EWs caused by OT?

[Lindsay27]

Hi Ladies,

My DS is almost 13 months and just started daycare this week.  Since starting his wake-ups are getting earlier and earlier and I'm wondering if they are OT?  Our plan with daycare was to have him do a short AM nap (30-45mins) at around 9/9:30am or so, and then a long PM nap with the rest of the kids around 12:30pm.

The bad news is that he's refused the AM nap every single day.  The good news is that he's taking a 2hr PM nap.  That said, if he wakes at 5:30am and doesn't nap until 12:30pm, that's a looooong A time and probably a recipe for disaster.  He is the youngest at daycare, so none of the other kids take AM naps which is why we think he's refusing his.  I am trying for EBTs, but it's really tough because I don't pick him up until 5pm, then we have to drive home, have dinner, do bath etc. so the earliest I've been able to put him to sleep is 6:45pm (and he goes down easily).  He's STTN for the most part, though I usually hear him cry out once and he settles back to sleep.

I mean, it's not really a huge problem as of yet - he takes a 2hr nap and STTN, but he looks exhausted so I'm thinking it's going to catch up with him at some point.  Hopefully I can try to play a bit of catch up on the weekend.  I don't know if there is anything else I (or my CM) can do?

Thanks

[Buttonbobs]

Well first of all, if he's taking a great nap like that after just a week that's fantastic! It may be OT but it may just e the changes generally. What are you doing when he wakes early? How is his mood at the wake up?

I would try and help him catch up at the weekend and see how you get on next week.

[Lindsay27]

Well first of all, if he's taking a great nap like that after just a week that's fantastic!

Yes!  I know I don't have much to complain about really!  He had a rough nap day on the first day, the second day was so-so, and by day 3 he was napping 2 - 2.5hrs   My CM said he is adjusting really well - she has a 15 month old there to and she said both of them are pretty well on the same schedule now.

What are you doing when he wakes early? How is his mood at the wake up?

I mean, if he wasn't getting him up at 5:30am we'd be waking him up at 6am anyway.  He generally fusses, and unless he's crying we don't get him and he just dozes on/off for a while.  He's pretty happy/content when he wakes up.  He's visibly tired, but his mood is okay.

You are right, it's probably just all the changes.  I just don't want that waking to get earlier and earlier, yk?  He's done really well considering it's his first week.

[Buttonbobs]

I think if I were you I'd keep doing what you're doing at the moment and as long as don't start the day at his EW and if he cries comfort him as you would for a NW until morning (if you can) then he should adjust. Come back and post is things aren't improving in a couple of weeks x

[Haribo2012]

I think he's doing great my LO is 12 months old and started nursery a month ago and naps are just anyhow some days 2 x 30 mins some days an hour at lunch with other kids! We have 5.30 wake ups but I've given up trying to resettle now as has to be up shortly after anyhow! Just keep praying he will adjust as he gets older and in meantime do EBT on those days and let him catch up on non nursery days :-)

[Lindsay27]

Okay, so week #2 not much has changed, but the last few days he's added in a 4am NW.  He's still taking good naps at daycare - Tuesday was 2hrs, Wednesday was 3hrs, and yesterday was the shortest at 1.5hrs.  He had a 4am NW on Wednesday that took a LONG time to settle - could be UT from the long nap?  But, he still seemed really tired at BT and even during the NW, so I'm not entirely convinced he was UT.  Last night a 4am NW again, and he settled himself on/off until 5:40am.  I would hear him cry out, and then he'd fall back asleep for probably 20-30mins, then cry out again...etc.

So, I'm not entirely sure what's going on

[Buttonbobs]

Is there any sign he might be teething? Have you tried giving meds when he first stirs to see if it helps?

[Lindsay27]

This morning was a 4:40am WU that I was unable to settle.  Lordy that's rough.  I eventually brought him into my bed and we just "rested" for a while until he got really anxious and we got up.  I was about to write that nope...so signs of teething, but then he was super crabby all morning (which I thought was just because he was tired), but then when we were playing around I looked in his mouth, and sure enough he's got a tooth about to poke through.  So, we're probably in for a few EWs or NWs (or both!).  I've been giving him meds pretty well all day today so we'll keep those up.

I also wonder if I need to consider blackout blinds.  I'm not entirely sure if that's an issue because he's never had them, and he does have dark blinds but they aren't necessarily "blackout".  We'll see.  Also, those damn birds start squawking SO loudly at 4am and I'm sure that's not helping matters at all.

Overall his routine is okay I think?  Yesterday was:

WU: 6am
Nap 12:30 - 3pm
BT 7pm (he's usually in bed close to being asleep by this time.  Typically give him his bottle around 6:45pm)

On the weekends we usually revert back to 2 naps (especially with the super early WU this morning).  I just find that at home there isn't near enough stimulation to keep him awake from 6am - 12:30 like there is at daycare, yk?  If he had a later WU (maybe 7?) we could probably swing it.  But it doesn't seem to affect anything too much.  On Monday's he goes back to 1 nap at daycare and seems to do fine.

