Slightly losing it with 2:1

[LovelyLilyandJack]

Hi,

LO is now 13.5 months and after a couple of bad months with lots of teething, starting nursery, illness, jabs and other excitement like birthdays and Christmas, she has just recently become really cheery and seems to need more A time as we've had lots of nap refusal lately.  However, I'm not convinced it's all under tiredness as she's usually quite susceptible to getting OT.  On the other hand, it's very rare for her to refuse naps due to overtiredness.  She's normally just glad to get the sleep!

Anyway - a couple of questions...  Does nap length still indicate UT / OT at this age?  I still kind of use it but not sure if I'm over analysing and therefore confusing things?  She has virtually no sleepy cues and would happily play all day, in a lovely mood if she's kept up.  The only way I know she's OT is cos she gets a bit touchy and NWs start creeping in.

Second question - is anyone up for trying to help me work out what's going on with her?  I keep wondering if it's time to consistently try for one nap, as switching between one and two is confusing things.  I could do with some help over a few days, if OK?  I will start with yesterdays and toodays EASY and if anyone thinks they can help, please do!!!  A times after a good night sleep, while she was going through the teething / illness / starting nursery months were around 4 - 4.5 hours I think.

Yesterday:

Woke @ 8.15 after 13 hours sleep.  The 2 days before this we'd had an AM nap refusal, and then a PM nap refusal respectively.
A: 4hr 15
S: 2hr 45
A: 4hr
Bedtime: 7.15ish

Slept just under 12 hours.

Today:

Woke @ 7.10
A: 5hr 15 (tried putting her down after 4hr 35 A time and she screamed (whilst rubbing her eyes) for 40 mins.  I used WI/WO to get her to settle.  She looked like she was about to fall asleep in the buggy after just 3hr 50 A time but we got home just as her eyes were shutting so no sleep.
S: 1hr 20
A: 4hr 40 (Actually was aiming for 4 hrs, but we were out and it all went wrong!)
Bedtime: 6.30pm

We'll see how tonight goes.....

Thanks in advance for any help!   

[*Becky*]

bumping up x

[LovelyLilyandJack]

Thanks for the bump.  

She slept without a peep last night til 5.40am, when she woke up.  She chatted to herself for an hour, then started crying, so I gave her some milk and put her back to bed.  I think she went back to sleep at 7.10ish and slept til 8.45am.  However, I'm now regretting this as she's fought her nap today and was up for 5hr 10 again before she settled.  I put her down early today - after about 3hr 50 A time - and she chatted to herself quite happily for about 45 minutes.  I then got her up, gave her some milk  and then put her back down 15 minutes later.  She chatted a bit, then cried, then went to sleep after about another 15 minutes.

She only got an hours nap cos we had to go out at 3, and I didn't want her sleeping too close to bed anyway.  I think she's pretty tired now as a result but I still don't know what's going on with her.  By the end of yesterday I was convinced she was OT, but now I'm back to thinking UT if she's taking so long to settle for naps, and is happy up there?!  Normally if she's OT she sleeps when I give her the opportunity but I'm just not sure.... I don't want EWs to start up again - complete nightmare! 

[*Becky*]

It seems she did a good nap after 4.15 A time and after a long night sleep so I suspect the nap issue the next day was OT....I would stick with 4-4.15 A time and see how she does.
I probably would choose a start time for the day i.e. 7am or 7.30am and stick with it as consistency will help with 2:1.
How did today go?

[LovelyLilyandJack]

Sorry - our posts crossed!  I was just changing my last post with an update from today cos I didn't want to have loads of posts all by me!  

I tried putting her down early today as after our EW I was convinced she was OT, but that didn't seem to work either.  Just don't know what's going on at the moment...  I find her tired cues really hard to read - she just goes on and on, and OT and UT both have very similar effects on her sleep for her.

I have tried keeping her days fairly consistent before, but am struggling a bit at the moment if she wakes up early.  She used to be quite predictable with wake up times but they're everywhere at the moment!  But if she oversleeps I should probably start waking her though, yes.  It does add to the confusion when she's had a 13.5 hour night one day, and I'm trying to compare A times to an 11 hour night the next....

What do you think I should do tomorrow?  I could try putting her down for a nap after 4hr 15 I guess, and if she dosn't settle within 15 minutes, just get her up again and try 20-30 minutes later?  I've done that so much in the last week though I do wonder if she'll think I'm not serious about sleep time, that's my only worry!  But otherwise I'll miss the window and if she doesn't settle, I won't know why?!

[*Becky*]

it sounds like teeth to me - is she teething right now?
I think i would try 4.15 but maybe try for longer than 15 mins- more like 30. I really think she 'should' be tired then.
Good luck
bx

[LovelyLilyandJack]

Thanks.  I don't think she's teething (seems very happy apart from not sleeping!) but will give her calpol before her nap today just in case.

Annoyingly she's woken up at 6.40 today, so that means first nap will be nearly 11.  I'd normally cut that one back and do 2 naps if she woke before 7, but think if / when I do get her to sleep today I'll just let her sleep, and tidy up afterwards with a CN or early night, as I'm not convinced we'll get another one in any more! 

We'll see how it goes..... 

[*Becky*]

I agree with your plan

[LovelyLilyandJack]

Well, followed the plan and the first time we tried putting her down (around 4hr 10 A time), she just screamed again.  I left her for about 20 minutes but she really wasn't calming so we got her up again, gave her a snack and tried again.  I think we gave her some Calpol then as well, unless I'd already done it for the first attempt.  Can't remember already!  Anyway, we put her back down afterwards and she chatted to herself for a bit this time, and then drifted off about 5-10 minutes later.  She'd been up for 4hr 50 in the end I think.  She slept for 1hr 40 and woke up just past 1pm.

We were out in the buggy this afternoon but she didn't sleep.  I thought she maybe looked a bit tired around 5 - 5.30 but nothing definite.  It was too late for a CN then, so we've gone for an early night - my husband put her down at 6ish, and she's currently chatting to herself!  She's done that before on a very early night though - she doesn't seem to like going to sleep much before 6.30.  At least it's more restful than being up for her....

Does a 1hr 40 nap suggest anything to you?  She's done that nap length before when her routine has been a bit off, but I've never worked out what it means!  A 1hr 15 nap always means she's OT, but that's the only one I'm confident in now!

[LovelyLilyandJack]

Just an update on this....  It seems like Lily was just ready for one nap and amazingly for her, was UT.  At least, that's what I think at the moment...  We've had a week of one nap days now, and no NWs, apart from the odd single cry - but hardly anything and might not be related.  She's still very happy and is going down for naps fine at the 5hr mark.  We've had a few hairy days when her nap has been quite early for one reason or another and she's had at least a 5 hr A time before bed, but it hasn't affected her sleep.

Hopefully it'll continue.....  Thanks for all your help - I always find chatting it through makes me see things much more objectively! 

[*Becky*]

great news - hope it continues