8mo EASY routine

[creations]

I know what you mean about running out of hours in the day. I feel like that now and my LO is 3yo!

Don't be scared of the 2-1. It's good to keep your expectations low (Tracy said and I agree) but some threads can really send a person into a spin and sound very scary. Remember every LO is different and sometimes a routine shake up is just what you need to make everything fit again
Embrace it

[Kellyjs]

I'll try!! 

Seems like we need another jump in A first thing in the morning.. Back to a 45-minute nap this morning... Not great when we're going out for the day!!

At least a VEBT worked last night... She tacked on that last nap. Maybe the 2.1 won't be so bad??!

Xx

[Kellyjs]

Quick question.... If I'm to extend her A in the am by another 15mins, nap time would be at 10.15 or 10.30am Would you do another bottle at 10 ish? I was thinking back to when we were trying to extend the pm nap and it was suggested by tinkerbell99 to move the bottle before the nap as she could be not transitioning because she was getting hungry?

Would mean something like this, but then there's a long gap in the afternoon between lunch and bottle! It's getting rather hard to fit all this in and I can't find anything similar on the example routines!

Wu 6.30
Bottle 7
Breakfast 8
Bottle 10?
Nap 10.15 - 11.45 / 10.30 - 12
Lunch 12.15
Bottle 3
Nap 4 - 4.30
Tea 4.30
Bath 6.30
Bottle
Bed 7

Thank you! Xx

[Kellyjs]

Arrrrgh!!!

Nap at 10.15am and she's awake 45mins later! She was shattered when I put her down, gave teething meds, she's fed so not hungry... This is getting ridiculous!

There's no way she'll get a decent nap in today if I have to wait at least 4hrs to put her back to bed. I'm getting getting so fed up of this.

To top it off, went to get her weighed this morning and the HV is suggesting I cut over 10oz as she shouldn't be having over 20oz. Also suggested I give her solids before bottle now... Isn't that a little soon do you think?

Xx

[creations]

Oh dear, sorry to hear you got a short nap AND the HV's words of wisdom to deal with.

First, yes I would prob give that milk feed before the nap and lunch after.  The 3pm milk could come a little earlier if needed (between 2 and 3pm) and the BT milk will be just before 7pm so there's a little possible movement on the milk feeds.

Next - oh dear on the morning nap could something have woken her other than A time? external noise? cold? teeth?
One way to make her more tired without increasing the A time is more physical activity.  If she's spending time in a bouncer or stroller etc you could try more floor time. Maybe have a look at activity levels and see if it can be increased at all.  Mental stimulation will help her become tired too, reading books, exploring new toys or safe household objects.  Worth a try?

Finally, the HV/milk thing.  I am not a medical professional, this is just my opinion, I wouldn't cut back on milk. Why would you limit milk when it is your child's primary source of food? In YOUR opinion is she healthy and growing well?
I wouldn't move solids to before milk, I see no need to.  If your baby was 12 months + and not taking solids I would offer solids first as at that age they need to get on with meals and not having huge amounts of milk but you are a loooong way from that scenario.  Why not pop over to the bottle feeding board for some support?  It might help you decide what you'd like to do with the HV's advice.
x

[Kellyjs]

No external noise yesterday, it was quiet warm here yesterday and I did give her teething meds so I'm stumped!

Wrt physical exercise. She doesn't stop! The bouncer was packed away months ago and she spends all her time doing laps from the living room through the dining room to the kitchen. I very much doubt she could get anymore physical as she NEVER sits still! That's why I'm so surprised she doesn't sleep more than she does. It can't be normal!

She is trying to pull herself up on everything at the moment so perhaps that can have something to do with it? There's definitely a developmental leap going on at the moment... She even starting to grasp the idea of a shape sorter!!

During her A time we do lots of things including reading books, playing with loads of toys and she follows me round when I tidy up all the rooms in the morning.

Thanks so much for the reassurance wrt to the feeding. The HV drove me nuts in the first few months of DD arriving and continue to do so now! It's the only thing I've been happy with about her routine is her feeding that I really didn't want to change that! I think she eats enough solids at the moment and I really don't want her milk to drop... As she's so active I think she needs the calories!

