6.5 month old NW 45-1hr after BT and up for 2-3 hours...

[aelight]

Hi, all -

I am hoping you all can help me with my crazy daughter's NW schedule...she's been doing this for about a week, and I'm starting to lose it! She goes down to bed fairly easily after bath, pjs, BF, book, song, but she wakes up 45-60 minutes later and will stay up partially fussing/partially playing for 2-3 hours. I've been doing pu/pd, but I am pretty sure she eventually falls asleep just because she is exhausted. Last night, she fell asleep at 10:15pm, woke at 10:45pm, I fed her, she slept until 1:30am, I fed her again, and she woke at 4:30am and then 6am. Here is her basic schedule:

6am: wake-up and BF
7:30am: solids
8am: nap (1.5-2 hrs)
10:30am: BF
11:30am: nap (1-1.5 hrs)
1:30: BF
3:30: nap (30-60 min)
5pm: BF
5:30pm: solids
6:15pm: BT routine
7pm: BT

Are her A times too short? She seems SO tired (I think we're in a cycle of OT) and keeping her up is so hard. She goes down fairly easily for naps (she's always been a good napper), but this nighttime stuff is ridiculous! She's never STTN, but she's gone 6-8 hours without a feed. I don't mind feeding her once or twice if she would sleep the rest of the time! Am I expecting too much sleep from her?

Thanks for any advice!

[aelight]

I meant to add that she slept from 7-7:45pm and then woke up until 10:15pm....sorry!

She also BFs right before each nap!

[Erin M]

It's probably time to drop the cat nap -- start by extending your A time by 10-15 minutes every few days.  You should get to the point where you run out of time for the cat nap -- then you'd just put her to bed a bit earlier if necessary so she doesn't get too OT.  There are some stickies on this somewhere, let me go look:
All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

[aelight]

Okay, thanks! I will definitely start pushing A time and trying to get to 2 naps. In the meantime, should I shorten the CN? How long after the CN is over should BT be? She's been up for 1.5 hours so far tonight, so we are going to get serious about this in the morning...

Thank you!!

[aelight]

Okay, I read more about the CN (sorry, sleep deprivation), but I guess my big question is: how do I extend A time when she is EXHAUSTED from these ridiculous night wakings? She was up from 7:30-9 and 2-3:15 last night, mostly yelling (she was in bed with me the second time and STILL yelling), so she's been up since 6:20 and is already tired. Do I keep her up longer than usual, anyway? I will try and see how it goes...thanks!

[Erin M]

Do I keep her up longer than usual, anyway?

It's not easy to sort it out, I would push it very slowly if she's that tired, only 10-15 minutes every few days so she doesn't get crazy overtired.  And if she does, I'd try getting a nap however if you can, even if it's in the swing or car seat. 
Let me know how you get on.

[aelight]

Ugh, last night was a disaster, and tonight is not seeming at all promising...she was awake last night from 1-4, alternately screaming and babbling. She went to bed at six tonight, it is now 9:17 and she's been up 5 times and is wide awake now  .

Yesterday
Up at 7:30
E 7:45 bf
Solids 8:15
A
S 10:10-12:30
E 12:45 bf
A
S 3:45-4:30 (put her down at 3:20, which was still too late, I know)
E 4:45
Solids 5:00
BT 7:00
Up at 7:30, 8:15, 10:30 (fed), 1:30-4, 6:30

Today
Up at 6:30
E 6:45
Solids 8:00
A
S 9:20-10:55
E 11:05
A
S 1:30-3:15
E 3:30
A
Solids 5:15
BT 6:00

I haven't meant to transition to two naps already, but they have been so long that there hasn't really been time for a third. But these crazy, wide awake long stretches in the night are killing me. I know yesterday's afternoon A time was way too long...is that to blame for all of this? I'm feeling so defeated and exhausted...I also end up giving in after three hours of pu/pd and taking her to bed with me just to get a little sleep...bad, I know! Any advice is more than welcome - thank you!!

[Erin M]

But these crazy, wide awake long stretches in the night are killing me. I know yesterday's afternoon A time was way too long...is that to blame for all of this?

The long A time would probably be the culprit for the repeated wakings after BT -- when they go to bed overtired, you generally get a bunch of wakings in the early night. 

The long awake stretches at night are often due to too much day sleep, but I tend to think there's something else going on right now if she's waking that much.  Any chance of some sort of discomfort?  Teeth?  New foods?  Too hot/cold?  Sickness coming on? 

