Predictable Unpredictability - Please help us!

[labrodyk]

Yeah still thumb sucking but she's never ever done it before!!

First day ever we got 2 solid naps!! Don't know whether it's the thumb or the rain white noise I put on. However, she drank very little of her bottles today and almost NONE of her bedtime bottle  and has woken both after 40 minutes and 2 hours post bedtime whinging, sucking her thum and trying to settle. The all day sucking has stopped but using it as a self settling thing at the moment - before naps and when cranky in the car!

WU: 6.30ish
Nap 1: 9.30-11.00
Nap 2: 2.00-3.30
BT: 6.25; 6.30 asleep
NW: 7.20 but resettled herself
NW: 8.20. Trying to resettle but keeps waking herself after she seems to have fallen asleep!

[becj86]

Those NWs soon after BT would usually be interpreted as OT - seems wrong given she's had her best day in a long time.

Maybe the thumb is just a new skill and she's been practising and now its working... wouldn't it be nice

[labrodyk]

she keeps waking every 40-60 minutes Bec...is it discomfort? Hunger from drinking 20ml of her bedtime bottle?

It would be VERY nice but I don't want to get my hopes up just yet!!

[becj86]

she keeps waking every 40-60 minutes Bec...is it discomfort?

I think so. Waking that frequently isn't 'just' OT/UT, yk? WRT the source, I don't know. I think if she's increasing the thumb sucking, she's finding relief which suggests swallowing helps - it equalises pressure in ears, it keeps refluxed acid down, those are two ideas but this is what Dr could be looking for. WRT ears specifically, there's some kind of device that blows a little air on the ear drum and Dr can see if is vibrates - that would show fluid/pressure in middle ear better than just looking for infection/redness, yk?

[labrodyk]

I honestly think it's her teeth which may in turn be affecting her ears. She is drooling like absolute crazy, her top gums are quite swollen/red and she has zero interest in her milk - will suck for a brief time but then cry. This could be linked to ears too as you suggested but the other teething symptoms seem to point to that.
Regardless, she slept through until 5.50 this morning where she was crying out on and off until 7.00 and her first nap today is 1.5hrs off 3hrs awake time.

[becj86]

Could well be teeth too.

Is that 3 decent naps in a row?!

[labrodyk]

Yes it is! Except this afternoon she's been very tired and keeping her up to 3hrs A whilst not too difficult has resulted in a 30 minute nap where she's crying and can't resettle   I've been trying to resettle in my arms for an hour with no luck... 6pm bedtime or another nap?

to be fair, she was seemingly tired before 2pm - keen to fall asleep on her bottle whilst feeding herself in the pram at 1.20!!

Drank barely any milk before bed...
BT: 5.52; asleep by 6.09 (maybe earlier, was getting DS ready for bed too).
Already woken at 6.52 crying and won't settle. Took me until 7.20 to pat and settle.
Woke 8.10pm crying louder and started coughing. Offered more milk but screamed when I left the room....asleep again at 8.30
Waking at 5.45 crying and unsettled until 7.00. Only left her because I thought she was 'trying' to be asleep. She's not waking happy so I assume she's still tired...

OOB: 7.00.
Nap 1: 9.30; 9.40-10.40
Nap 2: 1.30; 1.35-2.50
Nap 3: 5.10; i let her have a little doze for 10 minutes
BT: 6.05; closer to 6.30 asleep.

and she hasn't woken at all so far.... I really don't get it. Should I go back to 3 naps with a 2.5hr before bed? I can't work out how to make it to bedtime or even get a catnap in. She obviously needs something, even with 2 good naps she was OT at bedtime. Thumb sucking remains but helped her just lay there and rest/close her eyes at 5.

[labrodyk]

And yet she's been awake from 1am crying and fussing for 2 hours inbetween sucking her thumb. Finally fell back to sleep at 3am but woke at 6.20, surely she could have slept a little longer?!?

And yet she naps the same amount of time with shorter a's and is less tired through the day.
Today was;

WU: 6.20; lay quietly until 7.00
OOB: 7.00
Nap 1: 9.30; 9.35-11.07
Nap 2: 1.20; 1.25-2.45, resettled until 3.12.
BT:5.50; 6.00-6.40
^^ sometime around 2.45am I heard her chatting for a little while then whinging. I don't know for how long, I fell back to sleep.

[labrodyk]

Yesterday was;

NW: 2.45-? Babbling, not sure how long for
WU: 6.40
OOB: 7.00
Nap 1: 9.40; 9.45-11.07
2.5A
Nap 2: 1.40; ? - 3.25
BT: 6.20; 6.30
NW: 1.00; babbling briefly. I fell back to sleep

WU: 6.00.
OOB: 7.00; lay quietly babbling and sucking thumb.

I need to shift our day to get wakeup later if at all possible.... How do I do that?!

[becj86]

Basically if you shift first nap later by 15min every few days. I know that's hard in your case - maybe just add 15min to A time and see if she shifts WU later...

[labrodyk]

Ok so last night she slept from 7-5.50 then must have fallen back to sleep at around 7am and slept until 7.40!

Nap 1: 11.00-12.28
Nap 2: 3.20-3.40 (car, I think she fell asleep around 2.30 for 5 minutes and then couldn't get back to sleep as not as tired). Woke when I stopped; yet 3.5yo is fast asleep.
BT: ??

What should I aim for tonight for BT?

[becj86]

DYT she could make it to 6:40?

[labrodyk]

She might! I was thinking 6.30 so I think she might just have to deal with it. SO scared because the last few nights we haven't had those NW in the early part of the night!

[labrodyk]

Evening Bec! How's your weekend going?

So, my daughter is just a weirdo with her sleep.... this was our day today. Should I be aiming for 3hrs between naps or more now? I'm SO confused.

WU: 6.40
OOB: 7.00
Nap 1: 9.55; 10.00 - 12.30
Nap 2: 3.30 - 5.15 (I had to wake her!!)
BT: 7:53;

She was very tired between those A's and I think she could have gone down at 3 for the second nap.

Just not sure whether I should change to set naps now we're consistently starting the day at 7am? like this morning I just kind of aimed for around 10 (3 hrs from 7, even though she woke earlier) but if she was to wake at 7 exactly, would I do 3hr20 or 3hr? Perhaps today was just a massive catch up day...I didn't have the heart to wake her though, except from this afternoon. I was wanting to wake at 4.30. I really just have no idea what kind of routine to stick to, whether to wake her, or how many hours in the day I should be aiming for...

[becj86]

Evening Weekend has been more restful and less productive than it should be... assignment due Monday

Procrastinating on BW as usual...

Well, today looks like a nice day - I agree, unlikely to happen again tomorrow. I guess if you're going to do 7am OOB regularly, you could go with set naps at 10 and 3. I think that would be reasonable on an ongoing basis. I don't think you could expect a 2.5hr nap every day, knowing little Miss A. I presume she's reasonably happy to lie in bed for a while before getting up - lucky you, never flew with mine. Eyes open, everybody's up!