Am I getting DD's A times and naps right.... tweeked until i can tweek no more!

[ZacsMumme]

Good luck, I'm off on hol tomorrow for 6 days. Feel free to post a new thread or PM another mod to take a look if you need help and I can't get online

[HenaV]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. Have a fabulous holiday, and DON'T go online, lol!!!! 

[HenaV]

Hi I am back..... Hope you had a fabulous holiday

We're back to 5.15/5.30 am starts and u am shattered, I desperately need help. The long and short of it is, since my last post DD has not been well so I had to put a hold on upping A times etc and just stuck with the following

Nap 1-  10-12.30
CN -   4.15-4.30 for 45m
BT- 6.45 ( asleep by 7)

Because she was unwell she was waking several times in the night so it was hard to gage a true WU time as she'd wake later having been up in the night.

As she got better the one thing tact remained consistent was that she was still really tired after her CN - 45m was just not enough. She'd cry when I woke her, wouldn't eat properly, BT bottle was a Nate and be absolutely shattered by BT.  She would then awe several times/ cry out between 4-6am with a WU generally at 6am but tired having not slept well for the last 2 h

4 days ago she just wouldn't wake after 45m - she eventually roused after an hour (at 5.15) was not happy but that night slept better. She did wake for a chat at 2am for 20m but then slept til 6am. So gat day our day looked like this

Nap 1: 10-12.30
Nap 2 : 4.15-5.15
BT: 7pm ( asleep by 7.15)

So I figured the waking between 4-6 am must be down to OT caused by the CN. So I shortened the morning nap by 15m and extended the CN to a 1h nap :

Nap 1: 10-12.15
Nap 2: 4-5pm
BT: 7pm ( asleep by 7.15)

She has been much better after nap 2 but is now waking for the day between 5.15&5.30am. I leave her in her room. She generally lays there and chats until around 6.45am. I am grateful that she doesn't make a fuss, but her singing and chatting wakes me and DH up - not great time to start the day. It's making her day really long with what feels like not enough NT sleep . When she has been waking early, u have still been stretching her until 10am making her morning A time around 4.5h - but that hasn't helped, she's still waking early. I do have to wake her from both naps as well.

So sorry for the super long post but I am really list as to what to do - it feels like nothing's really working to get her to STTN with a decent WU time.

Any and all thoughts welcome 

[ZacsMumme]

Hi Hun,
Hugs for you and your poor LO being unwell.
so here is my thought, she is UT at nap time, but has got OT from the log days with Ew. This can often happen after illness, and we always had a routine mess after long bugs.

I think you may need to push the AM nap out later to combat the EW so closer to 11
Or, ....
You get her up out of bed a bit earlier ie 6am and start your day then, offer her nap at 10.30 for as long as she likes, then if WU from nap before 1 offer a CN for 30 mins and then BT. If WU from nap is after 1 go for EBT at 6 pm.

I'm going to see if I can get some more eyes though to see what others think I could be on the wrong track not 100% sure

[HenaV]

Ok hon, thanks so much x

[*Kara*]

Hello again!

That darn 2-1 is still haunting you I see

I think she is right on the brink of shifting to one nap as well.  She sounds like she is at that awful point when the CN is starting to cause more issues than it solves...

My biggest concern is waking from both naps - personally, I never recommend it as LO becomes OT quite quickly and it just compounds the EW/NW issues.

Here is what I would do (and did do with DD who was almost identical in routine at this age!):

Wake - whatever horrid hour it is (generally stupid o'clock)
Nap no earlier than 11am (hold her out with whatever tactic you need to use!) - do not wake but do resettle if needed.  Pray for a 2 hr +nap
BT no earlier than 630pm.  Hold her out with whatever tactic you need to use!

** If she does short nap (less than 2 hrs) and you aren't able to extend her... let her have a 20 min CN around 430/445pm.  Push BT closer to 7pm.

Rinse and repeat for about a week and you should see a big change (hopefully a good one!)

Kx.

[HenaV]

Hey Kara,

Yep still battling through and it's no longer just driving me mad but the stupid o'clock wakings gave practically got me on my knees, especially now that I'm back to work 3 days.

Anyway, enough of that! Yes I agree waking from
Both naps I also think has compounded the OT issues - I guess my theory was that I knew I needed to for a CN in because she wouldn't make it to BT without, and EBT just didn't work for us as it caused even earlier WUs.

So, this sounds like a plan, and one we've not tried, so what the heck, it surely can't get any worse 

Re: nap 1 - would you let her sleep as long as she wants or would you cap it after a certain amount of time? I have been letting her sleep for 2.5h and having to wake her, how long should I leave for? Should I leave her until she wakes no matter how long that is, or cap at some point?

Thanks so much .... Once again!!!

H x

[*Kara*]

I didn't wake DD at all during the push to one nap   We had a few days with 3 hr naps   BLISS!  Not waking is really the key to keeping them for getting crazy OT from the longer A times.

A 2.5 hr nap is fairly common at this stage so be happy that you get them   Many mommas make the push to one nap with 1 hr 30 min naps - ICK.

[HenaV]

Ick indeed, poor Mimas. That's a real toughie.

Right, here goes nothing.  - I will of course report back.

Thanks again ... So hugely appreciated x

[*Kara*]

Good luck to you both!

[ZacsMumme]

I agree..I never woke Z unless we were over 3hrs15 mins of nap
Hugs,
Thanks Kara for helping out too...so glad I'm not leading henav astray!

[*Kara*]

[HenaV]

As if you would, u've both always been a huge help, big thank yous and hugs to u both from me and my DD - the help and support us truely appreciated.


Thanks so much,

H

[*Becky*]

Good luck - how old is your DD now? I am following along as we are in a similar place.

Kara - I am pretty close to trying what you have suggested but would you do this with a spirited sleeper too? Would your advice be the same?

[HenaV]

Thanks, good luck to you too. I hope you have an easier ride transitioning than we've been having. That said, I know we're luckier than many others - it just feels rubbish when your tired I guess 

My DD is now 11.5m Old (she'll be 1 on July 1st)

Is your LO similar in age?

H