7.5M old with several NW

[LinziB]

Quick update - had to pick up Holly last night after 20min of sleeping as we were meant to go out for supper at my sisters. So even though I managed to get her into the car asleep she woke up as we were leaving. Was then awake for about 20min and then miserable so gave her the rest of her bottle then put her down in her carry cot (for away from home) sat with her for a while and then left her as she was lying quitely ... she went to alseep on her own about 10min after I left. Took her home around 10pm and luckily stayed asleep.  2 Nightwakings 1 around 12 and one around 2 and then awake this morning around 6am but went back to sleep on her own and then awake at 7am (I went in as she was trying to resettle herself again!)

[teilvnav]

Sounds like you are on the right track, and pp is right... if she is Angel then this probably won't be too hard to fix. I recently had to completely change how I put Nathan down to sleep, because he started putting up such a fuss. He was struggling and fighting me as I held him to rock and sing before putting him in the crib, as we have always done. So in the last few days I have just zipped him into his sleep bag (an armless sleeping bag thing that makes it hard to go on all fours or stand up) and given him the soother and his lovey, and before I leave the room he has put himself to sleep or is well on his way. Maybe she is ready for a bit of a change, too? We also top off with a bottle before bed, but DH does it out in the living room sitting up so DS can't go to sleep yet. It does sound like she is addicted to your help going back to sleep at night... if she is only BFing a few sips, then it is not hunger. If DH could start getting up with her for a while, then that could break the association.

You could try to extend that last A time just to see what happens... what's she gunna do, wake up at night? She's already doing that, so there is no harm in trying.

I think you are doing a great job trying to get her to settle on her own; it can be so hard, so stick with it! Teaching her to sleep better is a gift for your whole family, because you will have more energy for DD1 and DH as well as DD2. It has been a few months, so it will take some time before new habits are formed. You just got back from holiday, so it is a great time to make a fresh start... she is already trying to adjust to being home again, so she might as well adjust to some new things, as well!

[sherry lynn]

Hi Linzi - Is the last A time about 3 hours? I was a little confused on a few of the nights when you discussed bedtime.

It is possible that she needs a slightly later bedtime. I wouldn't guess four hours though. Not since the PM nap is your shorter nap. I think when most people do 2,3,4, it is more of a catnap in the morning after the short A time. Then a 3 hour gap (which is very common after a shot nap) and then a nice long nap, and then 4 hours to bedtime. My son did something very similar to that around 10 months of age. However, he is also some what uncommon in that his last A time has always been his longest, by a lot. That's not the norm for most LOs.

It sounds like you have made a lot of progress with the APing. I wanted to tell you you've done a god job and to give you courage to keep it up. I know it's hard not to take her to your bed in the morning, to get a few extra zzzzzs, but it really isn't worth it, if that means she will be up 3 times in the night.

The only thing that makes me think it is NOT an A time issue is that she wasn't have trouble at bedtime with that A time before you started sleep training. Part of it is that the naps have been pushed later because she is taking longer to go to sleep. I think her body just isn't used to sleeping that late in the afternoon, that can cause some body clock issues with LOs.

[LinziB]

Thx everyone for all the encouragement.

Yesterday Holly went to my StepMIL and because she woke on time 7pm it was a good start to the day.  I sent her with a rough idea of how her routine for the day should work (with no hope of her actually sticking to it) and knowing that I would have to fix whatever had gone wrong duruing afternoon.

She should have gone down at 10am ... she was put down at 9am so only napped for 40min.
She then was put down again at 1pm and slept for roughly and hour till 2pm.
This meant I had to do catnap. I put her down at 4:15, 15min to fall asleep and then woke her at 5:15pm as I didn't want her to sleep to late.

I took her to room at 8:00 and it took just under 30min for her to fall asleep unassisted.

Her EASY yesterday looked like this.

Awake 7am
E 7:16 Bottle
E 8:30 Breakfast
A 7am - 9:30am (2.5hrs)
S 9:30 - 10:10 (40min)

E 12:00 Bottle
E 12:30 Lunch
A 10:10 - 1pm (2h50)
S 1pm - 2pm (1hr)

E 3pm Bottle
A 2:00pm - 4:15 (2h15)  Asleep after 15min
S 4:30 - 5:15pm (45min) Woke her up

E 5:30pm Dinner
A 5:15 - 8:00 (2h45) Allowed for 15min to settle
S 8:30

AND SHE STTN!

