Night wakings in almost 5 month old

[Tabathagucci]

Will try to post my easy later.  We don't get any long naps without extending.  😕

Thanks becj86, is it ok to increase 5 mins every 3 days going forward since she's already exhausted by her current A time?  Not sure how I'll keep her up another 10-15!

[FPT23]

Hmmmm maybe it's time to consider some self soothing skills? So her naps extend on their own maybe? I feel this can be fixed with tweaking the EASY though! Hang in there

I agree that after 4+ mths their A time increases a lot quicker. Always have to get used to these infants huh

Hugs! Keep us posted xoxoxoxo

[becj86]

Yeah, smaller increments is fine provided you keep hoing, yk? I presume she has previously slept more than 40 min?

[Tabathagucci]

Not really.... Once when we were out at Disneyland all morning she slept 1h40m without waking.  She slept 1 hour in the car once.  She slept 50 mins in her crib once or twice but she had had trouble fully settling when falling asleep (wouldn't fully wake but would stir a lot) so hard to tell whether to count that. 

[Tabathagucci]

Sorry let me clarify. She doesn't really sleep more than 40 minutes for naps.  She has slept longer after we extend and get her back to sleep but not always. It's usually 30-50 more minutes but when she's had short naps the beginning of the day sometimes she sleeps 1-2 hours more. She doesn't extend on her own, we have to replug paci and sometimes hold it in for a bit or replug multiple times.  But she almost always extends.

[Tabathagucci]

Here is our approximate EASY from the last two days:
Wake 6:45
E 7 am
S 9-10:30 (wakes after 35-40 mins, goes back to sleep within a couple minutes after paci is replugged)
E 10:45
S 12:45-1:15 (same extension process)
E 1:30
S 3:30-4
E 4
E 6
S 6:30
Wakes between 1-3, we paci her back to sleep 2-3 times and feed anytime after 3, then back to sleep till 6:45

[Tabathagucci]

Curious how to make this work when she needs 4 naps on a day where I can't extend.  My husband is on vacation this week so I've been able to spend the time and we have sitters/nannies a few hours a week so I can sometimes extend when they're here, but otherwise I have to take care of ODS and am not able to. 

[becj86]

Gee, I can see why weaning the paci would help, its a major prop.

Given you've a short A time now, I wonder whether she would sleep through the transition with a long enough A time or if she just doesn't know how, yk?

How is she going to sleep? Into cot awake? drowsy? asleep? I wonder if you're stepping in a little early to help her resettle or maybe its taking longer because of that minute you need to get there after you hear her? Hard to know how to help :-/

WRT short naps, basically, you'd do a full A time after WU in the morning, then reduce A time by ~20min following short nap, possibly slightly more for A to BT given she's had a few short naps.

[Tabathagucci]

Yes definite prop but my son was the same and he learned to put it in himself and then was good.  As for A time, it's actually high for her age, isn't it?  (2.25 and she's just turning 5 mos on the 11th)
She's falling asleep on her own most of the time, although when I extend A times she's so ready for sleep she falls asleep almost instantly when I put her in the crib.  She sometimes needs the paci replugged but is usually ok and keeps it in until she's asleep and sometimes while she's asleep. 
Thinking she just doesn't know how to transition yet, because I've tried leaving her and she has never resettled herself.  The last couple of days we've taken an extra minute to get there (I was going in at 30 mins and waiting) and she's resettled easily.  So maybe with time she'll learn! My son was a short napper and he learned between 6-8 months.

So Thursday we extended the first 2 naps (A time was 2h15 for both), then A time of 2h10 and a 30 min cat nap (I didn't try to extend), then 2h10 before bed, brief wake up 40 mins later, resettled right away, slept till 4:45, nursed and back to sleep till 7:45!  Best night in a long time!!!
However, yesterday I did the same A time and she wouldn't extend, was super squirdlly and wiggly and I wasn't able to resettle her for this or the other 2 naps.  Not sure if this is a result of pushing the A time too far or something else, what do you think?  She also woke up at 1:30 am last night and wasn't crying but was restless again and after trying to resettle her for 1 hour I finally nursed her back to sleep and she woke again at 5:45.  Wondering what happened yesterday as the day before it was great!

[FPT23]

Hi!

Honestly, the paci is a prop- that's why ur LOs took longer to learn to transition but there's nothing wrong w that! If your ok with it and waiting for her to learn to pop it back herself, ur ok!

No I don't think the A times are high. My LO is 20 weeks and he's at 2.20 AFTER a long nap. Short naps 2.15... Or so. After 4+ mths their A times increase a lot quicker so I feel it's best to stay ahead and adjusting to longer A times than to deal with short ones and then the naps get crazy and NWs happen. Also easier when u have a toddler around too don't u think?

Find comfort in knowing that what worked one day won't work the next haha! You should track her easy on your phone! I do! That way I can go back and see what worked on that day, what did I do different! I'm a nursing mom too and TBH, since I've extended his A times... Nursing has dropped to once s night which I think is very normal still!

[Tabathagucci]

I'm ok with waiting on the paci since it's only a few weeks away hopefully!  I do track the EASY on my phone but it's still pretty erratic.  It is helpful to track A times tho!

When extending A times is it really just the first one that counts the most?

Thanks for your support!

[becj86]

When extending A times is it really just the first one that counts the most?

This is my opinion.

WRT paci - I had similar issues til DS could replug and I wasn't going to risk him sucking his thumb... weaning the dummy was another story   I think with the reflux, I'd be keeping the dummy too.

[FPT23]

Ah well paci is personal preference and I don't think they are an issue! Hold onto it if it makes things easier for you too soon she will get it! Sooner than later that's for sure! My first never took a paci and did the thumb but never caused problems. I think if they suck well into like 6+ years when their permanent teeth come in, it becomes an issue. He also only sucked for sleep- never during the day. My newest addition took to the paci and I didn't mind it UNTIL it became more of a prop for us during the 4mth regression. Either way is ok I feel. Just a matter of preference

Well many have said the first A time is normally on the shorter side since the first nap is more a restorative one.

I know I've been advised to start pushing the first yes, then if you get a long nap push the next a bit further than that first A time. For example... Our first A is 2.15 (which has now started giving me 45 UT naps) and if the nap is 1.5 or so, the next A time I'll push for asleep by 2.20/25 A time. It's worked. Since I've began pushing A times, if he happens to short nap one of them, he can still handle the 2.15 A time and give me a long nap for the next.

Pushing A times will be a struggle as they adjust, and I've realized some short naps may happen in the process and hard time getting down or fussy babies... But once they get it, your good! After a good week or so my LO is adjusting better and going down easier again. I see a lot of moms saying their babies can't handle being up any longer and are scared to get that push in (and end up just going back to the shorter A time/or put down sooner) but they need to or you end up in a ugly UT/OT cycle which I got myself with frustrating NWs (which have now stopped since)! ....if they get fussy, mine did best in my arms bouncing him around as I walked and did things-- or watching his hyper brother lol! The best thing that worked for him was taking him outside. Always calms him down immediately. It helped push those extra 10/15 mins personally, I prefer a slightly OT baby with good naps or if short, can easily be resettled. Where as UT naps are rarely resettled and they end up getting OT anyway and it can get confusing, imo!

Hope that helps!

[Tabathagucci]

Ok all good to know!  Honestly she sleeps pretty well at night most times (except last week before we extended A times but now I know what to look for!).  Last night she slept 11 hours only waking once to feed and I'm happy with that.  Didn't have to replug paci at all in that time.  So I'll go with it for now!

[FPT23]

Sounds good!!