Predictable Unpredictability - Please help us!

[becj86]

Yes, stick with it a few days - it can take 3-4 days to get longer though usually the second day with longer A gives the longer nap, so FX for you!

[labrodyk]

Thanks Bec!! I pulled back on the A time this afternoon after the short morning sleep and got a longer afternoon. Was a weird nap and she was quite unsettled waking and resettling regularly after the first hour but didn't wake properly properly until just after 2hrs. Was hoping to push bedtime a little later but hubby did her routine as I dealt with mr3 so got a bit off track.

E: 12.00
A:
E: 1.15. Bottle 150ml
A:
S: 2.18; 2.25-4.40. Woke and was quite restless every 10-20 minutes, after the first hour.
A:
E: 5.30. Solids
A:
E: 7.00. Bottle 200ml
BT: 7.15; 7.30 asleep.
NW/NF: 4.20-5.03
S: 5.05

WU: 7.30
E: 7.45. Solids
A:
E: 9.00. Bottle
A:
S: 10.41; asleep in 10 seconds!
^^ didn't make it to 3hrs15, she was so upset and tired from 10am it was horrible.

[becj86]

S: 10.41; asleep in 10 seconds!

Out like a light! That was quick.

3:10 is pretty close, yk   If I'm looking on the bright side, I could say that she was upset from 2:30 rather than 2hr which is progress, no?

[labrodyk]

Yes, she was positively exhausted!!

So that nap was 2 hours but with a waking after 1hr10min and 1.5 hrs but she resettled.

10.51, 12.10 wake.
E: 1.00. Solids.

How do I play the rest of the afternoon because even though unlikely, it has the potential to get very long does it not? 3:15 A from 12.45 is 4pm! Is this a catnap or capped nap to keep BT at 7/7.30?

Update....crashed on my bed at 3.35, woke by toddler screaming at 3.49 but then slept until 4.12. So not brilliant, woke crying and I have a mess of baby on my hands...again.

Given how truly tired she is I'm worried that her a is too long?! Both sleeps today she's collapsed in exhaustion. She shows all her tired signs all day!!

[becj86]

Don't forget she's got some accumulated OT from the short naps. I think given she slept a long nap with those few wakings suggests you're on the right track A-time wise. Just give it a few more days to settle before changing anything, I think.

[labrodyk]

I'll try, I just can't keep her occupied or interested in anything to make up her A time! It's most spent in my arms with me jumping up and down to make her happy which doesn't feel right.

[becj86]

It's most spent in my arms with me jumping up and down to make her happy which doesn't feel right

No, doesn't sound right to me either

[labrodyk]

It's like she's telling me; I'm tired put me down I have no interest in anything. then if I do, she short naps - maybe that's what she likes? I had her on my back in the ergo but she kept crying so I sat on my bed to take the carrier off and she lay down made a few sleepy sounds and when I turned around she was asleep having been completely awake in the ergo!

There doesn't seem anything else wrong with her other than showing all her tired signs all day, does that not indicate she is exactly that...tired? And I should put her to bed? if I have to try really hard to keep her happy and awake then surely she should be in bed? Or maybe not?

[becj86]

That's the dilemma. Is that time that she's happy whilst awake getting longer? If so, then I think worth keeping her up for another few days to see if it helps but otherwise I think probably good for both of you to make peace with winging it and having short naps.

FWIW, L wasn't comfortable in the Ergo on my back until more like 9 months - just a size thing, his legs didn't like being spread so far apart whilst they had to be straight, once he could bend his knees, he was happy in a carrier.

Tired signs are so tricky, yk? They're apt to mean any number of other things. For us, DS' hunger and tired cues overlapped and that made things tricky. Does she manage longer A times better at your parents' place?

What's she doing other than crying when she's upset?

[labrodyk]

Thanks Bec, it's getting really tricky you know?

With a bigger dinner and an extra layer of clothing last night she slept 7pm-6am so really happy with that. She had a chat and roll around and I got her up around 6.30 when she started to get cranky.

She's better if we're out of the house or there are other people/heaps of stimulation but if we try to head home she's asleep in the car before i start the car (unfortunately they yield us a super short nap ever time!).

When she's upset she's really upset and I have to entertain her constantly. She'll he rubbing her eyes, yawning, clingy wanting to be held. Basically all signs that she's tired.

