9 MO in midst of 2-1. Am I stuck with EW & NW until this is over?????

[sezzab]

Hi there

I have a very very very busy, spirited little DD who started the transition from 2 -1 naps well over a month ago.  After playing with A times, short AM naps, short PM naps and just cold turkey to 1 nap we have finally settled on the following nap times, which seem to stop her getting OT.

5.30am         Start the day
7.00             E  -Bottle followed by solids
8.00             A
9.30 -10.00   S - in the car sometimes on the way to an activity
10.00           A
11.00           E - lunch followed by bottle at 12.00
12.30

With any other combination we were getting NWs in the early part of the night (i.e between 7 & midnight), in addition to wakings between midnight and 5.30, before starting the day at 5.30am

[sezzab]

Oops hit send too soon!  Here's the schedule

5.30am         Start the day
7.00             E  -Bottle followed by solids
8.00             A
9.30 -10.00   S - in the car sometimes on the way to an activity
10.00           A
11.00           E - lunch followed by bottle at 12.00
12.30 - 2.30  S
2.30 - 4.30    A
4.30             E dinner
5.30 - 6.30    A bath, stories, playing with dad
6.40             E bottle
7.00             S
12.30 - 1.15  Up & wanting to party.  Has a lot of wind generally
Anywhere from 2.30 to 3.30 - brief wake and resettled
5.30 Up for the day

Can anyone see anything obvious that might help me knock these NW on the head??  I could handle the EW if I wasn't up half the night.

Do you think I should start by cutting the morning nap even further??? How little can you give them before it is ridiculous?

Sarah

[Peek-a-boo]

bumping this up for you

[~Sara~]

Hi Sarah (lovely name, if I do say so myself )!  I'm sorry that you've not gotten a response sooner.  So, let's take a look, shall we?

Some things that jump out at me:

1) How long has she been waking up this early?  Before this time, what was her usually wake-up time?  Just want to know how far "off-track" you think she is from her norm.

2) 5:30-7 is a really long day.  Most LOs are doing between a 12-13h day...doesn't mean that she might not need a 13.5h day...do you think this might be a contributing factor? 

3) I see that her first A time is 4h, but then her second is 2.5h.  That's a big difference, though I know some LOs need a much shorter A time after a 30 minute nap.  But, have you tried lengthening that second A time out a bit?  I wonder if her long NW is really UT manifesting itself.  And since she does 4h+ A times the other two A times, then perhaps her body is trying to make up for it at night with those crib parties

4) If #3 is just a flat out no-go, have you thought about capping her second nap to 1.5h (which is still a restorative nap) and then bedtime is moved forward by 30 minutes (maybe a teeny bit more), thus giving her a 13h day?

5) When she wakes up at night, how do you or DH respond to her?  Do you go in and resettle her?  Does she have any props or comfort items?  Have you tried anything for the gas??

So, let's start there and see what we can come up with!  We're going through the 2-1 currently, too, so if any other moms have advice/insight, that would be wonderful!

[*Jo*]

I agree with Sara that its a really long day, i also think that 4 hours is too much A time (especially for a 9 month old) before a 30min nap, maybe 3.5 hours before, then the 30min nap, then 3 hours to the next nap and make that one a 1.5 hour nap, then 3.5 to bed. i feel its a mix of OT and sleep is wonky due to getting too much day sleep (by only half an hour) but also the day is too long for her to handle. wakeups after 5.30 are usually OT and so are nightwakings and i doubt she can last such a full day on such a short night.

Once you ahve answered Sara's questions we can take a further look

[Peek-a-boo]

Yes, I was also thinking that 4 hours of A time may be too long before just a 30 minute nap.  Especially with you doing that one in the car, do you think you could get her to fall asleep earlier?  When we did the short am nap, it actually seemed most effective if it was as early as possible--even at 3 hours if she'd accept it as going for a very long A time and then having only a short nap only takes the edge of their tired and over days could build into an OT situation.

[sezzab]

Hi ladies

Sara I agree that 14 hour days are ridiculous! She used to sleep until 6.30 which is why 5.30 is so horrendous.  I could even cope with 6am.

My rigid sticking to the 9.30 and 12.30 sleep times was a last resort after heaps of experimenting with her routine.  So if she does wake later, i.e at 6 or 6.15 then I am still putting her down at the same time.  I thought maybe it might make her sleep later if her body figured out it wouldn"t catch up on more sleep till then.  No such luck....


I think I could get her to go down for her 1st nap earlier and then push the 2nd A time out. After  a 4 hour A time and 30 minute nap she is really ready for sleep at 12.30 so maybe shorting the first A time is the first thing to try.

I have to go in and settle her in the night otherwise she would just scream at the top of her lungs and not stop.  I feel that after all this wonky scheduling half the problem is that we need to do pu/pd as well.  My toddler is away next week so I am planning to do it then.  But I really need to get to a schedule that works or it is going to be cruel sleep training an UT or OT baby.

I think I will try and shorten the first A time for a start and then stretch the second A time a bit and I'll let you know how I go.

Its got to get better!  I am over functioning on 4/5 hours sleep a day!

Keep you posted.
Sarah

[~Sara~]

Good luck!  I'm rootin' for ya

[sezzab]

Hi there

Well I'm pleased to say I have had 3 much better nights.  She was obviously really really overtired.  Now that she has caught up on some sleep she is going down between 6.30 & 7 and waking between 6 & 7.  

Completely against the grain she is now ready to go down for a nap after 3 hours of being up - before there was absolutely no way as she must have just been so OT all the time I was getting so much of a fight from her.  I let her have up to an hour and then keep her up for 4 hours and let her have another hour or hour & a 1/4.  A time before bed rangers between 4 & 4.5 hours.

We are still getting one or two night wakes but I think we are still making up for the OT.  Cross fingers anyhow.  Here's hoping it isn't a case of me jinxing myself by writing this!  I'll update you again in a couple of days.

Amazing how you can be fooled by lack of tired signs.  Obviously by the time she starts to show the signs she is already completely past it!

Thank you ladies.

[sezzab]

I can't believe it!  She slept through from 6.40pm till 6am  AMAZING.  Long may it last!

[*Jo*]

Yahoooooo!!!!! Fantastic news!!!

[~Sara~]

That's great!!   Here's hoping, too!

[sezzab]

Oh no.  4 great days and then pear shaped the last 2.  When I get a sec I will post our EASY and see if you guys have any more ideas.

[Peek-a-boo]

Hoping for you it's a fluke!