 minute nap later today.  So maybe we will get a good nap out of him this morning and if the weather is agreeable, I will try and stroller ride a cat nap out of him.  It is COLD here, but maybe it could work.

[Mashi]

Kara I think that what you are doing today is a good call. The best way out of OT is often to just let them sleep when they need it no matter how long it is and then get back to routine the next day.

For Christmas can you do a few days with 2 naps - 30+ in the morning and then 4 hours later an hour and  a half...which will likely knock bedtime till late but that way you can be out late or have visitors later without it messing things up?

[mmom]

We got a 1.5 hour nap.  He is a different kid - happy, rested, and full of energy.  With a 10:50 wake, what time do I aim for a cat nap?

Mashi, I was thinking something similar for the holidays.  The only way it will be an issue is if he refuses a cat nap or nap.  But we will have to play everything by ear and do the best we can.

[Mashi]

Ohh after a 1.5 hour nap....330 perhaps? So about 4.5 hours of A time?

We are lucky here in some ways with the holidays with it being just us because we will just have normal days - but we do want to get out on Christmas Day and try to do something so are willing to deal with OT if we have to. I was speaking to my sister today about how she dealt with holidays with three kids all 18 months apart (so one year at Christmas it was a 5month old, a 20 month old and a 3.5 year old!) and she just groaned!