stuck in the 3-4 hr EASY transition

[Yazzie]

Waterdragon, how are things with your 01.35~01.40 A times and don't worry, it took us lots of time to extend as well, partly 'cause ds wasn't ready and when he was, I was too scared to extend, kwim.

[gemma2313]

newmummy82 i think your lo and my ds2 are doing exactly the same things... I pushed through to 1.50/2hr yesterday and today and he has been sleeping SOO  much better during the naps. We are also doing 3.45/4hrs  and I'm having to sing songs or play with toes etc to extend that A time!! We also had a 1.30am NW for like 3 weeks in a row but it seems to have recently been broken and it now varies again but is still one NW (usually between 2 and 4am..)

[newmummy82]

Funny old morning- 1 hr 55 first A time then a 1 hr nap that I could only extend for about 10 mins after resettling and she definately had her UT face on when I finally lifted her (beaming smile and a kinda 'FINALLY you got the message' face!!) so who knows. Was then expecting a shorter A time after a less good nap but she held out for 2 hrs and almost would have gone longer. We'll see how this nap turns out. I have this feeling that when I look back in a week or 2 it will be obsvious that she is just adjusting to this new routine but at the moment I keep doubting myself!

We have found that listening to music and dancing helps distract her for a bit- current choice is Eric Bibb or Led Zepplin (the baby lullaby version though)!!

Is everyone pushing for a 2 hr nap as well? I'm not sure DD can manage 4 hrs between every feed which may be a contributing factor so yesterday we ended up with 2 1.5 hr naps and a 1 hr 15 nap.

On a positive note, our W2S attempt last night worked! Missed the 1 40 NW and went through til 3.30 then throguh til 7!! Still can't quite believe it! It's magic!!! Do most people just do 2 nights of it before seeing if she manages by herself??

Ruth

[waterdragon]

Ok
Need help....?what is going on here
yesterday woke at 0720  aAtime 1.45 woke at- 30 mins
kept her up 2 hrs - slept 1 hr 40 mins but woke at 30 min and 50 min point and self setteled
then A time of 1hr 35 min (which was our previous working time).. woke at 45 mins settled for a further 20 mins (ie 1 hr 5 min nap)
cat nap of 25 mins

today woke at 0650 (too early) fell back asleep about 0720 and woke at 8.
A time 1 hr 35 mins -1.5 hr nap (called out at 45 min point)
then A time of 1hr 35 min - 30 min nap .....what the £%£&

[newmummy82]

Am absolutely no expert but just wondering if 1 hr 45- 2 hr is what she wants.
COuld it be that today when she woke and went back to sleep first thing she didn't really get much more sleep-more like a 'doze over'- so that her A time started at 0650 ie her A time was sort of longer than 1 hr 35- giving her a better nap. Then when you tried 1 hr 35 again it was too short.
Not sure if that makes any sense having read it! Have just found today that we need to include plenty of calmer time in her A time IYKWIM. She did much better when we had short time in car and pram and she was awake but looked like she was day dreaming a bit! Maybe aiming for 1hr 50 with mostly chill out time would work???

THink a pp said that pushing A times may solve more problems then it causes so maybe chosing a couple of day and really going for pushing to 2 hrs may work (like in BWSAYP.)

The problem with these LO is that they are always a step ahead and by thetime oyu have there A time sussed they have got bigger and want something else!!

[waterdragon]

2 hrs resulted in a 30 min wakening which she self settled then 45 mins then awake.......

[newmummy82]

The other thing I thought of after I posted was that some LO seem to like a shorter first a time (say 1.5hr) then 2 hr after that. Our DD likes a longer first A and then shorten up as the day goes.
If she self settles then it probably was the right A time I would think. DD often squeaks at 35 min and 55 min and only if she is UT or massively UT does she wake properly and not go back over. I guess if she is ok when she woke after 1 hr 15 then if she can last to feed time it's probably ok.

