28 mo old overtired following vacation

[bloosiern]

Need some advice getting YDD back on track after vacation.  I think a bit of OT creeped in the week prior to us heading on vacation which made sleep on vacation even worse.  Here is our usual schedule before 2 weeks ago:

WU: 6-7
Nap:  1230/100 for 2-2.5 hours
BT: 730/8

Let's just say on vacation there was pretty much no schedule.  We tried to have busy days followed by lazy days to help things out.  I think our first mistake was the day we arrived.  She woke at 0600 and by the time we flew and checked in to our resort it was 3pm.  She hadn't napped on the plane and was exhausted so we let her nap 430-6 because my husband didn't support SEBT.  She didn't fall asleep until 1145 that night and I had to rock her to sleep.  She woke a few times that night/was very restless and still woke at 0715.  To top it all off, she only napped for 45min later that day but we did have her asleep by 615.  The following days were a mix of shorter than usual naps and inconsistent BT's with lots of NW and restlessness at night.  The day before we left to go home:

WU: 0615
Nap: 1145-215
BT: 6 (asleep 630, yawning and seemed tired despite the good nap)
NW:  1 hr after falling asleep and wouldn't settle until almost midnight then was up several times/very restless

WU:  645
Nap:  230-3 (in car on way home from airport, didn't nap on plane)
BT: 6 PD (asleep 630)
NW: 930 (went straight back to sleep after sippie of milk - bad idea but she needed the sleep)

WU: 515 ( would not go back to sleep)

On the plus side, our ODD who is 4.5 yrs old slept great!  Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Buttonbobs]

Hi there, are there any signs of teething at all?

If not, this could be a case of UT leading to OT over time. Have you thought about capping the nap at all? If this is the start of the 1-0 (which can take place over many many months so try not to find the idea too overwhelming). Have you read this link:
The 1-0 transition...Advice and Tips to help you through.

With those EWs and night waking I'd probably start by moving te nap slightly later (say 15 mins) and shortening it by 15 mins too, so that you're maintaining the A time to bed. The other thing I tried at this age which worked really well was to go a little more by the clock (rather than A times) I fixed a nap time and unless DD was completely inconsolable she went to nap at that time and BT was also flexible by only half an hour. Do you think setting nap and BT in this way might help you get back on track from the holiday?

[bloosiern]

She's just getting her last 2 molars on the top so we have been giving her Motrin but I think the worst is over.  These 2-year molars are the only teeth that have ever bothered her.

She's definitely a very alert child, always has been.  Thinking back on it, I think she realized something was going on in the week leading up to us leaving for vacation which probably contributed to the sleep issues before we even left.  I think she was so excited and stimulated while on vacation that she had a hard time shutting stuff out.  She was so clingy the entire vacation so I think some separation anxiety is in the mix as well.

I think maybe doing an earlier uncapped nap with a longer WT before bed is what might work for her to get her caught back up.  She's so exhausted by 1230/100 and then takes only a 1.25 hour nap (OT for her).  It's enough to keep us from being able to do EBT because I feel like she needs closer to 5 hrs awake time before bed so by the time she falls asleep her day is way too long (14+ hours).  I know she's OT because every night her first NW is 2-3 hours after falling asleep and she will go right back to sleep with some soothing.

Additionally, I'm really getting into more natural ways of treating my LO's issues (sleep, teething, constipation), specifically with essential oils.  I'm just wondering if there is a forum for that?

[Buttonbobs]

Well I think you should follow your instincts here, we can make suggestions but you're the only one who can see your LO. Go with it for at least a week and let us know if you need any further thoughts. If things get worse you may still need to try to extend the A times. Sometimes longer A is needed to push through the UT to reduce the OT by getting more sleep overall

I don't know if there is a specific thread/board for natural remedies, but you could always post in health and medical and see if anyone else has ideas

[bloosiern]

I'm back because things just have not gotten better.  Things are so all over the place right now that I feel like we lost any sort of schedule.  Lots of EW, restless nights, shorter/restless naps.  I am embarassed to admit that I have gotten into a bad habit of giving her milk before bed and during the night but I don't know why I do it because it doesn't make things better.  She never asks my husband or my mother (watches her once a week) for it but gets so mad if I tell her she can't have it.  Not sure if anyone else can attest to this but I feel like it takes her longer to go back to sleep in the MOTN if I give her milk than if I just left her be.

Her behavior is so up and down right now.  Her tantrums are the worst they've ever been and it's totally depressing me because I find myself losing my temper with her.

I think this is probably a bit of an UT/OT loop.  How do you possibly push through to get back to good naps/nights?  Some days she seems ready for a nap by 11 but still won't sleep long so then it's too long of a stretch to BT.

Help!!!

[Buttonbobs]

11am is quite early for a nap for a lo of this age. However I she's been napping at that time for a longtime then her body clock will be used to sleeping at that time. But, this will be in all likelihood what is causing the earlier and earlier wakings. I think extending that A time and moving the nap later is really the only way out of it.

As the EWs are now quite extreme, you could prepare for a tough few days and then move the nap quite a bit later (say12.30) and fix it here for 7-10 days and see if you can reset her body clock. What do you think?