Noticing sleep changes in almost 22 month old

[makka]

My lo is an angel mixed with a bit of text book. Over the past few weeks ive noticed sleep changes in her, that being her nap during the day cutting short to 1 hour 30 from 2 hours. And also taking aaaaaaaaaages to go to sleep at bedtime.

During the day she is fine, goes down for her nap, takes about 10 min to fall asleep but just confused as to what A time she could handle at this age, seeing she has been on roughly the same A time for months since 1 nap. I also noticed that off and on over the past few weeks she has been knoring on her finger, and drooling a bit, me thinks this could have something to do with her 2 year molars starting.. SHe has all her teeth but these. She used to on average sleep 11.5 hours at night and 2 hour nap, but its more like 11 hours at night and 2 hours or sometimes 1 hour 30 min nap. Her typical day but still trying to get the right A times as i think she needs more somewhere but then when you notice the teething you cut back.....

7isham wake
12.30pm sleep, takes about 10 or so min to fall asleep
2.45pm wake (2 hour nap)
7.30pm bed, wind down starts around 7ish

ANd she seems tired so put her to bed, but normally doesnt fall asleep until around 8, sometimes a bit later..

yesterday was a different day all together, as it went like this

7am wake
1pm sleep, put down around 12.45pm fell asleep at 1pm
2.30pm wake (1 hour 30 nap)
7pm start bedtime, she seemed ok, so thought wouls stick with 7pm, left room at 7.30pm, fell asleep at 8.30pm

and this morning she woke at 8.30am?? so would this mean she needs a longer last A time, is it time for an increase as the last A time has always been shorter like 4 hours 30 to 5 hours and also with the first A time

thanks kirsten

[~inbalance~]

Hmmm, it's hard to say what is going on.  Since she slept 12hrs, I wonder if she was OT by the time she went to sleep, but she is fighting sleep because of the teeth.  Can you see any molars coming back there?  Maybe if you try medicating 30mins before bedtime it will give you an idea if teeth are bothering her.

[makka]

yep it is hard to say, i felt on the bottom and top and can just feel her gums but a bit swollen i think. She is constantly putting her finger in her mouth as it must be bothering her. I might try medicate before bed. now today was a once off day i think with waking up at 8.30am, so this is what ive done today

8.30am wake
1.45pm sleep, she is still sitting up in bed, as she seemed tired around 1.30pm maybe cos she is normally asleep at this time. if she sleeps 2 hours, then i guess bedtime would be late?


kirsten

[Kay Dee]

Hiya, it could be teeth, but it sounds like her sleep are changing too. You might need to either move bedtime later or start capping her nap. I always capped my DS's nap to preserve bedtime as his form was always better after a 12hour night. His nap was around 1hr at that age to keep him on a 7-7 night, but he was low sleep needs (although seems to have higher sleep needs now at nearly 3

Of course the teeth always confuse things too....

x

[~inbalance~]

Yes if she sleeps 2hrs then bedtime will be later, though I would be tempted to wake her to keep a normal bedtime.  I usually have a cutoff time that LO has to be awake by to preserve a reasonable bedtime.  It's something to think about if she is taking so long to get to sleep at night. 

I agree that her needs could be changing but it is so hard to tell with teeth.  Because while her needs are changing, teeth could also start making her need more sleep again once they start cutting.  You're kinda in a take-it-day-by-day stage where you will have to wait and watch what happens!

[makka]

yesterday went like this

8.30am wake
1.45pm sleep, 2pm fell asleep (2 hour nap) didnt think she would have this long
8pm bed, and was asleep by about 8.20pm, i medicated before bed too

this morning she woke at 8am so a good nights sleep, i would have to agree with KDEE, that after a long night, i have much better days with her moods lol. If its about an 11 hour night then she is grizzly during the day off and on, but teeth could be playing a part here, but since yesterday and after a 12 hour night she was great yesterday. I must admit, and not too sure if this is her being tired but do any of your lo's get reved up? we try and have wind down 1 hour before so TV off and just playing with toys until dad puts her to bed to read. Last night my husband said that she was a bugger, she didnt want to read and kept getting out of the bed, so he just told stories....i think she was a bit UT here, but not too sure if her being a bit hyper is from being tired who knows..She has always been a great sleeper for day and night, so as some of you say her sleep needs are changing..

will just take it day by day, i would love a 7.30pm to 7.30am, but it was cut back to 8pm to 7am once the day light savings changed.

so if i was to wake her from her nap to preserve bedtime, should i aim for a 1 hour 30 min nap?

kirsten

[~inbalance~]

My LO does get hyper when he's tired, but looking at your routine yesterday it doesn't look like she would have been tired.  Yesterday's routined worked well, no?  That is similar to what my DS1 started doing at that age as well.  We have not had a bedtime earlier than 8 since he turned 2.

