My DS will be 16 months old on Thursday. We have numerous issues at play right now including chronic OT, teething, not being a fully independent sleeper, and NW and lack of consistency.
The first issue, and the focus of this thread will be tackling the OT and consistency which I think go hand in hand, and getting DS back to getting restful sleep. I will then tackle the remaining issues.
DS is at nursery 5 days week. His nap time is 12:15. He will usually fall asleep around 12:30/12:45 and sleep for 1.5 – 2 ¼ hours. My carer needs to be in sight of my DS for him to fall asleep. My DS takes a soother.
His EASY is as follows:
WU – Anytime between 4:30am – 5:30 am
A
Nap – 12:30
A
BT – Any time between 6:30-8:00
I know that EBT is crucial here and we have been trying for a BT of 6:30 which is the earliest I can do. I have already changed my work hours (which wasn’t easy) to allow for this time - which I started yesterday. So for consistency’s sake, yesterday was day one of fixing the OT.
His normal BT routine is as follows and takes approx. 1 hour start to asleep. Bath, jammies, stories with mum in rocker, kisses for daddy, lights out, songs with mum in rocker, into crib drowsy but awake. I have been working on GW so I sit in the chair across the room and wait for him to doze off. Some nights are faster than others but this OT has been causing him to be SUPER unsettled and take a long time to fall asleep.
Last night I started BT routine at 5:30 and had him in his crib for 6:10pm. He was in no mood to sleep – rolling around, bouncing up and down, crying, chatting etc…
I ended up rocking him to the point of being VERY drowsy and then putting him back into his crib. I desperately wanted him to get an earlier bedtime and didn’t want to have the fight tbh…
So, he was asleep at 6:30 on the money.
NW at 9:30 – brief, back to sleep in under 5 minutes
NW at 2:00 – longer, gave meds for teeth and walked with him for about 5 min to settle him down. He woke up crying hard. Put him back into his crib, back rub to help settle and then I sat in my GW chair and waited for him to drift off. He was back to sleep around 2:35.
WU – 5:10 am – woke up crying. I went in picked him up and sat with him in the rocking chair. We sat for about 30 minutes. He dozed and then at 5:40 started crying and fussing so we got up. I realize this is part of the problem with the EW and is an issue that needs to be addressed…One thing at a time…
So, for the last 10 days I have been keeping a very detailed log of DS sleep. It is becoming clear that an EBT is helpful for getting a later WU as the 4am wake ups are usually following a 7pm or later BT. In the last 10 days he has STTN 3 times – but the EW remain. The last few days have been really bad and his daytime mood is awful too. He is cutting molars; it seems all 4 at once. He has been rubbing his cheek and ear and drooling like crazy.
So, if anyone can help me with the following questions, I would SUPER appreciate it.
1. How long does it normally take for a LO to adjust to a new BT? It seems his body clock is set for a post 7pm BT and he is having trouble settling down for an earlier BT.
2. Should I be concerned about APOPing him to sleep at this point or more focused on relieving the OT that has built up and work on IS once I get him back on track. I don’t want to lose what we’ve done already…I'm was trying to work on getting him into his crib more and more awake and gradually moving out of the room. He is normally drowsy but his eyes are open and he usually looks up to make sure I"m still in the room. He will then get comfy, find his lovey teddy and settle down to sleep. Is this okay or should I be getting him into his crib where he is sitting when I leave him - so essentially WIDE awake?
I’m sorry it is such a long post but I wanted to include everything this time to hopefully finally get this poor mite sorted out…I feel like a terrible mother, that of all things, his sleep is rubbish…
TIA
Elizabeth