I also wouldn't feel bad about bringing her to bed, I think we've all done that in the MOTN.  I know I have. 

[aelight]

She's definitely teething again; she has two bottom teeth, but my husband and I both think the top two are coming in. I gave her tylenol last night at 9, after she was not settling down, and she slept until 12:30...good for us! I gave it to her tonight, too, and she fell asleep without a peep (though she just cried out for maybe 30 seconds and then calmed herself).

The long awake stretches at night are often due to too much day sleep

Does it look like she's getting too much day sleep to you? Should I always wake her at the 2 hour mark for naps? What is the ideal number of daytime sleep hours for a 6.5 month old?

Thanks about the MOTN taking to bed - it's hard not to feel a tad guilty about it, but sometimes it's the only way to get any sleep!

Thank you!

[Erin M]

There are some sample routines here: chronological EASY samples, 4-6 months and here: chronological EASY samples, 7-9 months that might help you.  Depending on if she's generally had high A time, you might want to look at the 7 month routines instead of the 6. 

Average A times are here: Average A times and "Is my baby ready to increase A time?" (2.75-3 hours for a 6.5 month old) so you might be able to handle a bit of stretching, though not too much.

This link has average amounts of day and night sleep Typical Amounts of Day and Night Sleep -- though keep in mind that they are all ranges and that it's perfectly ok for the LO to be on either end of the range. 

As for bed in the MOTN, I think you just have to find a balance sometimes -- you actually need some sort of sleep to function and parent, so sometimes you do what you have to. 

[aelight]

Happy New Year!

After Christmas, New Year's and a horrible stomach bug that took down the whole house, we're back...and things aren't good . We've all been recovered for over a week now, but my daughter's sleep just gets worse and worse...

We have successfully stretched her A times to 2.5-3 hours, which did help to eliminate those early NWs. Now we're on to whole new problems. Here is our sample schedule (I read Ferber's book - not for the CIO - more for diagnosis - and he suggested a later BT, which did seem to help for a week or so):

Up and BF at 7:15 (I usually wake her)
Solids at 8:30
S 9:30 (wake her after 1.5 hours)
A 11
BF 11:15
Solids 1:00
S 2:00 (wake her after 1.5 hours)
A 3:30
BF 3:45
Solids 6:00
BT 8:00pm
Last night up at 11:30, 12:20-3, 4:45, 6:45 up for the day

Obviously, we're exhausted. That long MOTN waking was especially long, but it's not unusual for her to have a 1-2 hour stretch or 2 1 hour wake ups. And I/we cannot get her to settle without nursing. And now that will barely help. Last night, I nursed her at 12:20, she wouldn't sleep until 1:25 for 5 minutes, so I nursed her when she got up, and then she was up until 3. Is she just severely OT? She's also nursing like crazy during the day. I didn't put it in the schedule because it's so all over the place, but in her 3 hour A time, she will often nurse 3 times (once upon waking, once in the middle, once before bed). She doesn't nurse to sleep and falls asleep easily on her own for naps and BT, so I KNOW she can do it, but she will rarely do it in the night (sometimes she will wake up around 10:30 and let out a yell and go back to sleep). She eats solids, but really only 2-3 tablespoons per meal or so.

Any ideas? Honestly, I'm open to anything. My DH and I are losing it....thank you!

[aelight]

I should also mention that she turned 7 months on Jan. 1....

[Erin M]

Hi there, sorry you're still having a rough time.
A couple of thoughts for you -- I've not read Ferber's book, so I don't know his sleep theory other than that CIO is part of it, but I'm wondering about the later bed time -- what I see in your routine is that you've got a 2.15 A time, a 3 A time second, and then a 4.5 hour one.  This might work for some babies (mine always did a longer one before BT), but with that much of a discrepancy if you're not having good nights, I would reevaluate.

What is your reasoning for waking her after 1.5 hours for her nap?  You're at that age where a "perfect" 4 hour EASY isn't really going to work, so I'd let her nap as long as she needs to and then shift your day around accordingly. 

The frequent nursings -- do you think there's any sort of discomfort going on that's causing her to be seeking comfort from nursing?  Maybe some teeth or something like that?  Have you tried any sort of meds for teeth or something like that? 

