6 month old takes good naps but nights are horrid!!!

[mjohnson33]

Ok, right now its just alot of trial and error then huh?

[mjohnson33]

Now we are down to one or two NW, the first one is usually around 12:30 or 1am and I think he wants to eat then.  Sometimes he just needs his binky then goes back to sleep but wakes then around 3 or 4 and this time he is crying hysterical so I feed him.  I am goign to try to wean the night feed in about a weeks time, want to get him to where he is comfortable in the crib for at least a few weeks first. 

[mmom]

So glad you are seeing progress.

[mjohnson33]

Now we took a backwards step.  I spoke too soon!!  I am pretty sure some of the waking is developmental leaps but I think the other is from SA.  Since I recently transitioned to the crib seems like he is harder to settle when he does wake without picking him up.  Last night I couldnt get him settled unless I picked him up and took him out of the room for about 10 minutes to regroup.
I didnt do the CN yesterday b/c it would have been too late for him and then he would be up way too late for the time he has to get up in the morning.  Here was his day yesterday.
wake 7:15
E 7:45
A 7:15-10 (too long but my mom couldnt find his binky)
S 10-11:40

E 12
A 12-2:30
S 2:30-4:40

E 4:45
A 4:40-7:15
solids at 6:45 and then bath

He slept real good until about 12:30am then I gave him his binky and thought he was going back to sleep and then he just wouldnt settle and the more I tried to settle him the worse it got.  I ended up feeding him at 1:15 then he was back asleep and when I went to put him down he woke up and immediately started screaming....that went on for 45 minutes until I finally picked him up and went into a different room for a bit. Then when I tried to put him back down he fussed but not as bad and I just pat/shsh and stood there until he was asleep, then he slept until 5:30 when he rolled over onto his back and woke up instantly!!! UGH, I am so tired and I wish I had a easy sleeper.......

[mjohnson33]

Also, when he has a night like last night should I still cap his naps?? I feel bad for him when I have to wake him after a bad night......

[mmom]

I would still cap the naps, since you don't want to get into a cycle where is he making up all of his sleep during the day.

I know I keep asking, but any chance he is teething?  Not wanting to be put down and the EW are teething related for us.

There aren't many easy sleepers.  Don't let your friends fool you.   Eventually, your hard work will pay off.  It is just exhausting along the way.

[*Kara*]

There aren't many easy sleepers.  Don't let your friends fool you. Wink

This is very true!!!

I agree completely with Kara's advice.. keep capping those naps and he will adjust over time.. it's hard since they get a bit of OT during the transition, but it is for the best in the long run!  The phase of dropping the CN is a tough one for sure!

[mjohnson33]

Yes, I really think he could be teething but still no signs of any?? Just waiting and hoping that is what it is. 

Last night was a much better night, he woke at 1:15 like normal just moving around and I thought maybe I could get him back to sleep before he fully woke so I did PAT/SHSH and he went back to sleep, then he started moving around again....so I thought I might as well feed him and went to make a bottle, I am trying not to bf at night (Its harder to break).  When I came back in he was back asleep.....He sleeps in my room in his crib, so I thought to myself, I wonder if he smells me and that is why he is waking up??? So I went on the couch and slept.  He slept from 1:30-5:15 without a peep!!! Then he woke up talking and I let him be until he started fussing.  He normally sleeps on his belly, he had rolled on his back and woke up.  So I took him and put him in bed with me and let him talk himself to sleep.  He talked for 30 minutes and then went back to sleep!! So overall, I cannot complain but here was his day, kinda hairy....

Wakeup 7:15
E 7:30
A 2:15 hrs
S 9:30-11:15

E 11:30
A 2 hrs (I told my sitter 2.5 she didnt listen)
S 1:30-2:30

E 3:15
A 3 hrs ( I tried to put him down for a CN from 2hrs on and he was too wound up, why??)
Solids 5:45
CN 6:10-6:45 had to take him for a walk to get him to sleep

Ex husband came to visit him so they just played for a bit
8:00 bath and 8:15 bottle, then he was very wound up and wasnt acting tired until 9:10pm(too late for me) so I put him to bed and he fell right asleep, so maybe I should have tried earlier......

