ANOTHER tweak?? So soon??

[RothE]

Hi all -  Over the past month, I have received so much help and support and for about 2 weeks I saw some success with naps.  DD was taking two great naps a day (finally through with 3-2 transition I think). The last two nights have also gone great - which is hopefully the end of a 3-month long EW habit!  However, with the good nights, the last 2 days the naps have gone screwy again.  I don't want to get back into some bad OT/UT cycle so am hoping to stop this before it starts. I JUST increased DD's A time to 3 hours...is it possible she needs even more if her nights stay good?  I am thinking I should increase her A time by 10 minutes tomorrow...just wondering if that makes sense to those of you with more experience. DD has had 3 hours of A time for only 2 weeks now. 

EASY (before good night)
EW: 5:30 (back to sleep with me)
E: 7
A: 7-10
S: 10-11:30/12
E: 11:30
A:  11:30-2:30
S: 2:30-3 (wakes up)
Usually get back to sleep til 4 or 4:30 if it took a long time to re-settle
E: 4/4:30
A:
S: 7:30

EASY with good nights (today)
E: 7
A: 7-10
S: 10-10:36 (tried 30 minutes to resettle and no luck)
A: 10:30 - 2 (very long and DD was definitely OT but I don't want to go backwards and have to give catnap)
S: 2-4 (in stroller to ensure good nap)
A:

COuld that first nap be UT or is something else possibly going on??

DD is 9 months actual/7 months adjusted age.

Thanks sooo much in advance!! I'm just trying to stay on top of any problems this time!!

[RothE]

Uhoh...last night ew at 430 and 30 minute nap!!  Months of work led to a few good day but now back to square 1! So discouraged!

[Jiinx]

hey hey..please don't say that. It'll get better. Believe me!! *hugs* Let's work through this, k?

Okay so we know his age corrected is 7 months, and he's 9 months chronologically, right? So yes, at 7 months they can do 3 hours BUT, like you've said, she COULD be just working through what she can manage right now..and maybe playing catch up with her A times since she's finally gotten caught up with her OT.

Now let's just go through the checklist:
1) teeth?
2) sick?
3) milestones - crawling?
4) stranger anxiety/separation anxiety?

If no to all of the above, maybe we can see about adding some A time to the first A.

What do you think?

[RothE]

Hi - thanks again for your reply. I know I've just got to keep working at it...but it's so frustrating, especially now that I know DD is capable of good sleep and likes it!  It's that much harder to be back to shush/patting in her room for so long too.

Teeth - I don't think so. Her gums aren't swollen and her drooling/chewing is as consistent as it has been.
Sick - She has had a cough for about 2 weeks...but I don't think it's impacting her sleep as she had her best sleep even with the cough.
Milestones - Nothing new going on unfortunately.
SA - She's a bit more into mommy mode and wants to hold my hand until she falls asleep...so perhaps??  Although I don't feel like thats it, but who knows.

If her night goes well, I'll add A time to the first A...but today she had an EW and only a 30 minute OT nap after 3 hours A and I couldn't re-settle.  She was calm and eyes closed holding my hand and I'd take my hands away and we'd start again.

Thanks so much. 

[Jiinx]

it may just be simply the EW and the 3 hours were too much? However, I am a believer of having a "set time" to put them to sleep so their bodies can adjust to it. It may work if her A times was of a 9 month old, but since we're still wafting through potential A times I would still probably watch the clock for her.

*hugs* We'll work through it. Let's hope tomorrow goes better...

[Jiinx]

How's everything going?

[RothE]

Hi! Thanks for checking in.  Things are quite messy over here...but that's my fault.  DH and I took DD to a birthday party yesterday.  Nap #1 was great in the car...but then I guess DD got OS bcause could not fall asleep at all for a p.m. nap and had a terrible night.  Today I've done a lot of AP to extend the naps which have all ended on their own at the 30 minute mark.  I guess maybe that's the bigger issue...I can no longer get DD to settle without some form of APOP at the 30 minute mark.

[Jiinx]

Are you getting her back to sleep right away at 30 minutes? Is 30 minutes OT or UT for you guys?

[RothE]

30 minutes is usually ot...lo wakes screaming. If i come in and shh/ pat dds eyes will close. However the moment i take my hands off of her and she let's go of my hand she will cry and we start again. At some point i either end the nap or rock her and try to put her down for rest of nap. Could she have forgotten how to self settle so quickly?

[Jiinx]

no not necessarily. it just sounds like she's going through a rough patch that she needs her mommy for, no? I'm not sure it's the A..if anything she sounds OT but I believe your As are already on the low side...

[RothE]

I agree it seems OT...but 3 hours A is the minimum I think she needs.  After rough morning, I have taped her blackout blinds to the wall (so its that much darker and given pain meds.  Perhaps her little teeth really are making moves even though I can't see it.  I also made an appointment with the pediatrician.  LO is having some...digestive issues...which isn't unusual for her and the pediatrician has never been concerned before, but it's worth a second look.  LO has been quite whiny the last few days too...constantly looking to be held by me or in my lap or have my attention. Uh oh, 30 minute nap over.