[aelight]

Thanks, Erin -

On a more normal day, we do a 2.75 A, a 3 A and then a 4 A; is it better to have the first A be the longer of the first two? Last night, I had her in bed by 7:45pm, and she was a bit better...she didn't stay awake for long periods, at least. I will fiddle around with her A time a bit more and see if I can find a better fit. Ferber basically says that if they are up for long periods early in the night, they probably just aren't tired enough to sleep. It probably worked in the beginning because she was so exhausted!

Today I will let her nap as she likes. You don't recommend letting her go over two hours, though, right?

I think she is suffering from SA. She is quite clingy with me during the day and I think the nursing makes her feel close. She often won't even really eat; she just wants to be right there. That is obviously a problem at night, as well...she calms down and basically falls asleep the second I hold her or touch her. I gave her meds last night just in case, but it didn't seem to do much.

This girl!!! Thanks!

[Erin M]

is it better to have the first A be the longer of the first two?

Really depends on your baby -- some babies really need a longer first A time, others need their longest A time last.  It's one of those things where you just have to see what works the best. 

You don't recommend letting her go over two hours, though, right?

Well, here's the thing -- she could be trying to catch up and will nap longer for a few days and then shorten to a more "normal" nap time -- I'd almost be tempted to let her nap for as long as she wants for a few days and see where it gets you. 

Ferber basically says that if they are up for long periods early in the night, they probably just aren't tired enough to sleep.

That makes sense to me -- we generally say wakings in the first part of the night are OT, but if they are longer ones, I could see that they may be UT. 

I think she is suffering from SA.

Gotcha -- you might try reassuring her with your voice and see if she'll settle back down quickly -- the most minimal approach sometimes gets you through these phases the fastest.  SA is tough! 

[aelight]

Thanks, Erin -

I think I'm still having trouble figuring out how much A time she can tolerate before BT. Last night, she woke up at 10:15 and would not settle until 11:30. She fell asleep for 5 minutes and I BF'd her when she woke. She was then up at 2:30 and then 5am, when I took her to bed in order to get some sleep. Our day was:

Wake and BF 7:45
Solids 8:45
A 2 hours 55 min
BF and S 10:40 - 12:10
BF 12:30
Solids 1:30
A 3 hours
BF and S 3:20 - 4:45
BF 5:00
Solids 6:00
A 3 hours 50 min
BT 8:35

I know her last A time is long, but she still woke fairly early in the night for a long period of time? Is that OT or UT? She's woken up late this morning again (because I have taken her to bed with me at 5am both mornings...), so we're dealing with a similar nap/BT situation today. As it is, she went to sleep at 3:40pm and I'm not sure if I should wake her at 4:40 or not....

Any thoughts? Do you think that last A time is too long or perhaps I need to stretch all of her A times again? Thanks!
 

[Erin M]

Do you think that last A time is too long or perhaps I need to stretch all of her A times again?

Both perhaps.  I might stretch the first two, but not by much -- that should shorten the third A time.  My feeling is that first NW is an OT one, even if it is on the long side.  What's she doing when she wakes?  Is she fussy, acting like she's trying to go back to sleep?

Have you got any discomfort going on right now?  Wondering about those wakings later in the night -- they could be routine related, but could also be discomfort as well.

[aelight]

  What's she doing when she wakes?  Is she fussy, acting like she's trying to go back to sleep?

Have you got any discomfort going on right now?  Wondering about those wakings later in the night -- they could be routine related, but could also be discomfort as well.

Hmmm.... fussy is a nice way to put it! She is MAD. And this is still happening. I haven't had too much success lengthening her A times because of these long NW. Last night, she was in bed by 7:45, and was up at 11:30 for 2 hours. Angry. And there isn't much I can do to calm her! I've given her meds the last couple nights, so I don't think it is discomfort...I'm starting to go insane, though! And I feel as though she keeps making up for her lost night sleep with naps and we're in a vicious cycle of using up all of her sleep during the day so that she doesn't get OT. Which she probably is, anyway!

I will say her last A time has still been about 4 hours...she honestly doesn't seem at all tired before that? Should I gradually start moving it up or do you think it is better to try and lengthen these first two A times and stick with 7:45?

I'm sorry if this is all over the place....I feel like I'm losing my mind! Thank you!

[Erin M]

I might try an earlier BT, just to see where it gets you.  Sometimes it will shift some of the wakings earlier into the night when they're a little bit easier to manage.  If nothing else, it might get some more night sleep into her which will hopefully shift you back on track the next day.

Any new foods, new skills (developmental stuff) going on?

[aelight]

Hi, Erin.....