We are totally making it up as we go and still have at least one funny nap per day. Trying not to analyse it too much but plough on and hope that in a few days the dust will have settled and she will be on the 2 hr A and caught up on any OT that she has accumulated on the way (just in time for us to go on holiday!!!!)

hang on in there!!
Ruth

[waterdragon]

Thanks Ruth
I have a question......
Today
W 7.30(2 hrs)
S 9.30-10.50 (1 hr 20 )
A 10.50 - 12.25 (ie 1 hr 35 )
S 12.25- 2.30 -woken (2 hrs)
A 2.30-4.20(1.50)
S4.20.... now almost 5

My question is  was I right to wake at 2 hrs ....?
I read if you let naps go >2 hrs it may lead to disturbed night sleep
But if I had let her go till 3 pm (2.5 hrs)I could have just got away with cat nap at 5 pm

I have let go of the routine a bit and am 'experimenting'.....lets hope I dont regret this tonight

[Yazzie]

Hope things went well @ night, and it really is normal to go through experimentation stages, that's how you'll figure things out really, about the nap I'd go with the recommendation of sticking to 2hrs to avoid too much day sleep, which may then fire back and cause odd NWs.

[waterdragon]

Thank Yazzie , night was fine

Can I mention something here , I have posted this on bottle feeding and NW posts but with no help.
In relation to our nights.
DD2 goes to bed about 7.30pm she has a feed of 4-6 oz before at about 7pm
She wakes/woken for a feed  between 1130pm-12......Every one says this is too late but she is not interested in feeding any sooner  so there is no point. My husband says she sleep straight away after feed  if he didn't DF her she will wake by midnight.

She usually takes a big feed 5-7 oz......now here is the problem
Initially she used to wake about 4am but then this got very variable.
The problem was she was waking later 5.30 or 6 and taking ages to settle back asleep.So I started getting her up for a feed if she hadn't woken by 4.30 am and diluting it.

We  had got down to <3 oz  and when she wakes she still refuses her morning bottle
Last night  she took a small feed at 11.45 pm about 4 oz I heard her stir at 0415 and just jumped in and offered her a feed she took 3 oz normal strength feed.

She woke at 0700 this am ..she refused to feed till 8am and then took 2 oz  over the next hr I managed to get the full 5 oz into her with difficulty.

I am not prepared to start the day at 0600 or 0630 as DD1 is on an 8 to 8  routine  so why add hours to my day.?
Sorry such a messy question .I would love to get rid of this feed ,it appears to be a snack and she obviously is not hungry on waking.

[Yazzie]

I really wish I could help, but don't have much experience

[newmummy82]

Also no experience of this but maybe smaller feed at 7 might result in bigger feed at 11 and get you through? Maybe diluted feed if she wants before 7am?Or maybe a W2S for the 5/6 wakening??
Hope yours days are improving. Just had morniing trying to explain to Grandparents why before we always put her to sleep when tired and didn't push her, now we are trying to keep her up longer!!! They think I am totally obsessive (probably right!) and keep telling me what I should be doing! 'sigh'

Ruth

[waterdragon]

Oh no worst nightmare ...OT baby .
1st a time 1hr 45 = 1hr 25 min nap
2nd A time 1 hr 45 = 30 min OT++
3rd A time 1 hr 30  = 30 min nap
we are both exhausted

[Yazzie]

I really think that second nap was more like UT, how was she when she woke up from this nap?..what probably happened was that she was UT after nap2 and then OT after nap3, since 01.30 hrs could have been too much for her after a short nap.

How are things now?

[gemma2313]

hey waterdragon ds2 resettle himself after yesterday!! yeah!!!

we're back on 2hrs and its working a bit better today. I'm having to virtually ignore his sleep cues to get to 2hrs... he seems very ready at 1h50 but if I put him down then, I get 45mins and wont resettle. I just did 2hrs first thing this morning and although he made a squak at the 30min point he has slept on.. yeah!! coming up to an hour now! yeah!..

looks like you really need to push on through to 2hrs too...
by the way.. you know when you give panadol for teh first few days of a cold does your lo end up having runny poos afterwards? I think the panadol is giving ds2 gassy/runny poos... (he's alsways been very solid in this department so its strange for him)... I'm going to do a bf post i think... 

I feel for you regarding yesterday.. it would have been a rough day! You know when you get an OT/UT short nap and can't resettle have you tried accepting she is awake but keeping it low key and then trying to put her back to sleep after 10 mins or so... I have been doing that with ds2 on occasion and he tends to go back to sleep with a little AP and it helps us get through/closer to the next 4hr feed point... and him not end up super OT. ? It sort of ends up being EASASE but it does seem to work for him. (and my sanity!!)