7 month old, up VERY frequently ALL night long!

[Mrsv4]

Hi, I've been getting these times by following cues.  For the second nap I watched her cues.  She didn't show signs of being tired until about 2 hours 20 min.  She was asleep by 2.5 hours.  Again she had a 35 min nap.  I've tried having her down by 2 hours after a short nap and again get a 35 min nap.  There's the odd day these A times work and we get a solid nap, but they are few and far between.  DD will be 8 months next week.  Maybe I should just try for a 3 hour A time and see what happens.  She's already having short naps :S  She is teething, and going through a big developmental leap right now.  She's started playing peekaboo this past weekend, is trying to pull herself up to a sitting position, trying VERY hard to creep on her belly.  These things are all new in the last week or so.  I don't know if she's ever going to sleep. 

[ZacsMumme]

Yeah, TBH I really really think she needs a BIG jump in A times, and 3 hrs shouldnt make her sleep any less really....it is still a low A times for an 8 month old.

What you do need to do though hun is give it a good week so she can adjust. So you may have some 30min nap days (but you are getting them anyway right) but at least you are going to be more likely to be able to extend if she is OT, rather than UT. She will adjust too, I am sure of it

Based on WU of 6.30AM I would do this
WU 6.30
A 3
Nap 9.30-11
A 3
Nap 2-3.30
A 3
BT 6.30/7

If that AM nap is only 30 mins then bring that next A time closer to 2hrs30/40 and then if that one is short go for EBT or you can do a CN and later BT...up to you. Personally I would scrap the CN though and just give the week a chance to work.

Re developmental leaps...they dont help either! Hang in there xx

[atlantamomofthree]

Hi, just saw this topic and it caught my attention because my ds is also 7 months old. I have to tell you- your family's situation is SUPER close to ours!!  Samuel is our third, his crib is in our room, we co-sleep when I fall asleep nursing him or when he can't resettle in his crib in the MOTN (but I agree-I sleep much better when he's in his own bed!), wakes a few to several times a night, is rolling around in his crib like a ball of yarn...CRAZY the similarities, I'm telling you!

I agree that two hours for A time is really short for 7 months, but no doubt it's from not resting well the night before, right?

No advice, really, just following along....

Oh, and (((Hugs))) on all the sleepless nights, hon!  

[Mrsv4]

Zacsmumme-thanks for the advice, I'm going to give it a try!  Now she had an awesome night.  She didn't go to bed until later because yesterday afternoon I took all of he kids to the park.  The older two really needed to run and it was a gorgeous day, so  we went and I hoped she'd nap in the stroller, but of course she didn't.  So by the time she had her last nap (@ 4:30) she'd been up 4 hours.  She slept 35 min, then dh got her settled for another 10 min.  Anyway it was 8:30 pm before she was in bed for the night.  But she slept soundly until 2 am, I fed her and she went back down until 6am.  I fed her and she was awake.  So she had a really short night (9.5hrs) and only about 2 hours in naps yesterday, but her sleep was SOLID.  I feel rested!!

Atlantamomofthre - Haha that's funny!!  I hope we can both get this figured out and get some rest!  It's been 5 days since I have stopped nursing DD lying in bed and it has helped.  It's hard because I really just want to lay there, but she no longer cries to be in our bed!!  Progress!!

[Mrsv4]

Day 1 a bust - all 35 min naps with the longer A times.

[ZacsMumme]

What was her EASY, did you try to resettle at any of the 35 min WU?

[Mrsv4]

E - 6 am wake and breast feed
     7am breakfast
S - 9-9:35am nap
E - 10:30 breast feed
    11:15 lunch
S - 1200-1235 nap
E - 2:30 breast feed
S - 3-335 nap
E - 4 pm supper
S - 7pm breast feed & bed.  And it's currently 9:45pm and she's been up 5 times!!!

[ZacsMumme]

Did you tryto resettle after 35 mins? You may need to just to get through the first few days to keep ontop of OT till your LO adjusts. Can you APOP at all?
Hugs...after a short 35 min nap I would make the next A 2 hrs max to prevent
OT x

[Mrsv4]

Yes, I always try to resettle, but she's back to rolling in her crib, etc. soon as she wakes.  I usually try to resettle for about 15 min.  Sorry not sure what APOP is?  Accidental parent?

[atlantamomofthree]

Resettling never worked with my ds, EVER! Well, maybe when he was 6 weeks old but not since.

APOP=Accidental Parenting On Purpose; when you use a method to get them to sleep that is not independent, like rocking, nursing, car ride, etc on purpose in order to catch them up and prevent OT'ness.

Hoping naps today are longer, hon!

[Mrsv4]

Well I've backed up her A time to 2 hr 45 min. First thing in the morning as she was getting extremely cranky (which isn't like her).  She's woken after 30 min, but I have been able to re-settle her.  Yesterday morning she slept 2 hours and today 1.5 hours with the re-settling after 30 min.  I followed this by a 2 hr45 min-3 hour A time and got 35 min naps.  This left an A time of about 4 hours before bed.  The last two nights have had lots of night wakings. 

[ZacsMumme]

That 4 hr A time is long, can you try EBT? X

[Mrsv4]

She's probably ready for bed after 3 hours of A time (as her last A time seems to be her longest), however that would make a bedtime of 5 pm :s. if we do a catnap at 5, then she wouldn't be ready for bed until 8 or 8:30pm.  This is what happened the other night and she only had a 9.5 hour night.  So i'vebeen forgoing the catnap and making a bedtime of 6pm.  .?

[ZacsMumme]

It is tough, ESP when they short nap for 1 nap.
So how is our EaSY looking Now then, can you post yesterday's or today's EASY.

I the Cn is messing things up more than no Cn you may have to bite the bullet and stick with the longer A times, try to resettle if she short naps and ride out the OT. Is she touchy/spirited by any chance?

[Mrsv4]

Actually she's a super easy going happy baby who slept beautifully until she was 5 months old.  When I do the baby quiz she's a textbook.  Even with little sleep she is happy.  Our EASY today looks like this:
E - 6:20am Wake and breastfeed
7am breakfast
S - 9 am-1010 (woke at 30 min but settled herself)
E - 1100 breastfeed
   - 1145 lunch
S - 120-230(3hr 10 min A time as we watched for cues, she needed resettling at 30 min mark)
E - 300 breastfeed
   - 400 supper
Planning a 6 pm breastfeed and bedtime (so 3.5 hr A time).