8 mt old not settling anymore at bedtime

[carolina_bug]

My 8 mt old DS has always settled quite well at bedtime, until recently.  He is definitely tired when he goes down and has usually been up for about 2 hours by that time.  It has been that way for about a month now & has been working fine.  For the past two nights, he hasn't been settling.  He fusses (not cries) for 30-45 min.  I go in and check on him, even pick him up to reassure him or check to see if anything is wrong, but that usually makes it worse.  His A time is short for his age but he's napping well.

Wakes around 6:30

E:  6:30-7
A:  7:00-9:30
S:  9:30-11:30 or 12:00

E:  11:30-12:00
A:  12:00-2:45
S:    2:45-4:00

E: 4:00-4:15
A: 4:15-5:45


Bed, bath, bottle and bed by 6:15.  He really seems tired at this point, so I don't think it's UT??

[jessmum46]

Actually I'd say almost certainly UT as you say his A times are really short for his age and he is getting a lot of daytime sleep - almost 4h in a less than 12h day.  Almost all 8 month olds can handle 3h A time at least, and many are handling quite a bit more.  He looks like he's probably fairly high sleep needs (I'm assuming here you're not getting NWs?) but even so I would try and reorganise his day a little.  My suggestion would be to cap his morning nap at a maximum of 2h (doesn't really count as capping!) and then push his BT later 15 mins to 6.30pm.  If he's still messing about and not settling, after 3 days move it to 6.45pm etc until he settles off to sleep more easily. 

The tired signs at his BT are more than likely habitual because his body is used to sleeping at that time, rather than true tiredness

[carolina_bug]

Okay, good to know.  I'll try that.

Thanks!

[jessmum46]

Let me know how it goes

[carolina_bug]

So, he didn't take great naps yesterday & his last A time before bed was 3 hours.  (He woke at 3:00 & I didn't want to put him down any earlier than 6:00.)  He went down beautifully, but woke after 45 min and was very unsettled.  I went up several times and he finally resettled for the night.  Going to try a 2.5 hr. A time before bedtime tonight and see how it goes.

I also think he may not be feeling great given the not great napping too, so we'll see.

Thanks!

[jessmum46]

That's ok, some OT is to be expected when you start pushing A times.  Stick with it and use EBT if you need to

[carolina_bug]

Did 2.5 hr A time and he did the same thing.  Settled well at bedtime, then up at the 60 min mark and has been fussing/crying for 30 min now.  I went in, picked him up, and he immediately settled, so I put him down.  He was fine for a minute, then started crying again.  He doesn't do the pat to calm him, it only makes things worse.

OT still?  Should I keep going with the 2.5 hr A time or push it back to 2 hrs 15/20 min?  Ugh.

[jessmum46]

What were his naps like during the day?  Wakings soon after BT are usually OT or discomfort....

[carolina_bug]

First nap was 2.5 hrs then second was 45 min.  He was quite gassy during the day, so I was thinking maybe tummy pains but the stopped crying immediately when I picked him up.  If it were pain, I would think he would still be crying from discomfort???  He has been really irritable for the past 4 or 5 days during the day as well.  Not sure what's going on.  Possibly just a developmental stage?  He has been teething, but it hasn't seemed to bother him like this.

[jessmum46]

It could well just be a bit of OT while he adjusts to the change of routine, especially if the second nap was short.  Have you tried giving meds before bed to see if that helps?

[carolina_bug]

Started the bedtime routine so that he was in his crib at 2.5 hrs from waking and it went well, however... he went to sleep at 6:00 and was up at 9:30, wide awake and didn't go back to sleep for 2 hrs.  Tried just going in to check on him and reassure him.  He stopped crying as soon as I went to him, so I don't think it's pain.  He was wide awake and just didn't want to be sleeping.  Could also be separation anxiety?  I posted something on NW as well.  Not really sure what to do.  He did the same thing a couple of nights ago.

[jessmum46]

I see you've had some good advice from Erin on your NW thread I totally agree with everything she said!

[carolina_bug]

Back again.  He did okay with 2.5 hr A time before bed, then started the unsettled thing again, so I bumped it to 2.45 and he settles but wakes at 45-60 min crying and it takes about an hour to resettle him.

Afternoon naps are usually around 45-60 min now, so that has been pretty consistent.

[jessmum46]

Sounds like OT wakings to me......what do you think?

[carolina_bug]

I don't know what to think.  He was doing well with 2.5 for a few days, then started the unsettled thing again, so I increased to 2.45 and he went right to sleep, but then wakes up 45-60 min later.  Now with 2.45 he's not settling either.  I'm really at a loss.