14 months super EWs again

[Jessleigh]

Hey! So my DD is nearly 14 months and seems to be in the 2-1. Currently waking at 4:30am!!!! And not sure where to go from here.
Part of the problem may be that she's been teething her molars for the last month
She's also been learning to walk.

Another thing is I've been APOPing most naps. :/. I know. Not ideal. She usually goes down for her am nap just fine. She had been waking between 5:15/5:45 and would go down at 9.
Then she'd wake around 35/40 mins and id extend by popping her in the carrier and rocking back to sleep. I'd usually get another 40-1hr. Second nap is now always aped as she's been refusing.


Then suddenly we got 4:30 Wakings
Lately the last 3 mornings have looked like this:

WU: 4:30 (babbling in crib til 5:30)
A:4hrs 10
S: 8:40-10:30 (1hr 50mins in crib!)
A: 3hrs 45( following cues)
S: 2:15-2:55 (40mins on walk)
A: 3hrs
BT: 6 (asleep 6:20)

WU: 4:25
A: 4hrs 20mins
S: attempted at 8:15 as she was acting super ot already but refused (babbled in crib for 20 before crying)
I took her out to see if she wanted to play but she just rolled around and fussed clearly ot. I aped the nap instead of attempting again BC I knew it'd be a battle
8:38-10:50) 2hrs 10mins on me in carrier (had stirred at 1hr 20 but back down)
A: 4hrs (attempted earlier in stroller but 3mins later and stil no sleep so I popped her in carrier)
S: 3-3:30 (woke her so I could get EBT)
A: 2hrs 45
BT: 6:15 but not asleep til 6:45

WU: 4:15!!
A: 4hrs 20
S: (again wouldn't go down on own BC super ot)
8:35-10:40 (2hrs 5mins in carrier on me) had stirred at 1hr 15 but back down
A: 3hrs 40
S: 2:20-2:50 (30mins on me in carrier)
A: 3hrs 10
BT 6 (asleep at 6:25)

WU 4:35

So clearly I'm having trouble with some sort of OT UT combo. I've been stretching the am A time in hopes it will remedy the EW. I've also been trying to keep BT at 6 so her day isn't too long. Also mindful of last A time to BT

Not sure what else to do. Thoughts?

[Jessleigh]

The way she is acting is very OT, but i guess i would think the 2hr am naps would help stop the cycle...to no avail.

each am when she wakes she babble in her crib for about an hr before crying out so at least i get to lay in bed til 5:30. but this is just ridiculous.

Put her down for her am nap at 8:30 after 4hrs A again. She was just acting super fussy/scattered, etc...but of course is refusing sleep. We;ll see how long it takes.

[Jessleigh]

Finally napping by 8:45. Woke 50mins later OT. Got her back to sleep on me for another hour.

Clearly the long A time is causing OT but I guess I'm just afraid to start the first nap any earlier and perpetuate the EWs. Our day has shifted so early over the course of her life! BT used to be 7:30/8. With WU at 7. How did we get here!? Frustrating.

My mom says I should just push her BT back to 7 and hold it for a week. But I know that usually makes it worse. I've put her to bed as early as 5pm when I only got 2 short naps. That gave me a 5:30 WU which was wonderful. So occasionally she tacks on at night but usually once in a blue moon. Then it's just consistent EWs.

I also tried W2S at 3:45 once. I made her stir a bit. But then that was the morning she woke at 4:15.
Instead of letting her babble for an hour as normal I popped her in the carrier hoping that if I caught her early I could rock her back to sleep. She was almost asleep a few times but kept waking til by 5:30 she was crying and straining to get out. So I can't even AP her back to sleep even after a 9.5hr night!

I just feel so stuck.

[Jessleigh]

I should also note last month she also started NW's again btwn the hours of BT and 10p. Usually once or twice she wakes screaming and I do wi/wo a few times. I feel like its gotten worse tho. Even w pain meds for teething. Maybe separation anxiety? Maybe just crazy OT?

Horrible to see her go through.

[anna*]

(((hugs)))

Not sure I can help but a couple of ideas.
First I think her first nap is way too early. No matter what time she wakes, I definitely wouldn't do a morning nap before 10am. I'd let it be a short/OT nap, 30 mins at MOST, and then a short A time before her next nap, and let that nap be the long one. We need to get onto one nap: I'd try this nap formation for a week or so, if nothing changes then go cold turkey onto one nap at about 11.30am and hopefully the OT will eventually work in your favour.

The next thing is about independent sleep. Is she going to sleep independently at all right now?

Have you ruled out anything environmental that could be waking her like noises, light, temperature?

She's dealing with a Wonder Week developmental spurt right now too which won't be helping matters.

[Jessleigh]

Thanks. So even though she's falling apart just press through til 10?
Sometime the ot nap is longer than 30. Should I wake her at 30? She'll hate that but I'm willing to try anything.

Then like 3hrs a time and hope for a long nap? And if its short should I try to extend?