[Buttonbobs]

The routine looks good to me, as long as you keep an eye that he's not getting OT with that fairly long morning. Y DD always managed a morning like that but I know many don't.

Hugs re teething - I hope they cut quickly. We have three canines cutting here and are getting EWs and NWs left right and centre.

If you're keeping two naps at weekends (I do understand what you mean about not being able to keep up that daycare type energy) you'll have to go with the flow a little in terms of knowing when to shift to one nap all the time. But you seem to be fantastic at reading you LOs signs and signals anyway so keep doing what you're doing

[Lindsay27]

Another 5am WU today.  Groan.  These are getting old FAST!  I gave him meds in the hope he would settle, but nope.  Once he's up...he's up.

The routine looks good to me, as long as you keep an eye that he's not getting OT with that fairly long morning. Y DD always managed a morning like that but I know many don't.

He could never manage this at home...ever.  Before I went back to work our A times were around 4.5hrs.  He is probably OT, but he refuses a morning nap at daycare, so this is pretty well what we have for now.  I think he'll just have to grow into that A time, and for the time being I just try to get him to bed as early as possible at night.

If you're keeping two naps at weekends (I do understand what you mean about not being able to keep up that daycare type energy) you'll have to go with the flow a little in terms of knowing when to shift to one nap all the time.

Yes, I'm not entirely sure when/how to go about this.  If we didn't get such an early WU we could probably have him on 1 nap at home.  Maybe if those EWs subside we can give it a whirl.  Though, he has had a few 1 nap days at home.  Last weekend on both Saturday & Sunday he took a 3hr nap - it was in the morning though so we shot for EBTs and it seemed to go okay.

[Buttonbobs]

There is a chance you might find the EWs would subside if you routine was more the same day in day out. However, he may just need to catch up at weekends for now. I would go with your gut instinct for a bit. If the EWs become really bad you could fix a nap time and see how he manages?

[Lindsay27]

If the EWs become really bad you could fix a nap time and see how he manages?

They've gotten bad.  Another 4:45am WU today.  We couldn't resettle.  DH even took him for a drive and that didn't work!  You should have seen him tonight, I've never seen him look so exhausted in all his life...honestly.  All around his eyes was so SO swollen and red.  Poor guy I feel so bad for him.  I had him in bed tonight at 6:20pm - that's as early as I could manage it because he doesn't get home from daycare until 5pm.  That also means I only got to spend 1.20hr with him today which consisted of dinner and bath which just breaks my heart

He has a "set" nap at daycare around 12:30, and he does really well...usually naps somewhere between 2 - 3hrs, but at this point that's not enough to catch him up from such early WUs.  I told our CM that he'd been having really early WUs so she said she'd try for a shorter morning nap today too, but no such luck.  He just completely refuses a morning nap at daycare.  He just screams and screams...and she can't exactly stay up there and try to APOP when she has 4 other kids to watch.

I'm just not really sure what to do at this point.  I put dark blankets under his blinds tonight so his windows are pretty well completely blacked out to see if that helps with the WU tomorrow.  His tooth is cut now, just needs to move up...I'm still medicating for that.  We had EWs before, but this weekend was especially bad which makes me feel like the fact that he cut a tooth had a lot to do with it.  His routine is consistent Mon - Fri, but maybe this weekend I'll see if I can keep the same routine.  Maybe we can go out somewhere that will help keep him stimulated for that long of an A time.  I'll play it by ear.  He is so seriously OT right now that part of me thinks he desperately needs some catch up time.

He really just needs to catch up and have a decent WU.

[Buttonbobs]

Perhaps moving to a set nap at 12.30 would enable his body to realise he won't be getting sleep any earlier and he'll start sleeping in more in the mornings. It is entirely up to you whether to try it but I hear a little bit from you that it can't get much worse so maybe it's worth a try, particularly as he's taking such a good nap at nursery at that time.

If you feel he can't make that long all in one go, why not try stretching out a bit at a time each weekend ?

[Lindsay27]

Perhaps moving to a set nap at 12.30 would enable his body to realise he won't be getting sleep any earlier and he'll start sleeping in more in the mornings.

Do you mean set it at 12:30 on the weekends?

Yes, it can't get much worse.  Another 4:45am WU this morning.  Sigh.  Apparently the blackout room didn't do the trick lol.  He is definitely just in some kind of wonky cycle that he can't seem to break.  DH took him for a drive again this morning and he slept a bit more in the car...so at least that's something.

He had a 2 hour nap at daycare, and he probably would have napped longer because she had to wake him up because all the other kids were up from their naps and wanted to go play outside.  I wish he got to sleep longer as I know he really needed it.  His new tooth was still really bothering him tonight...this one seems way worse than the last one.  But it is probably teething pain combined with the OT that's making him so SO irritable.  He's pretty inconsolable in the evenings these days.

I appreciate your help.  These things can be so tough to figure out!

[Skadiver13]

I'm so in the same boat. Just wanted to give hugs. We've been getting 445/5am mornings for 2 weeks now. Poor guy.