If this is what she is doing and she is happy with it, then I wouldn't fight it.  Plus, lots of moms would love that routine! 

[makka]

Hi Martina

Yes yesterday worked well, it was just the bedtime being so late and with her not co-operating like she normally does, as you say possibly she was not tired and relaxed enough at that time to go to bed to read, will extend a bit more tonight...
We have just put her down at 1.30pm after an 8am wake up, so by the time she goes to sleep which will be around 1.45pm, i think ill stick with the 2 hour nap and wont nap cut yet, see how she goes on this rountine with a later bedtime and wake up....i guess if she wakes around 3.45pm, then bedtime around 8pmish?

i always thought bedtime times after 7.30pm are too late for lo's under 2, but i guess if they are happy and not grumpy then its ok to put them to bed around 8ish....., i was just worried with her going to sleep after 8, means she would possibly wake up early like at 7, but it doesnt seem this way over the past 2 days.........

what is a typical last A time for a 22 month old anyway? just out of curiosity? and AM A time?

thanks kirsten

[~inbalance~]

I think final A times really vary from LO to LO.  Some like short A's in the evening, other's need long ones.  My DS1 always was on the shorter side, but I think he was probably doing around 5+hrs around that age.

They really do start to regulate their sleep by the time their are two.  I found with DS1 it wasn't so much about how much sleep he got, rather how he was acting.  So I didn't worry about how long nights were.

But yes, for us we have always had 8pm bedtimes since that age, but he will also do the later wakeups which I like. 

Keep an eye on it, if you think bedtime is too late then you can consider cutting the nap. 

[makka]

Martina

just an update, boy oh boy, yesterday was

8am wake
1.45pm sleep (2 hour nap)
3.45pm wake
8pm ish bedtime, fell asleep around 8.40pm 

this morning she woke at 7.45am, which is not too bad its an 11 hour night, but today she has been so grumpy and grizzly, im thinking a combo of being tired with bedtime so late and teeth. i think the earlier bedtimes worked better for her and early wake ups around 7am ish, cos with her waking up so late it pushes everything forward.
today is
7.45am wake, she was tired and acting grumpy so off to bed for her a bit earlier
1pm ish sleep

so if she takes a 2 hour nap here and wakes around 3pm ish will aim for bedtime at 7.30pm ish the normal time, i really think nights less than 11.5 hours she is grumpy during the day, even at lunch didnt want to eat much, but i think thats her teeth.

my lo has always liked long first A time and shorter last A, she has been on about 4 hours 30 last A time for ages and havent had any probs, but will see how it goes over the next few days as it might be teeth

[~inbalance~]

Sounds like a good plan. 

[makka]

after yesterday of
7.45am wake
1pm sleep, 1.10pm fell asleep (1 hour 30 nap)
2.40pm wake
7.30pm sleep, as my dh put her to bed as i had to go out, and she fell asleep straight away

woke this morning at 8.15am??

so she definately needs a longer last A time which is nearly 5 hours, so today what time nap do you think so i can preserve bedtime?

kirsten

[~inbalance~]

I wonder if teething is making her extra sleepy?

If you want her on more of a 7:30-7:30 routine then you should probably wake her in the morning if she is still sleeping.

[makka]

mmm not to sure

today after a long nights sleep of just over 12 hours she has not been grizzly at all, so maybe with those shorter nights of about 11 hours and having 2 hour naps during the day she was tired...i think she does much better on longer nights than 11 hours and with yesterday being only 1 hour 30 min daytime nap she went to sleep straight away at bedtime, and her last A time more of 2 hours 50 so nearly 5 hours last A. today has been like this and im going to wake her from her nap now

8.15am wake
1.30pm sleep
3pm wake

will aim for bedtime between 7.30 and 8, and hopefully get a wake up of around 7.30pm. its it unheard of that 22month olds only need about 1 hour 30 min nap during the day? and longer nights? i just dont want to nap cut and then OT creeps in

kirsten

[~inbalance~]

its it unheard of that 22month olds only need about 1 hour 30 min nap during the day? and longer nights? i just dont want to nap cut and then OT creeps in

Not at all!  They are all different.  If OT creeps in you can let her have a catchup day where she naps two hours.  Sometimes during times of transitions while their needs are changing, you'll have to adjust the nap accordingly.  You could try throwing one catchup day in a week to keep OT at bay.