Author Topic: 16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?  (Read 1097 times)

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Offline weaver

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16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?
« on: September 01, 2011, 09:51:57 am »
There's a couple of things going on at the moment for LO.  We've just changed his BT routine so that he no longer has his BF last thing before bed (it's now BF, bath, PJs, story, bed) (that way Dada can do some putting to bed and Mama can sometimes sneak out in the evenings!).  He's also had a funny tum.  That has bothered his parents more than him but clearly, from his nappies, there's something odd going on in his insides!  Nearly at the end of that, hopefully, just keeping him on plain foods for the moment to allow it to calm down and it seems to be working.

Anyway, with these in the background, his BT seems to be drifting ever later.  Where he used to fall asleep pretty quickly on his own in the cot, I presume thanks to the milk in part, he is now engaging in a bit of messing about behaviour.  Calling out, asking for kisses, throwing his soother out of the cot and then asking for it (that is not entertained at all).  I understand it's a big adjustment for him to no longer have BF to push him over the edge into sleep but he goes down for his nap without it and has done for months.  He definitely does not have a habit of feeding to sleep.

He has started cutting his nap too to 1.5 hours, he's now up around 1pm most days.  He is also tending to wake up before 7, we had 6am the other day, the morning after I managed to get him to sleep around 7.15pm.  Night-time sleep seems to be steady around the 11 hour mark (sometimes 11.5). 

Overall, I have to say, he's in a really good mood, having fun and eating like a horse, in spite of the scary nappies.

So my question is this: are we at a stage where he needs the later BT in order to fit his nap and enough A time into the day?  Do we just accept that this is the new normal and pull his BT back when he starts cutting his nap down?  What about shifting his nap earlier in the morning?  Personally I think 8.30 is way too late to be going to sleep but I'm not sure what I should aim for - 8pm? 

Here's what yesterday looked like, sleep-wise:
Woke 6.30ish, chatted til about 6.50 then yelling 'Mammmmeeeeee'
Nap 11.40 til 1.10
Sleep, eventually, 8.20ish (Dada was doing the honours...)

woke this morning 6.40

All comments and tales very welcome! Thanks!
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline sianie

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Re: 16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2011, 13:08:02 pm »
Hi there...

Is he teething at all? A lot of what you describe (including the nappies) do suggest teething & your LO's age is around the time that molars & canines start coming through.

Looking at your routine he also sounds OT as with the short nap & long A-time to bed he must be tired. How long has he been on 1 nap for? He is still young to be nap capping.....it's usually nearer 2 yrs old that this may need to happen.

Most LO's do best on a BT between 7-8pm & I would pull his BT earlier whilst he is having short naps (the messing around at BT could also be linked to him being OT as LO's tend to get a second wind when they are OT).

Does this help?
Sian



Offline weaver

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Re: 16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2011, 13:58:14 pm »
Thanks Sian.

He has got teeth on the way.  But I think these poos were beyond teething - sludgy? yellow? with mucus? really smelly? (sorry! but interested to hear if teething poo has looked like that to others...!)  What else sounds like teething to you?

He is capping the nap himself and, as I mentioned, the one night I got him asleep at 7.15 he woke up before 6am (and was very unhappy about it).  That is not sustainable for anyone, particularly if he wakes from his nap after 1.5hours.  I have been sitting here shaking my head at the length of the A time til bed. Though he's a great sleeper, once he's asleep, once he wakes up, that tends to be IT. I'm still pretty confused! 

*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline sianie

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Re: 16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2011, 19:45:55 pm »
What else sounds like teething to you?

Both my LO's have been hard to settle at BT when teething plus their naps are also always shorter when teeth are coming through.

The nappies coud be in part teething related but the mucous suggests more of a tummy bug/ food intolerance.

You could try pushing his nap a little later as the AM A-time is a lot shorter than the PM one, if you pushed this back a bit (& hopefully he naps for longer) then it would shorten the A-time to be & help with the OT. Have you been giving meds before sleeps?

Sian



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Re: 16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2011, 19:37:38 pm »
Hi Sian,
just checking back in with an update for you.  (On sleep mostly, not poo   ;)

I've taken your OT suggestion seriously and yesterday (Thursday) he was actually in the bed at 18.45.  A bit of messing about but he was asleep by 19.15 (major improvement on 20.30 on Wednesday!).

Today looked like this
Woke 6.15, chatted til 6.45, up
Nap 11.45 (ish) til 14.00 (yay!)
Bed 19.15  ;D

and the best bit is...no messing about at bedtime.  He asked for a kiss or two once in bed, and got them.  Yelped when I left the room but no drama.  A couple of squeaks to indicate he was trying to get to sleep and then silence (so far, I'm writing at 20.35).  I'm curious to see what the wake up time tomorrow will be. 

One more question for you: do you think he'll sleep a bit more for a couple of days (longer daytime naps, earlier BT?) to make up for previous tiredness?

Thanks again - the extra hour in the evening makes all the difference even if DP is stuck at the office.
Anne
*Anne*, loving mama to a honeybee (2010) and a sweetpea (2012).  BF for 4 proud years.


Offline sianie

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Re: 16 month old - BT getting later - accept it?
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2011, 19:53:27 pm »
Great to hear!  ;D

He may catch-up for a couple of days, hard to tell & every LO is different......hope he has another good night....keep me posted.
Sian