Heard her a few times .. a moan here and a cry out in her sleep etc. but she resettled on her own in a couple of seconds.  She woke at 5:30pm so I BF as I felt that maybe she isn't used to the long stretches without drinking and its very hot here ... put her straight back down and heard her just after 6am ... Dh was getting up to get her and it went quite ... she had gone back to sleep. Heard her at 7am so went in and did big Goodmorning Wakeup ... and she was going back to sleep so quickly got her up.

[teilvnav]

Wow, Linzi! That is awesome.

[LinziB]

Another update - Holly woke 2 times the night following this as I we went to the cricket so she was at my sisters and then we moved her back home at around 10pm.
And then the next nice she slept through from when we went to bed till 6:00 in the morning then back to sleep till 7:30 then into our bed for a feed and awake at 8:30 (Saturday night after a big party at our house so this was a blessing)

Last night she had one waking at around 9:00pm and then only one other one at 2:30 then awake at 6:30am for the morning.

[LinziB]

Today she had a 30min nap with Nanny in the morning (not sure what happened) so had a 1.5hr nap in the pm. Awake at 3:30pm so I have put her down just after 6:30pm and she was asleep by 6:50pm so we will see how tonight goes with naps switched around.

Holding Thumbs

[LinziB]

A quick update ... Sleep was terrible Monday night after the nap switch but I definately think something was wrong (maybe something she ate for dinner didn't agree with her) as she woke up around 9:30pm and cried and it a took a while to get her down and then just as I got back into bed she was crying again did this 2 or 3 times and then the same thing happened at around 12:30ish.

But Tuesday night she STTN again ... but now I'm really confused ... her EASY was

Awake 7:00
E 7:15 Bottle
E 8:30 Breakfast
A 7:00 - 9:30 (2.5hrs)
S 9:30 - 10:45 (1h15)

E 11:00 Bottle
E 13:00 Lunch
A 1:45 - 2:15 (3.5hrs)
S 2:20 - 4:20 (2hrs!!) Woke after 30min and resettled with 3pm Bottle

E 3:00 Bottle (During Sleep)
E 5:30 Dinner
A 4:20 - 7:50 (3.5hrs)
E 7pm Bottle (Gave bottle then picked her up for another 40min A time before bed)
S 7:50    (Went in at 7:40 for windown, gave end of 7pm bottle and put into cot, straigth to sleep)

Trying to re-create today to see what will happen

[teilvnav]

Something could indeed have been wrong, or it could have been regression. I find that Nathan adapts well at first to a change in routine, but often "acts up" a few days or a week later before settling into the new pattern again. I would say keep at it, you are doing a great job! Once she gets into the habit of resettling herself at night, things will be more consistent.

Waking up soon after bedtime like that can also be a sign of OT; possible due to her strange naps that day.

[LinziB]

Thx. Teilvnav I'm really trying to keep with and it seems like she is getting the idea.

Yesterday she had a 1.5hr nap in the morning and I was trying to aim for a 1.25 - 1.5hr nap in the afternoon but she woke after 30min and couldn't resettle. Wasn't sure about A time after 30min nap so pushed her till 6:45pm (4hrs) as I didn't want bedtime to be to early!  We went out to see a loooonng movie last night and DH's StepMIL and FIL came to babysit at our house.  She didn't take her whole bottle when I put her down ... think she was just too tired. So she woke around 8pm - StepMIL gave her the rest of the bottle and she went back to sleep ... then she woke at 9:30pm again and she just patted her in the cot and she went back to sleep.  No more NW until 5:30am ... BF and back to sleep till 6:30am.

So 7hrs without NW which is okay with me.  Probably 2 early NW as she was OT when she went to bed.

Today she is with StepMIL for morning so hopefully she can get an hour nap in (she always short naps there) and then I can get her down for a longer nap this afternoon so bedtime can be more sensible.

Thanks everyone for all the help and support. I really think things are starting to come right!

[LinziB]

Thanks Jane!

[LinziB]

Quick update -

1.5hr Am nap yesterday and then 1.5hr Pm nap yesterday. Went took to room for bedtime windown @ 3h15 A time and was asleep @ 3h30.

Had 1 early NW @ around 9pm (patted back to sleep) and then 1 NW around 12:30 (BF and back to sleep).  NW at around 5am because of dirty nappy (changed and into our bed, BF and back to sleep) awake 6:45am.

Looking at the NW times of 9:30 and 12:30 do you think these could be out of habit as she has woken at these times a few times during the past couple of weeks even though its not every night - maybe every 2nd or 3rd night?