I'm back! DD is now 8.5 months old, and while we've made some progress, we're still having some issues...she tends to have two bad nights followed by 1-2 good nights. I've tried messing with her routine a bit, but maybe I am missing something? Here's what it's looking like lately:

Awake: 7:15
BF 7:20
Solids 8:30
S 10:15-11:45
BF noon
Solids 1:30
S 3:15-4:45
BF 3:20
Solids 6:00
BT 8:30
Up at 1:30 (fed), 5 (fed), woke at 7:10

(these A times were a bit shorter because we were coming off a bad night)
Up at 7:05
BF 7:10
Solids 8:15
S 9:50-12:00
BF 12:05
BF 1:30(not really any lunch today - another BF)
S 3-3:50 (car)
BF 4:15
Solids 5:45
BT 7:50
Up 11:30-1 (fed at 12:30), up at 2:50-3:40 (fed 3:30), up at 6:45

It's these long NWs that are confusing me again. Some nights, she goes 6-8 hours without eating (she may wake up for a minute or two to cry out, but nothing long) and last night, for instance, she was up less than three hours between feeds. I don't think she's hungry, but I can't seem to settle her without nursing. She is also SORT of resisting her naps lately. She never used to cry at all when I put her down, and now she will fuss anywhere from 30 seconds to 8 or so minutes. She still almost always sleeps at least 1.5 hours, though, so I kind of doubt UT?

Does anything jump out at you? She's always working on things (she started walking around 7.5 months - refuses to crawl), but we really give her a LOT of practice time while she's awake...

Thanks!!

[Erin M]

That first day you've got posted -- did she go right back to sleep after she fed or was she awake for awhile?  DS was doing multiple night feeds at that age.

The second day -- probably OT at bed time because of that second short nap -- the refusing solids thing -- teeth related maybe?  Oftentimes, LOs will refuse to eat when they've got teeth shifting about under the gums -- was always worse for all of mine before the teeth actually came through (that was actually the easy part with DS, the shifting around was what would keep him up). 

Nap refusal -- probably UT actually -- a 1.5 hour nap is a good nap, but you might actually get a longer one if you pushed the A times a bit.  You're starting to reach the age where things get a little messy during the day -- A times at her age could be up to 4 hours so you could bump them up a little and still be well within the range of normal for her age. 

What's she doing during those long NWs?  Is it all fussiness or is she wide awake and just sort of hanging out and not sleeping? 

[aelight]

Thanks, Erin -

Yes, the first day I posted she went right back to sleep after being fed (she did the same last night). I will say she doesn't eat THAT much during these feeds - or rather, she doesn't seem to WANT to feed that much (she can't really help it after a letdown). But, feeding her and having her go right to sleep is certainly better than the alternative...

So you think I should aim for longer than 1.5 hour naps? TBH, I often wake her because I am afraid of her getting too much day sleep? I can definitely bump her second A time now; the second nap is where I'm getting the most problems. But that will push our day/night back, right? This is where I get confused...if she doesn't take her second nap until 3:30/3:45, and then sleeps for 1.5 hours, when should she go to bed? Should I be aiming for a 13 hour day?

During the long NWs she is mostly always fussy. There have been a handful of times that I'll go in and she'll stop crying and start babbling or spitting, but those are fairly rare.

I am constantly second guessing myself about her sleep needs. I can't decide if she is high or low...she seems tired and I feel like I'm constantly waking her up, but then she'll stay up for hours in the night! It's very confusing .

Thank you!

[Erin M]

I would let her sleep as long as she wants and see where it gets you (at least for the first nap, if the second nap gets too long then we can do some capping there along with shortening the A time after).  It's not all that unusual to end up with a 13 hour day at about this age if you've got 2 long naps and some long A time in between.  It's good to let them sleep as long as they want for one nap, even if it's not doable for both of them. 

[aelight]

Thanks, Erin -

She just gave me a lot of trouble (well, for her - 9 minutes of fussing) for her second nap after 3 hrs 30 min of A time, so maybe I need to up it again...tomorrow I will let her sleep for as long as she wants for her first nap and see how she does. Then I will take a look where we are and figure out if I'll need to cap her PM nap? I just worry that if she sleep until 5 or so, she'll want to stay up until 9pm? Though maybe that isn't the case!

Thanks!

Amy

[Erin M]

I just worry that if she sleep until 5 or so, she'll want to stay up until 9pm?

