Breaking OT cycle - 8mos

[Jessleigh]

I did 2hrs 30mins of A time this morning and got 1hr 10mins nap (Expected UT).

Then she did 2hrs 45mins after that and got a 35min nap.

Am i the only one who has an almost 9 month old who can't handle long A times!?

[ZacsMumme]

So what I think is happening is if you do a short A time you will get an UT nap, that is okay if you want to go that way ie if she settles and sleeps better than going through extending her A BUT with the shorter nap the next A time will also be a bit up in the air depending on how short that nap is, and how UT she is.

My guess is after a 1.10 nap 2hrs45 is still UT...its not that bad of a nap length really.... I would have tried closer to 3-3hrs15

So you have 2 options really. Stick with short first A, then a longer second A then longer BT
ie WU 6.30
Nap 9-10 or so
Nap 1-2.30 or so
BT 6.30

Or...go back to extending those A times. The first really needs to be closer to 3hrs15 at least if you do this ... wat do you think?

[Jessleigh]

Thanks!  i really appreciate your suggestions.

hmm...well tomorrow i think i'll at least go for 3hrs again with that first A. If i wuss out and put her down sooner (depending on how she's doing) and get an hr plus nap i'll make sure i extend that second A time to 3hrs.

I don't think 4 hours to BT would go over quite so well with her so i think continuing to push the first A might be my best option.

Thanks!

[ZacsMumme]

I would really try to stick with the same A times for 3-5 days and see how she goes. Any 35min naps try to extend too
I do think she is UT from short As I know it's hard to push them, but at 8 mths she can def do 3hrs min!

[Jessleigh]

Morning nap refused completely! I'm at a loss...

going on 5 straight hours of A.

I give up.

[ZacsMumme]

Ok let's start over Hun...
What time did you try for am nap and how long?

[Jessleigh]

Ok, she woke at 6:45 (after multiple NWs)

I tried to put her down at 9:45 (3hrs A time).

Normally by then she is so ready for a nap she settles quickly. But she screamed and screamed and screamed. Again i was worried about the neighbors as i haven't spoken with them yet so i picked her up and went on a stroll with her in my arms for 5mins or so. Went back in a tried again. more screaming. Tried settling her with my voice as i usually would but she didn't calm down. ten mins of this and i picked her up to commence PUPD (even though i try not to pick up bc it usually makes it worse). And, yes, she cried harder so i just thought she was having an off day and I'd AP the nap.

So i walked around with her on my shoulder til she was asleep. I tried to put her down...screaming...waited again til she was out. Tried putting her down. Screaming. I really didn't have it in me to let her sleep on me for the nap so i passed her off to DH and went to the gym to calm down. I told him to just nap her in the stroller.

I came home 45mins later to crying. She hadn't slept. DH played a bit with her. So then i thought i'd feed her and try again. She didn't want to eat.   then i did the usual WD and tried again. Screaming. I can't remember how long i waited to see if she settled but i was just so frustrated that i took her out again and went for a walk in the stroller. 30mins of walking and no sleep. she just layed there staring. she was almost out once but i hit a crack and she woke up.

By this time it was 11:30. I took her home and fed her. Her eyes were dropping during the feed. at 12 i did the WD and put her down. Lots of screaming but in 15 mins she was out.

So first nap was from 12:15-1:15. (1hr)

Second nap i tried at 2hrs of A bc she was yawing a TON. More screaming like she wasn't ready for sleep. So i took her out for more play. She was fairly happy. Then a walk at 4 for a CN.

Second nap was 4-4:30 after 2hrs 45mins of A.

Nervous about tonight...

I really don't don't what happened. Maybe bc i left her with DH who doesn't usually put her down, she just didn't want to sleep. She probably picked up on my frustration and anxiety and just wouldn't settle.

Such an odd day...

[ZacsMumme]

Is she teething?
At her age I'm really thinking she is fighting you from UT then is OT from the short naps...
If you get a somewhat decent night I think you may need to even try a longer A still - you have nothing to loose really. Maybe watch her and if she gets tired early try a change of scene or a snack. Go for 3hrs15/30 before the nap. She should not be OT at all at 3 hrs so the screaming has to be developmental, discomfort or UT

[ZacsMumme]

And hugs xxxxx

[Jessleigh]

She should not be OT at all at 3 hrs so the screaming has to be developmental, discomfort or UT

I'm beginning to agree. At first i wasn't sure. But looking back i actually only did 2hrs 45min yesterday morning...for some reason i got the timing wrong. So, yes, that screaming had to be UT. and then I'm sure those few minutes she had fallen asleep on my shoulder threw her off completely and thus the 5.5 hr A time.

Could be teething but i've tried tablets and some camomille drops. Doesn't seem to help.

I started weaning the night feeds last night so for her first NW she was up from 1:30-3:45. (i did a dream feed so i wasn't worried about hunger).

bc of that we were off to a rough start this am. There was no way she was going to make it to 3hours as she was falling asleep on me. And she wasn't interested in any activity i tried. So i put her down just now at 9:30 (2hrs 45mins Atime) and she was out as soon as she hit the bed. Hoping for a good nap!

I really was ready to do a good stretch of 3:15-3:30A but there really was no way. her eyes had been half-mast since 8:30. I gave her a snack which helped, watched some baby einstein, walked, let her play with my wallet which always entertains her....and then she just wasn't gonna stretch anymore (back arching/ wining if i tried to do anything but stand and hold her).


BTW - sorry for the bad attitude earlier. I definitely had a little melt-down. I think bc DH had been gone, i was holding it together and once he was home i just let myself lose sight of hope momentarily.

I really appreciate your patience in helping me out with this.

[Jessleigh]

Got 1hr nap. She woke crying.

Not sure how much A to do after a 1hr nap?

[ZacsMumme]

I'd go for 3hrs again ...
Hugs hon, I know what it's like, it's stressful when they don't sleep!
I am wondering though if your going to work on nights if you need to be a bit flexible during the day - like you have done today, for a bit ... What do you think?

[Jessleigh]

yeah, definitely going to play it by ear each morning depending on how the night went.

I will go for 3hrs and see how nap #2 works out. It's been 2.5 and she's still happy so that's a good start!

I will keep trying to give more A if she has a good night and see how that goes for awhile.

Thanks again for the help!

[ZacsMumme]

No prob Hun, I would def let her go as long as she can A wise. change of scene if she seems tired when it's still early as well helps x

[Jessleigh]

3 hrs A after a 1hr nap gave me a 55min nap! Def UT. I thought she was so ready bc she was yawning but i guess she could have gone another 15-30

Going for 3.5 hours now to make it to a 6pm BT. Does that sound reasonable?