Predictable Unpredictability - Please help us!

[labrodyk]

Did you wake her at 2hr for each of those naps?

Yesterday I woke her in the morning but the evening sleep I let her sleep until she woke and she did 2.5hrs. But that left me with limited time for a catnap and a super early bed time.

Today has been;

WU: 5.50
OOB/E: 6.10
Nap1: 7.53 (asleep 7.55) - 9.40
Nap2: 11.52 (asleep 11.55) -

That routine looks good. Not sure how close we'll get to it today.

[becj86]

If you were to get 2.5hr from both naps, your day would look more like this:

7 - WU
9:15 - nap
11:45 - WU
2 - nap
4:30 - WU
6:45/7 - asleep in bed

Either way would work - you could pick which one to go with depending upon WU time... or how it would suit your planned activities even.

Its actually good not to cap every nap in a given day - ideally you cap a maximum of 1 nap per day.

[labrodyk]

Gosh I wish she had some level of consistency like that!!

Today was interesting
WU: 5.50
OOB/E: 6.10
Nap1: 7.53 (asleep 7.55) - 9.40
Nap2: 11.52 (asleep 11.55) - 1.27
Nap3: 3.31, 3.40-4.20
*  she was SO cranky and upset before this nap despite changing activities several times. I thought she might have been hungry but she's not interested in milk...
 Attempted resettle for 5 minutes but I just knew she wasn't going back to sleep

Paed suggested I introduce solids at 4 months to help her reflux so perhaps that might even out the sleeps?

Now I'm kinda stuck in the early to bed, early waking cycle. I'll try to put her down at 6 to be asleep by 6.30 at the latest.

[becj86]

Paed suggested I introduce solids at 4 months to help her reflux so perhaps that might even out the sleeps?

Worth a try :-/ It can also really upset them...

Reflux doesn't seem to be affecting her at the moment though?

Today looks pretty good on paper. 2 x long naps + catnap, 12-12:15 day length. BT is later today than yesterday, no?

[labrodyk]

It's not bothering her per se but she gets cranky and uncomfortable when she regurgitates so much.

Well I don't think bedtime worked tonight, she's been quiet and now crying since I put her down at 6pm (30 mins and counting). She fell asleep at 6.40 but then woke at 6.50 crying. Fell asleep shortly after. We're earlier than last night - I thought I was doing the right thing as she was so cranky but clearly not. I'm so confused!!

[becj86]

The evening is tricky - witching hour is a pain. Wondering if she's a bit OS at BT? DS struggled with BT if it was within 2hr of seeing DH come home from work. He just shook with excitement and needed a lot of tight hugs and a lot of Daddy time to calm him down enough to sleep.

How was your night?

[labrodyk]

you could be right! our bedtime is like this;

she has a warm bath, then a massage in her room, pj's on and swaddle up on. Close the blinds so room is dark, put her lullaby music on and then I feed her, burp her and cuddle for a few moments with a lullaby and shush/pat. My husband is home from around 4.30pm and my DS is a 3yo maniac so things can be quite hectic but I try to keep things calm during that last 1/2 hour or more.

Last night was very good considering. We forgot to do the dreamfeed after Australia Day celebrations and she slept until 3.30am. She didn't even sound like she was hungry crying but she drank about 130ml (which is good for her) and fell fast asleep until 7.00am. She did call out at around 6am but by the time I'd checked the monitor she was asleep again.

so;
NF: 3.30
WU: 7.00
Nap1: 9.03; 9.06

[becj86]

I'd be pretty happy with that, a good long night with 1 NF and WU at 7 Maybe the DF is starting to interfere with her night sleep - would you try dropping it for a few nights? Can always go back to it if you find its necessary...

[labrodyk]

Yes, I was very happy! Sure, I'll try for a few nights and keep you posted. With regards to waking her from sleep, should I be doing that based on the time I put her in bed or the time she falls asleep? Second nap was a touch earlier than 2hr15A but she was cranky despite changing activities. I feel like I'm REALLY pushing her - should it be that hard and trying to entertain/keep her awake when perhaps she's past it? I'm not sure...time will tell if she short naps. I'm heading to my mum's for the rest of the week so things could get a bit shaky.

Nap1: 9.03; 9.06-11.06 (I woke her)
Nap2: 1.10; 1.20-

[becj86]

I guess we'll see - 2hr may well be plenty but you were getting quite a few UT naps on 2hr before.
 Good luck with the change of scenery.

How long have you been doing 2:15? It should be starting to get easier by day 3-4, I'd have thought.

[labrodyk]

I have been doing 2hrs15 for a few days now but to be honest I'vd put her down earlier than that most days because she seems so tired...

She hasn't short napped this one despite slightly earlier nap. 1.20-2.50 so far.

[becj86]

Maybe 2hr is plenty - it would still be more than average for her age. On the bright side, she's not getting so OT that she's doing short naps, so you're not pushing too hard.

[labrodyk]

Perhaps! I'll keep going.

This afternoon she woke at 3.20 and we were then on the road. Unfortunately she fell asleep at 5.45 just as we arrived and woke straight up. So busy with mum and DS that she just fell through the cracks. She fell asleep on her bottle but then when I went to put her down her eyes were wide open. 

Into bed at 7.10, asleep 7.27!

[becj86]

FX for a good night!

[labrodyk]

We had 2 wakes last night;

* 12.30am - big feed of 170ml
* 4.00am - smaller feed of 120ml
* WU at 6.45am and lay quietly until 7am
* nap 1 - around 9, still napping. We're going out for lunch so I thought I'd let her sleep if she's still asleep at 2 hr mark.