On a full nap, yes.  But if you end up capping the second nap she shouldn't be able to manage a full A time (or anywhere near one) on that.  Your day does get longer too as you move to 1 nap, more like 13 hours instead of 12.

[aelight]

Okay, I can definitely cap the second nap - at 45 min or an hour or so? So our day could look something like:

WU 7:15
S 10:30-12:30
S 4-5 (or 4-4:45?)
BT 7:30/8?

I feel like she wants to push the AM nap even further out, but then I don't see how we would get any nap in in the PM?

Thanks!!

[Erin M]

If you're getting a 2 hour AM nap, I'd probably keep it where it is, but if it starts getting shorter than you need to push the A time out even more.  I'd start with an hour PM nap, she's pretty young to be getting into the 2-1 that much -- so for right now I'd try the 4-5 nap and the 7:30 BT and see what she's telling you about that.  My suspicion is you'll know pretty quickly if that's right for her and where to tweak. 

[aelight]

Hi, Erin

So, I've been trying to follow this advice for the last few days (yesterday was hard because we had swimming at noon), and I think it's going okay? I still have two questions, though....

1) Her AM nap, if I let it go (which I have been), will be 2.5 hours. Doesn't that seem SO long? One day, she napped 10-12:30 and then 4:20-5:05. Today she napped 10:10-12:40 and fought her PM nap for 10 minutes and then fell asleep at 4:10 - I will wake her at 5:10. Should I let her sleep that long for her first nap?

2) Her nights haven't really changed much. She is still waking twice to eat, which is okay, but I'm  not convinced the first waking is true hunger. She wakes at almost the same time every night (12:15). Is this a habitual waking? I've tried to comfort her other ways besides bfing, though, and she won't settle unless fed...and then seems to take a lazy feed. Any thoughts on that?

Her EASY the last few days has been:
WU: 6:45
S: 10-12:30
S: 4:10-5:10
BT: 7:45/8

Do you still think I should try and put her to bed at 7:30 even though she takes such a long AM nap?

Thanks!!

[aelight]

Just a quick update... She woke herself after 55 minutes from her nap - UT, right? She went to bed at 8 and yelled out for 30-60 seconds, which she never does...hope it doesn't mean anything too terrible for tonight!

[Erin M]

Should I let her sleep that long for her first nap?

Personally, I always let them sleep as long as they will for one of their naps -- that way, I know they're getting all the rest they seem to need for it -- that longer nap will eventually turn into your one nap when you go down to 1, so ideally you do want them to get used to the idea of taking a long one for that.  My LOs have never been the longest of nappers, but I did get a good stretch with all of them where they'd do 2 hours or more for their nap when they were at 1 -- and people whose LO's have always been longer nappers will sometimes get 3 (or more!) hours for that midday nap.  I think that way you ensure that you're getting good rest for one nap and then you can work on capping the other. 

She wakes at almost the same time every night (12:15). Is this a habitual waking? I've tried to comfort her other ways besides bfing, though, and she won't settle unless fed...and then seems to take a lazy feed. Any thoughts on that?

If it's happening at roughly the same time every night and you are getting a bit of a lazy feed, you might try wake to sleep -- are you familiar with it?  -- there's some info on it here: How to address habitual wakings (w2s and other methods)

She woke herself after 55 minutes from her nap - UT, right?

Possible, but to be honest, if your night goes ok, I wouldn't worry about it -- you don't want her taking 2 giant naps during the day or she'd never go to bed. 


I hope you have a good night!

Do you still think I should try and put her to bed at 7:30 even though she takes such a long AM nap?

I would try not to get the day too long -- I'd cap the PM nap before that since if your day gets too long, your night is going to end up on the shorter side which isn't ideal either. 

[aelight]

The night wasn't horrible...though it wasn't great, either . Maybe I just need to let this new nap schedule settle in? She went to bed at 8 and woke at 11:45, 2:30, 5:30 (resettled for a few minutes), 5:55 and up for the day at 6:45 (I fed her each time, which is a lot for her/us). She might have wanted to get up between 5:30-5:55, but I thought that would be a pretty short night after BT at 8...

I will summon up my courage and try W2S! She's a pretty light sleeper, so it won't take much to really wake her . Her wake up is between 11:45-12:15, so I guess I should aim for 10:45?