I couldn't keep her up this morning, she was crying with her eyes closed trying to fall asleep when I put her down! She's even started sucking her finger to self soothe. I hope she doesn't keep doing it - I'm still trying to break my 3.5yo's finger sucking habit.

WU: 6.00
OOB: 6.30
E: 6.45. Bottle 160ml
A:
E: 7.30. Solids
S: 9.22; 9.27-9.55 (woke crying but rolled into her tummy and resettled after 10 minutes). Woke at 11.30!
E: 11.40. Bottle
A:
E: 12.30. Solids
A:
S: 2.37;  2.41-4.09
^^ quite upset going down but slept ok!
E: 4.15. Bottle
A:
E: 5.15. Solids
A:
E: 6.30. Bottle
BT: 7.00; 7.05

Quite possibly the best day she's had EVER in regards to total day sleep. Hmmm lets hope our night is ok!

[labrodyk]

A few little cry outs randomly at 4.50-5.00 but then slept through until 6.45! Oh I'm so happy. Little miss tummy sleeper. Do I do the A3hr15ish A from 6.45 or 7.00 when hubby got her l up!?

Such a shame she short napped, thought we were onto a good thing! Can't we just get 2 days consistent?

WU: 6.45
Cot play: ~ 7.00
E: 7.00. Small bottle 100ml
A:
E: 8.00. Solids
A:
S: 9.57; 10.00 at latest - 10.35. She tried to resettle but couldn't so OOB at 11.18.
^ asleep almost on my shoulder, really quick asleep in cot. 
E: 11.30. absolutely smashed a bottle (hungry?)
A:
E: 12.45. solids
A:
S: 2.30; 2.33 - 4.30. Woke at 3.03 but resettled then dozed silently from 3.37-4.00 (wouldn't have known otherwise without the baby monitor, eyes half closed/open).
E: 4.40. bottle 180ml
A:
E: 5.45. solids
A:
E: 7.10. Bottle
BT: 7.30; 7.37 asleep by.

[becj86]

A few little cry outs randomly at 4.50-5.00 but then slept through until 6.45! Oh I'm so happy.

YAY!!! That's a great night You must feel a new woman.

So, this A increase is yielding some results. I think she could well have been hungry during that first nap with such a small WU feed :-/ I guess all you can do is a topup an hour or two later if she takes a small amount at WU, yk?

Still, a better PM nap - how was your night?

Working out what to call cot awake time is hard - its so dependent on the baby and what their play is, yk? She looks like you'd call it about half, so if playing in cot for 10min, count 5min as A time. In the end I just got DS up when he woke because I couldn't work him out and it was easier that way That's not working out so well now at 5 when he wakes at 4:30 but we're getting there with resettling now its coming into winter.

[labrodyk]

YAY!!! That's a great night  You must feel a new woman

Most definitely! A few more please Audrey. We're moving house in 3 weeks so I hope she continues

Still, a better PM nap - how was your night?

So she slept approx 7.30-6.30! So a longer night with more day sleep?

I'll top her up after breakfast if she has a small feed in the morning. I'm finding it easier to keep her awake without having the bottle feed after solids. Although it could also be having hubby here means there's someone else to take her and play - extra stimulation for her and she doesn't seem as whingy etc.

I think I'll get Audrey up too...just not this long weekend, little bit more sleep required.

[becj86]

So she slept approx 7.30-6.30! So a longer night with more day sleep?

Yep, sleep begets sleep - those long A times yield better naps and better night sleep.

Yes, it can just be extra stimulation that's keeping her happy. I know L was really bored if I stayed home with him - had to be out every A time, even if it was just for a walk to the park so he could sit and watch other people or to the shopping centre so there was some interaction. What can I say, he's an extrovert, I'm an introvert and I ran out of energy to keep him entertained once his A time got past 2hr I needed his naps more than he did, I think.

[labrodyk]

Haha! That sounds like me and Audrey except I'm an extrovert who just gets lazy! Only got 1hr15min this morning   the two hour nap yesterday afternoon came after a 4 hour A! Surely that's not her normal since she only slept 40 minutes this afternoon? Hunger? UT?

WU: 6.26!
OOB: 7.00
E: 7.10; 180ml
A:
E: 8.10. Solids
A:
S: 10.03; 10.08; 11.24 (1hr15)
E: 11.35. Bottle small.
A:
E: 12.40. Solids. Finger food only as we were out.
A:
S: 2.37: 2.41-3.21