Im getting very desperate!! near 20 mnths & we are still having the same issues!

[*Jo*]

well I did it, i got him to fall asleep in the stroller! then I parked him outside and had my lunch with some friends, he fell asleep at 12.45 and woke up at 1.30pm so another 45min nap but i figured why not let him sleep in the stroller, everyday i make sure hes in his bed and the environment is primed for sleeping and yet theres no garauntee he will sleep longer at home!

However even my friend said he looks fragile, he would be happy one minute and then just crack it the next minute because hes just not getting enough sleep to sustain him, he was rubbing his eyes and face like he was tired after only an hour after waking! then he fell asleep in the car at 3.30pm for 15mins so hes obviously still really tired
hes still grumpy and not handling things well. Will i ever get my happy boy back again?

[*Jo*]

ladies, I know we decided not to make any routine changes till after the move however tonight we have been watching Caleb and seeing how long he can stay up before he shows us some major tired signs... well its 7.20pm and hes playing quietly and chatting with DH with the Lego. Hes actually been really really good tonight, he was a mess till dinner and then after dinner he just happened to settle down. We are packing boxes for the move on Tuesday and he helped me, he put safe stuff in boxes or bags and we emptied rubbish bins outside (one of his favourite things to do) then he found the lego and DH just sat with him and they started playing together.

am I crazy?? I think I might be, but somehow we have got to get to at least an 11 hour night to try these naps during the day. Hes not acting OT at all! theres no tantrums, no whining, no crying, no fussing, nothing, just quiet chattering between the two of them, its actually really sweet. I may regret this tomorrow (or even tonight!) but I just had to see if we could make it to 8pm. I think him having the 15min carnap at 3.30pm mightve helped. I know its only 1 hour in total that hes slept today but I guess I thought i should just give it a try and if he wasnt handling it we wouldve put him straight to bed. If you hadve told me at 5pm that we wouldve made it to 7.30pm i wouldve laughed, he was tantruming, whining, crying, not eating his dinner etc and I was thinking "oh we may even have to do a 6.30 bedtime, hes just losing it!" but so far so good

SO i guess my plan is that he goes to sleep at 8pm and we wake him at 7am so that its an 11 hour night. if this goes according to plan then naptime will be 12.30?? what do you ladies think?

[babybarr]

Anything is worth a shot I say!!

You don't think he was just hungry before dinner?  I know DS gets irritable if hungry.

[*Jo*]

I don't know, he practically refused dinner, took two mouthfuls and didn't want any more, we managed to get a few more mouthfuls into him but it wasn't much, in fact it was a bit of a mission to get him to eat any of it so we just gave up and let him down from the table as he was just crying.

Well he made it to 8pm beautifully. DH and were really surprised, we thought for sure he wouldnt last, I thought maybe he just got a second wind but when that happens he gets hyper and he definatly wasn't, he was just happy and calm

[babybarr]

Oh well who knows then!!  Maybe teeth were bothering him for a bit?  Let us know what happens tonight.  ((hugs)) and I hope the packing is going well.

[*Jo*]

Thanks Hun, I'm exhausted! It's so hard fitting your whole life into boxes. Have just sat down to watch a DVD and I just want to fall asleep

[teilvnav]

Hmm, interesting developments today. Glad you had a good time at lunch, maybe it is time to take back some of the control and say screw it! You know what I mean? You do have a life to enjoy, after all.

Nathan also freaks out when he is hungry, so I give him little bits and pieces while I am cooking so he doesn't have a melt down before the meal. A cracker here, some raisins there. Maybe that would help Caleb? And I do agree that it could have been teeth causing the meal refusal and crankiness (the combination does seem to indicate that).

I am very interested to see how your night goes!! I think your idea of letting him have some nice time with Daddy and keeping him up a bit later is great. Go with your instincts, Mama!

[Tweakster]

Hunger does not go down well here either.  It's a huge issue after daycare - normally after dinner he really does settle down.  He still runs around playing but he's in a much better mood.  We have done the same before with Finn but we are too scared to go beyond 7:45 lol  He normally gets super uncoordinated before then anyway.

[*Jo*]

well he was up at 6.25am...... so a 10.5 hour night. usually hes content to stay in his bed till the lights come on at 7am but not today so we got him up at 6.40am. Im wondering if soemthing else is going on with him too, his nose is a bit runny and its kinda like a bleeding nose, its kinda brownish orange in colour, he had it a few times yesterday too and now hes got it today as well. So probably the last canine too, its cut through but still pushing up through the gums. maybe I should do a dreamfeed meds tonight just in case.

so with a 10.5 hour night and being awake at 6.30am do you recommend a 12 nap or 12.30? what say you my fellow wise ones? (haha do you like how I presume that Im wise too! lol)

[teilvnav]

I would say 12:00 because of the short night. (Note how I assume by "fellow wise ones" that you are including me!)

[Tweakster]

Vote for 12 here.  We always have better luck with an earlier nap on a shorter night.  It's why we haven't budged Finn's nap yet.  He's on 12 still.

[*Jo*]

ok thanks ladies, so lunch at 11.30? wind down begins at 11.45 and asleep by 12. cutting it a bit fine arent I? I just hate giving him such an early lunch! he had breakfast at 8.10am!! couldnt beleive DH didnt feed him until then!!! and now its 9.30 and Im giving him some morning tea.

[Tweakster]

Jo we often have the same issue, late bfast on weekends so we do a split lunch.  Give him the option of eating around 11:15 - then whatever he doesn't eat we offer when he wakes.  It does cut it close, most days here it's eat and in bed, both for lunch and dinner.  Not ideal but hey - it is what it is.

[*Jo*]

ok ladies, i did it, he was in his cot at 12.05 so allow 5 mns to fall asleep thats 12.10pm for a nap.hes just woken up now and its 1.20pm so.... thats not too bad, its alot better than what we have been having! I cant beleive Im happy with a 1 hour 10min nap ugh!

I gave him nurofen before the nap just in case (hes drooling heaps today, he doesnt usually drool at all!) and I did W2S at the 30min mark. I was gonna try everything today!! lol

[*Becky*]

yes I would have said 12pm too Jo. Does sound like teeth x