I think I'm mainly just confused about BT...if she sleeps until between 12:15-12:40, she is BARELY tired at 4pm for a quick nap, and getting up at 5pm means BT by 8 is still a stretch? Though I guess 6:45am-8pm is still a pretty long day. Last night, she did seem a little hyper before BT, so perhaps a few minutes earlier would be better...

Sorry, thinking out loud! Thanks, Erin!

[Erin M]

Thinking out loud is good, I think it's how we all figure things out. 

Schedule changes usually take a few days to settle in -- you'll want to stick with the new schedule consistently for a few days before making any decisions. 

if she sleeps until between 12:15-12:40, she is BARELY tired at 4pm for a quick nap, and getting up at 5pm means BT by 8 is still a stretch?

Meaning that she's not tired enough to go sleep at 8, or overtired?  This is probably where you have to play with nap length a little -- you need to shorten it until it's a good length for her to go to sleep at BT.  Some LOs will naturally take the "right" length naps, but for others (mine always fell into this category ) you have to tweak and tweak some more until it works out right. 

[aelight]

We're back.....!!! DD is now 11 months old, and I've been over at the nap boards trying to sort out this long 2-1 transition, but now we're having some weird NWs again . In the last couple weeks, about every other day, DD wakes less than 3 hours after bt SCREAMING and cannot be soothed any other way than nursing (I still haven't nightweaned, but that's another post!). Even after she nurses, though, she will often be upset for another 5 or so minutes. On the days when she DOESN'T have this breakdown, she often will wake at 5:45am, which with her bt of 8-8:30 is pretty early. Here are a couple of our EASYs:

WU: 5:45-6:45 (play in crib), sleep again 6:45-7:45
Up: 7:45
S: 11-11:30 (we are trying short AM/long PM)
S: 2:45-4:15
B: 8:00
Up 11:15 SCREAMING until 11:45 (fed), 12:30 (crying a little, self-soothed), 4:45, awake 7:15

WU: 7:15 (played in crib until 7:45)
Up: 7:45
S: 10:40-11:20
S: 2:45-4:30
B: 8:15
Up 11:30 SCREAMING until 12:15 (fed), 6 (up and played in crib until 6:45)

Does it seem routine related to you? I've tried ibuprofen a couple of nights, and it doesn't seem to matter. Most of her days have actually been a tad longer: 6:45-8:15 or so. We were doing pretty well until a couple of weeks ago, and now I feel so lost again!

Thank you!
   

[Erin M]

Looking back, it seems like it's the routine changes getting her again -- it seems like she's not one that takes easily to changes in routine (good thing you're almost at the end of them, right? -- once you get through the 2-1 you should be okay on 1 nap for a while...) so I might put it down to your routine shift. 
Peeking at your routine -- I'm wondering about your A time -- it seems like that last A time before bed has been the one that's gotten you consistently -- have you worked on tweaking that one at all?  How is she going to bed?  Easily or fighting it?  The EW too -- your short nap might need to be even shorter with the same A time after it to get you a longer PM nap.  Or you could try the reverse?  Or was she just totally fighting the second nap then? 

[Erin M]

And, anything developmental going on right now?

[aelight]

Hi, Erin -

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, that last A time...it's always the culprit! I always go back and forth between making sure she has a 13 hour day tops and making the last A time long enough that bt isn't a struggle. USUALLY, if she has 3.5 hours before bed, she goes fairly easily. If it's less, she won't cry, but she will chat up there for quite a while and probably get OT before she actually falls asleep. Are you thinking the last A time is too short or too long?

I cut today's morning nap to 30 min, and so far, this is what's happened:

WU 7:15 (played until 7:45)
Up 7:45
Nap 10:35-11:05
Nap 2:30-3:30 (played until 4 but would not go back to sleep)

Now I don't know what to do! Yesterday she took a two hour nap in the afternoon, woke at 5pm and was asleep at 8:30 with no problems. She had no long or screaming wake-ups (just her usual wake-ups...), so maybe after a good nap, 3.5 hours is better. I guess she'll have to go to bed quite early tonight?

Nothing major developmentally right now, I don't think. Though it's always something?!

Aaaah, I can't wait for 1 nap!!!!

Thank you!

[Erin M]

My initial thought was that it was a bit long, especially with the screaming wake ups (which are more often OT related) -- and I'm still thinking that after reading your update -- with a longer second nap and a shorter A to bed, you got a better night.  And I'd stick with the 30 minute AM nap in hopes of getting a long PM one. 

As long as you've got nothing major on the developmental front, I'd chalk it up to routine, as it's been your culprit before.