Author Topic: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!  (Read 1174 times)

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Offline Helentracey

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9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« on: March 11, 2016, 10:49:36 am »
Hi
I am not sure whether to post on naps, night waking or general sleep issues! I posted on night wakings last week but the issues are now wider spread and so I thought i would update to get some more specific advice. My LO is 9 months and 1 week although was 10 days late and has often started things earlier (i.e. in line with his due date). Prior to three weeks ago his sleep has been amazing so I probably have nothing to complain about. From 7 weeks he slept from 7.30-7 with no night wakings and aside from v brief spurts of illness this remained the case. He is a textbook baby so he has responded v well to the baby whisperer ideas. I was EBF until about 8 weeks ago, and then  gradually dropped 1 feed per week for 4 weeks until he was taking bottle only. I have since dropped his feeds from 4 to 3 / day, taking 7-8 oz at each feed. He eats 3 meals/day and snacks and is v active, crawling, standing etc. About 3 weeks ago he began to wake in the night, and it was different because it took a long time to get him back to sleep, variations of sssh pat weren't working and so I ended up having to hold him until he was almost asleep before putting him back in the cot. This has continued since, with NW being 1-3/night, although appear to have decreased to 1-2 in the last week. These changes preceded nursery, however he has also since started nursery and his naps are all over the place whilst he settles into the nursery routine. For example, yesterday he was put down for a nap at 9.15-10, 12.15-12.50 and 3-3.40 (he was previously on 3h A time, with 2 naps per day at 10am-11/11.30 then afternoon nap at 2.30/3). The afternoon nap has always been shorter but he seemed to cope with this and lasted until 7 ish until bath without this affecting his night sleep. However a week after the night wakings started the naps also started to change, which I think is due to nursery naps being different. I suspect he is going through a sleep regression as he will sit up/stand up v frequently when he wakes, and I know his teeth have also been playing a part. My questions are how to manage naps on non-nursery days (do I do what I normally do or what the nursery are working towards...i,e, short morning nap and longer lunchtime nap), and also i am worried about creating a habit by holding him when he wakes to get him back to sleep so not sure if there are alternative techniques for getting him back to sleep at night/in the day when he is sitting/standing, and/or distressed. As I say, i have used a variation of sssh pat in the past with success but this doesn't seem to be working. My concern is that the nursery naps are now having an impact on night sleep, so if he is passing the sleep regression we may still be left with NW's? I have also brought bedtime forward esp on nursery days (to 6.30/6.45) as he is totally exhausted but for example this morning he woke at 6.10 (rather than 7), and I am now thinking this is because he was put down for a nap too early at nursery yesterday? Sorry for my ramble, any advice v welcome!

Offline Buntybear

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2016, 21:24:22 pm »
Hi there - sorry your post has been missed - I shall bump this up for you now x

Offline lauradj

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2016, 21:47:57 pm »
Hi there, sorry you were somehow missed!  In my experience, it is easier to replicate what is happening at day care.  With my first child he didn't start until he was a year old and he was already down to one nap.  However, I knew when they laid the kids down for their nap and I just moved him along to that time before he started.  My second is now a year old and is still on two naps but I matched them up with the nursery naps so that he knows what to expect.  You may find that a 45 min nap in the morning and 1.5-2hr nap in the afternoon is the better fit. 
Is there a particular reason he had three naps at day care?


Offline Helentracey

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2016, 22:17:02 pm »
Thanks. Because he has only been in nursery for five days he is getting used to sleeping in s new environment etc, and aside from the lunchtime naps the room is light/other children are still playing. I guess in the fullness of time my LO will have a longer lunchtime nap but until he is used to the environment he is likely to have more frequent and less lengthy naps (hence why he had 4 short naps last week at nursery!). At home I had began to extend his A tine and whilst sometimes he can only manage 3/3.15 he can often go up to 4 hours before showing tired cues. I think this correlates with some of the difficulties with his night sleep currently and I guess I feel a bit stuck as he isn't really ready for one nap yet but I am trying not to confuse him with two totally different approaches. Nursery put him down for a sleep when he looks tired so it will often be 9.15 for 35-45 mins then 12.15 however this is currently also a short nap (where ideally this will be a longer one. Does this make sense?!

Offline lauradj

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2016, 03:38:27 am »
It does.  How insane though!  The kids sleep in the same room in which they play?  I definitely get the transition time it takes for little ones starting day care but maybe chat with the day care ladies and see if they can even things out a bit?  I don't know...


Offline Helentracey

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2016, 07:19:03 am »
So after lunchtime 12/12.15 they draw the blinds and try to encourage all babies to sleep, and if babies look tired and need a sleep outside of this time they will out them down to sleep but the room will be light. I wouldn't sleep so it's amazing that over the five days my LO has been set nursery he has learnt to sleep anyway, however this naps are obviously much shorter. Yesterday we had a v textbook day in some ways - he woke early. It aside from that he went 3.30hrs until his first nap, which was 1.15hrs in length and then went 4 hours until his next nap which lasted 1.30hrs. He then went to bed later than he has been at 7.45pm but slept until 6. This wouldn't have been regarded as good a few weeks ago but is a massive change from the last few weeks. I am just confused as to what to do re naps, as nursery will do something different to what happened yesterday so I guess I need to convert to a big lunchtime nap and a small nap in the morning?

Offline lauradj

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2016, 04:01:58 am »
I find that's what a lot of nurseries do and it's easier on the kids, and us, if they have a consistent routine regardless of where they are.  Chat with them, find out their schedule and come to some kind of mutual agreement that works for both of you.   :)


Offline Helentracey

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Re: 9 month old sleep changes - advice on a plan!
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2016, 09:31:42 am »
Thanks! I guess I better get reading all about the 2-1 transition!