She goes to bed independently. She usually goes down for her first nap independently too but these last few days have been different.
I've done sleep training before. She's had seasons of her life of all independent sleep but then something comes up and I resort back to aping out of desperation

She's never been a great napper tho. I've never had a very long stretch of consistent naps.

Willing to give this a shot.
Thanks

[Jessleigh]

Last night she fought BT like crazy. I think BC my parents were here.

Pm nap was 2:20-3.
BT 6. Did wiwo for 40 mins! Finally asleep at 6:45.

Then she woke at 4am!!! Babbling.
9hrs night sleep. This is insane.
I have blackout curtain. The temp is great. 72F which is standard. So I've ruled out environmental

My worry is that this is just extreme ot and that pushing her in the am will make things worse. She's been so cranky during the day so it's hard to tell if its just teething or OT or both. Just hasn't been herself at all.

Ill go for the long A this am but am nervous. Seems counter intuitive to everything I've been told about not missing the window and sleep begets sleep etc.

[*Becky*]

is there no way she will go back to sleep in the am? When DD does this she will sometimes go back about 6am and I let her for an hour so we can start the day at a reasonable time.

[anna*]

I hear you. But it seems like you've been trying and trying to get her to nap more/longer and it hasn't been working?

If she's just babbling in the morning, are you leaving her til she's properly crying? You've tried settling her back with milk?

[Jessleigh]

I do leave her til she's crying. I haven't tried milk.

But actually this am after 1.5 hrs of babbling and rolling around, etc she finally went back to sleep on her own! Slept for another hour from 5:30-6:30. So I'm shooting for 10:30 nap to see how it goes. 

The confusing part is she's taken good naps off only 3hr 15 mins A time. That's why I was reluctant to stretch so much but, yes, I've been trying for a good nap for ages now. We had a set nap at 9 for awhile when she was waking at 5-5:30 BC I was so tired of calculating A times.

It would given me anywhere from 30 mins 35 mins 40 mins or 50 mins. I never knew what was OT, what was uT etc and it was just frustrating as heck. Then for the 2nd nap I just tried to read her cues. Never worked consistently

We'll see how today goes. Thank

[Jessleigh]

Becky, the other times I've left her for an hr to babble before she starts crying, then I'd try rocking her back to sleep but after 30mins-1hr of trying shed finally just get mad and want to start the day. This am I got lucky!

[Jessleigh]

So confused lately. She yawned at 9:30. Was showing tired signs around 10. But kept on going. Wasn't quite sure if she was actually tired. Started acting hyper again and I thought I missed her window.  I decided to stretch her and put her down at 10:30. (4hrs A)

I thought she was tired. But she started screaming instantly. Took 30mins of wiwo. Finally asleep by 11.

I sometimes feel like the only one who can't read their baby. I've kept sleep logs, watched for cues, minded OS, have a WD routine. Dark room. Just frustrating.

She used to go straight down at 9 no fuss. About 3.5-3.75hs  A. But like I said I'd get a huge variable in nap length and it was rarely a good one. Typically 35-40 mins. Which I never knew if it was OT or UT. I could usually resettle in the carrier but not always.

Maybe I've just royally messed things up by APoping naps. *sigh*

Do babies make crazy jumps in A time suddenly? I'm so confused.

Sorry for all the blabbering. Just having a rough couple days.
I really appreciate your help and advice.

[anna*]

They do make big leaps in A time, especially right around the 2-1 transition which is what you're in to now. How was the night?

[Jessleigh]

Ok that makes sense.

Well she did a great am nap! I let her sleep as I'm gonna try for long am short pm.

Yesterday:
WU 6:30 (EW from 4-5:30)
A 4hrs 20
S 10:50-12:35 (1hr 45) after 20mins of wiwo
A 3.75 hrs
S 4:10-4:30 (20 mins in carrier I woke her)
BT 7:30 asleep at 7:45

WU 5. Babble fussed til 6 when I got her up

So not a good night but provably BC of such a late BT then normal.
Hoping shed go back to sleep this am

Maybe should have gone for super ebt of 5 but I'm really hoping to shift things later.

Going with 4.5 hrs again this am. Trying for nap around 9:30/10.

I know u said I shouldn't be napping her sooner than 10 tho. :/ not sure what's best at this point
Either going off 4.5 hrs A and hoping for a good first nap or just doing set nap at 10 or later if she wakes later and hoping for short first nap and long second.

I guess I'll see how this mornings nap goes.

[Jessleigh]

Breakthrough!!

Yesterday she had 2 1hr long naps in her crib! Not ideal lenghth but so excited I didn't APoP.

Then she slept from 7:30p through til 6:20!!! Over the moon happy about that.

Another good 1.5 hr nap on her own this am and just put her down for her cat nap at 3p. No aping!

On track for another 7:30BT

Thanks so much for giving me the courage to press through the ot and nap her no earlier than 10. It seems to be resolving itself much quicker than I thought!