Serial Cat Napper! Please Help!

[becj86]

I'm not expecting it to be easy. I hope I've not come across that way. But it's been 3 weeks since I started altering naps and I'm just feeling a little disheartened this weekend as nothing is improving, maybe this is why you might think I'm expecting it to be easy.

Sorry, it was more that I wish this was easier than that I think you expect it to be easy.

I think given the amount of resettling you're still doing, you might need to push those A times longer yet but lets get that first nap to 9am and no earlier for a week at least and see how that goes.

I do wonder if perhaps its worth keeping a food diary just to get an idea as to whether any foods might be causing him issues given his previous milk issues.

[JCN]

I am cutting back on wheat as it's the only other thing in his diet that could be causing any issues, however he doesn't eat a lot of it as it is.

Managed to push back the first nap this morning. Today so far...

WU 5:45am (after a night of 5 NWs)

A- 3h15m
S- 9:00-10:15am (unable to resettle and extend) (1h15m)

A- 3h 15m
S- 13:30-14:30 (v.quick resettle with sssh pat) S- 14:30-14:45 (wouldn't resettle with sssh pat so picked him up for a WU and he closed his eyes in my arms so I sat in the nursing chair with him) S- 14:45-15:00 (began arching back and wriggling in my arms so I again assumed WU time - put him in his cot to WU properly and he stretched out and fell back to sleep!) S- 15:00 - 15:20
(Total S = 1h50m )

Now I'm going to do BT at 3.5hrs since last WU, at 6:45-7pm.

*update*
He was in bed and asleep by 7pm, then woke crying at 8:30pm and was really difficult to settle. A couple of dummy calls around midnight... Then awake at 4am and again difficult to resettle (almost like he was ready to get up) - I tried a feed, which is didn't really want, I tried resettling in his cot and then by PUPD...I think he dozed off a couple of time for 10-15 mins but it's all a sleepy haze....then today's WU was a horrendous 5:00am!
Help! Where am I going wrong? It seems his sleep is terrible no matter what I am doing!

[becj86]

Ok, most of those NWs sound OT to me.

Stick with that first nap no earlier than 9am for the next few days and lets see what happens - what he's used to is that first nap getting earlier if he wakes earlier so keep it at 9 so its not shifting with him. It can take a while to get his body to adjust to it. Until you're consistent for probably a week or more given how long sleep has been awful, he cannot begin to self-regulate.

[JCN]

Ok, most of those NWs sound OT to me.

Stick with that first nap no earlier than 9am for the next few days and lets see what happens - what he's used to is that first nap getting earlier if he wakes earlier so keep it at 9 so its not shifting with him. It can take a while to get his body to adjust to it. Until you're consistent for probably a week or more given how long sleep has been awful, he cannot begin to self-regulate.

Thanks.
Yesterday was:
WU: 5:45
A 3h15
S 09:00-10:15 (resettled after 45mins)

A 3h15
S 13:30-15:00 (woke after 45mins, would not resettle so co -slept remainder as we were at my parents house in different environment)

A 3.5hrs
BT 18:30

NWs: 20:15, 01:30, 03:00, 04:00, 05:15
WU: 06:00

The first 3 NWs were where he had rolled into hiscot bars and woken himself up too much (a problem we are having at the minute), the others he was just really unsettled for some reason. He pretty much just dozed and tossed and turned from 5:15-6:00.
However with a later WU I will definitely be able to do our 3rd day running of a 09:00 nap.

[becj86]

03:00, 04:00, 05:15WU: 06:00

This here is still really classic for AM nap too early. Stick with the 9am nap for a few more days at least but I think you're going to have to push it further.

Other thing is - are you going in too soon? Is he happy when he wakes or needing you to attend to him? If he's happy you can just leave him to it.

[JCN]

If he isn't crying then I don't go in. I also leave itn2mins of crying before going in.