She woke up at 5 this morning and finally went back to sleep around 6 so I left her until 6.45. Might try for a 4hr A this morning instead of 3.75? I'll see how she goes...

Thanks again for all your support... Feels better that you think the same as I do about the milk feeds!

Xx

[creations]

Might try for a 4hr A this morning instead of 3.75?

Sounds like a plan.
I agree, sounds like she gets heaps of physical activity too - and it's so much fun when they start with the shapes and all that isn't it
Developmental leaps will certainly disturb sleep, always did here.
Hope today goes better x

[Kellyjs]

Well 4hrs A hasn't worked either! Awake after 45 mins yet again. I give up! How can a 9mo have only 45 mins sleep for 8hrs of A?!

It is amazing how much they learn and so quickly! you'd think it'd tire her out more eh?!

Xx

[creations]

Looks like you are heading in to the 2-1.
Are you using W2S to help extend the nap? During the 2-1 it was the only way to get mine to sleep longer than 20 mins!

[Kellyjs]

I was thinking about trying that again. 45 mins again this morning.

She's also really resisting the pm nap for the last couple of days too.. Taking at least 20 mins to go to sleep.

So might try w2s on the morning one tomorrow. Here goes again 

Thanks so much for all your help with this the last month or so, I can't tell you how much it has meant to have your support... But now I think it's time I join the others in the 2.1 abyss on that forum!

Xx

[creations]

Good luck.
FWIW, a short morning nap and a really decent afternoon nap will keep you going a while before dropping the morning nap.  Although we've been looking to extend that first nap (because of her age) if you are really moving towards the 2-1 now it might actually be time to accept the shorter nap and just focus on keeping the afternoon nap decent.
Good luck

[Kellyjs]

Thanks! Problem is with the afternoon nap is that she doesn't go back down until 3.30-4 to keep the 4hr A. If I try and extend that nap, tea will be later and so will BT resulting is a 13+ hr day...

She is going down after 2hrs A for the last one... Such a difference from before! Can't thank you enough for convincing me she wanted a shorter A before bed.

Tbh I think I might have more luck moving the first nap later... As you know her so well now, what do you think? I've been wrong before so happy if you tell me so!! 


Xx

[creations]

Hmm, not sure. The thing with increasing the first A is it moves the nap later, which makes second nap later and bed time later.  Even if that first nap stays short you still lengthen the day. If you are moving towards 2-1 it's normal to have one longer and one shorter nap, if the morning nap is shorter I wouldn't increase the A as you don't want her too tired for it as it's more of a CN.

Has the second nap gone short too now?  Sorry I thought you were getting a decent second nap.
Can you post today's EAS times?

[Kellyjs]

Yesterday was a little different as she did w2s herself for the first nap!

Up 6.45
E 7 7oz
E 8 breakfast
E 10.15 6oz
A 4hrs
S 10.45 (stirred at 11.05) - 12
E 12.30 lunch
E 2.30 7oz
A 3.75hrs (rubbing eyes)
S 3.55- 4.35
E 4.40 tea
A 2hrs
Bath 6.15
Bottle 7oz
Bed 6.40. Took a long time to settle this time .. Crying etc sleep at 7.25pm

Day before though, she did a 45minute nap at 10.40 and one at 4. Took her 30 mins to go to sleep for the pm nap and woke after 45 mins again  went to sleep well after 2hrs A before BT.

Fickle this bubba isn't she?! Xx

[creations]

OK, so sometimes the morning nap is longer, sometimes the afternoon nap and sometimes neither.  Which would you prefer to be the longer nap? If it was me I'd pick one and really work at just getting one good nap, letting the other shorten. You need to be consistent with which nap to work on for the long one though as extending both doesn't seem to be an option any  more. I know mine was showing signs of the 2-1 at 9 or 9.5 months but he didn't move to 1 nap until more like 11/12 months so I'd look for a routine that gets you through a few more months on 2 naps.

Which is it then? long morning nap or long afternoon nap? based on your LO liking a shorter A time to BT I think a long morning nap and short afternoon nap might be preferable but in your case either is trial and error because she hasn't really shown a preference for a long nap for either iyswim. So it's just a case of try one and see how it goes over a decent length of time.