18 Month Old Sleep Regression?!

[AshleyMegan]

My daughter turned 18 months on 5-16-17.  She still sleeps pretty well at night and can resettle herself if she wakes.  Her naps are awful though.  We just got into 1.5h-3 h naps for a few weeks, and then this happened.  I will put her down for a nap and 45 minutes to an hour later, she wakes up screaming.  She often tries to put herself back to sleep but it doesn't work and I have to get her up.  She is so miserable during the day too.  She wakes between 7:30-8am, nap at 1 or 1:30 (depending on when she wakes) and is bed, asleep by 8 pm.   She used to wake up from her naps singing and happy.  Where did my happy baby go??!?  Any tips or do I just ride it out?  Help!!!

Thanks

[AshleyMegan]

Anyone?

[choc]

How long has her nap been at that time? Can you post the last few days?

[AshleyMegan]

Her nap has been at that time for the past month at least. 
The last few days she has been in bed between 7/30-8 pm, wakes at 7:30, nap at 1, then 45min to 1 hr later wakes up screaming.  One of the 3 days she did sleep for 2 hours.

[choc]

You could try pushing the nap a little later? We were on a 1pm nap at that age but with a much earlier morning wake up. You could try 1.15? How old was she when she went to 1 nap?

[Lindsay27]

^^Yes I was thinking the same thing.  My DD is usually up at 6:30am and naps at 1, so that's about an extra hour of A time.  She'll sleep usually 2.5hrs and then BT at 7 (though it's usually more like 7:30 before she's asleep).

[AshleyMegan]

Thank you!  I'll try that.  It just seemed like if I push the nap back later, it may cut into her bedtime?  She has been on 1 nap for a few months now. 

Tonight she woke up (which is odd) and one day last week, at 11:30pm, and wanted to play. So maybe sleep regression?

[Lindsay27]

Could be!  I know my DD's canines are on the way, they haven't cut yet but I can see them, so not sure if teeth is a factor?  If she wakes and she's not crying I just leave her to it, she eventually goes back to sleep even if it's a long time.

[AshleyMegan]

Yeah last night was awful...she would just stand there for an hour after we calmed her down from crying.   Her canines and 1st molars are in, just waiting on the other molars

[choc]

Have you tried medicating at night wakings?

[freewheelnat2]

At 18 months, my DD went from 1.5hr naps (her nights were 11.5 hrs) to 1 hr, because like yours, her sleep started being disturbed (in my case, it was bedtime rather than naptime, but I think, overall, it could be same thing, ie needing a little less sleep in 24 hours period). What I did was push nap 15 minutes later, and wake her at same time, so routine went from 12.45 - 2.15 nap to 1.00 - 2.15 nap, and I kept the same bedtime.

[Lindsay27]

It could be entirely developmental too, I remember my DS going through a period around this age of bad sleep...about 3 weeks if I remember, and then boom - language explosion.  It was only after the fact that I kind of realized what was going on.

[AshleyMegan]

Ugh it's still awful.  40 minutes and she wakes up SCREAMING   I don't know what to do.  I've tried all different times.  She stands up immediately, hollers "mama" and screams and screams. 

[choc]

Is that 40 mins into a nap or after bedtime?
What's her routine now? Do you medicate before the nap /bedtime?

[AshleyMegan]

40 minutes into her nap.  She's been perfect at bedtime lately (7:3-8!pm, waking at 7:30 am).
I haven't been medicating...I don't know if it's her teeth since she's STTN.