My question....is he starting to want to stay up longer?? He wasnt fussy at all when normally he would be super fussy at anything over 3 hours A time.

[*Kara*]

I would say that he is ready for longer A times, shorter naps and more condensed night sleep... getting him there is the part that will take some work by you.  Cap his day sleep at 2 hrs for both naps to start.  I would try an A time of 2.5 hrs in the morning and see what happens.  If you get a good nap, then do the same for the next A time... you may have to shift BT a little earlier to drop the CN.  I had a few weeks with some 2 nap days and some 3 nap days depending on the wake time from the PM nap... I would cap the CN to allow for at least 2.5 hrs before BT though or you might get an UT early waking!

[mjohnson33]

OK, great thanks Kara.  We did a 2.5 A time this morning and we had to wake him up at 2 hours.  Then he barely made it 2.25hrs for the 2nd A time.  My mom said he got really crabby and she had to put him down. She said he was a little restless for a bit but now is asleep.  And depending on what time he wakes up from this nap I may give a CN I will see.  If he sleeps 2 hours that would be til 4:40 and if I wait 2.5 hours for the CN it will be too late for a normal BT. I am nervous about putting him to bed earlier than I would with a CN though since he is used to it.  I am worried he will EW? But we will just have to see.  But I definately have some days where the CN is a necessity and others where it is not.  My little boy is growing up so fast!! I have a feeling I may be finally learning what works after 3 LONG months of this.    I appreciate everyones help!!!

I am having a problem with my sitter though, she wants to put him down before 2.5 hours, I just need to tell her to push through it right?? Is it ok if sometimes he only makes it 2.25 hours??

[mjohnson33]

So when he doesnt take a CN can I do a little longer naps??

[*Kara*]

There are a few things you can do to get him through the 3-2 nap transition:

1. drop the CN cold turkey and push him as far as you can (I did this with DD, but she can handle OT fairly well - textbook/angel baby   ).  If your LO is awful with OT, do not use this method.

2. Cap AM and PM nap at 2 hours and allow a capped CN with a later BT to avoid an UT baby at bedtime (UT or OT can give you an EW).  UT can also cause awesome crib parties at 2 or 3 am for an hour or more   The BT will go back to a more normal time once LO is ready to drop the CN for good.

3. if LO does well with it, use an early BT with no CN - you just run the risk of an EW

Given what I can see from your LO's temperament, I would use #2   And yes, it is okay if he goes down after 2.25 hrs as he adjusts to the longer A times... I would give him 5 days to get used to the 2.25, then push to 2.5 hrs.

I would also make sure that he had at least an hour of A time after solids before going to bed... a full tummy working on digesting food can cause wake ups.

[mjohnson33]

Kara, do I have to do the CN everyday? Today he woke from 2nd nap at 5 pm so I just did a 2.5 hr A time and then put him to bed. He fought me for 10 mins screaming though. His eyes were shut so I know he was tired. Why do you think he did this?

[*Kara*]

Hmmm, that is strange... how much day sleep did he have today?  Could he have had a bit of OT buildup from the day that got him at BT even though he had a typical A time?  It could also be that he needed a bit more A time before bed - some kids have a longer than average time right before BT.  Of course, teething pain can also be the issue right at BT too... they have no more distraction and succumb to the pain

You don't have to do the CN everyday!  I let DD lead the way for a week or so then I cut it cold turkey on her   She was starting to have a tough time settling for the night so I knew she needed more A time, but was really not ready for the time that skipping the CN would mean for her... there were a couple weeks where things were very low key for her last A time... and OT did get her terribly a few times!

[mmom]

Or discomfort......again, we have these issues when teething.