Author Topic: Trouble getting 16 month old down  (Read 6210 times)

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Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #30 on: August 15, 2017, 09:50:29 am »
I thought of that but I have to pick my son up from camp this week so can't shift it later till next week.  Just hoping the night wakings get a lot easier soon!

Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #31 on: August 15, 2017, 12:15:27 pm »
Well she fell asleep at 6:42 pm and slept through till 5:08 am!  Woohoo!  Still early but better. If I can't get her back to sleep (I'd usually nurse her back but guess I shouldn't), do I put her down st 12:30 still or back it up by 15 mins?

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #32 on: August 15, 2017, 18:55:18 pm »
If you have a set time then generally stick with it - obviously when you choose to move a set time you move it and it becomes set again. So for now stick with there 12.30 and then when camps over the 12.45

That's actually not a bad night at all is it :)


Offline Lindsay27

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #33 on: August 15, 2017, 19:17:42 pm »
^^I agree.  I think you just need to set the nap time and stick to it for a few weeks, her body will adjust to that time.  Once the nap is really consistent/predictable and you are getting a solid nap, then you can float it a bit.  I'd just try to stick to 12:30pm right now.



Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #34 on: August 17, 2017, 12:35:58 pm »
Ok so things have been going fairly ok. She actually went back to sleep that morning until 6:18!  Without me going in!  We had an ugly day and night the day after due to scheduling and a power outage, but things went great yesterday. Nap time 12:30, slept 1.5 hours, put her down for bed at 6:05 (this is the time I've been having the best luck with) asleep at 6:25 pm, woke at 5:20 (maybe earlier but she stared taking st 5:20).    Whew! 
Still early but at least she SLEPT a decent night!  Will hold naps at 12:30 and if still getting EW by this weekend will start shifting to 12:45.

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #35 on: August 17, 2017, 18:45:03 pm »
That sounds like progress :)

If you move the nap later I'd also move BT too.  TBH I'd accept an 11hr night.


Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #36 on: August 18, 2017, 01:42:28 am »
I'd be fine with an 11 hour night!  But it's a very rare occurrence these days!  It's been a struggle to get 10 lately!  I would love to move bed time later but her day is already soooo long by 6 pm!  She's often been awake we'll over 11 total hours for the day by 6.   For the last 5 days I've put her down between 6 and 6:10 and one night she'll fall asleep on her own within 20 minutes, the next she'll take 2 hours with us having to go in countless times.  What am I doing wrong?

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #37 on: August 18, 2017, 07:26:51 am »
I feel you'd get a better overall routine if the nap and BT were set later - as you have another child to care for this is not necessarily possible right now so it is not really that you are doing anything wrong, it's just circumstances.

I'd aim for something like this but I know you have your DS's routine to fit around:
WU 6.30/7am
S 1.00 - 2.30 (although preferably longer to 3pm)
BT 8pm (10.5 - 11hr night)

As it is at the moment I think there is not enough A time before BT.  If she naps 12.30 - 2 it's only around 4hrs A before BT when she might need more like 5.


Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #38 on: August 18, 2017, 09:51:11 am »
Hi!  That schedule sounds amazing!  She falls asleep between 6:25 and 8, most of the time it's between 6:44 and 7 pm. I feel like 1) she needs time to wind down for night time and 2) she gets easily overstimulated if her bed time is later because wakeup is sooo early.  I've tried putting her down later and it ends up taking longer for her to fall asleep more often than not.  I would love a 7:30 BT but when she wakes at 5/5:30 it's just too long and leads to her taking forever to fall asleep and, I feel, causes the really long wakeup at night.
For example, day before yesterday by the time I put her down, she had been awake just over 11 total hours.  She fell asleep in 20 mins and woke at about 5:20 am, still early but a decent night.  Yesterday, she had been awake for a total of 11.5 hours and it took 1h15m for her to fall asleep and she's now been awake for 45 mins at 2 am.  The first night, her nap was longer and A time before putting down was just over 4 hours.  The second night, her nap had been a few minutes shorter and A time before putting down was almost 4.5, so she should have been more tired, but it seems to me she was overtired and couldn't settle.
So I'm in this vicious cycle of her wakeup time being soooo early that she's way OT by the time we get to bed and therefore takes forever to fall asleep and has horrible middle of night wakings (1-2 hours), which then just leads to more OT/OS.  I could be totally wrong, but that's the only sense I can make of it. 
Soooo, how do I get BT later? Just keep doing what I'm doing and gradually push nap and night later, hoping wakeup gets later?  She has always seemed to like a loooong A time before nap and a shorter one before bed.  I agree it's too short, but not sure I have much choice at this point?
Thank you and sorry for the novel!
« Last Edit: August 18, 2017, 09:57:43 am by Tabathagucci »

Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #39 on: August 18, 2017, 12:49:43 pm »
Quick update, she was awake from 2-2:45, not nad, but woke again at 5 and has been struggling to go back to sleep for 30 mins. She's gotten just under 9 hours of total night sleep.  I'm stressing out about getting her to 12:30 pm after horrible night like this...  she tends to sleepnshoeter naps when OT for nap (anywhere from 50 mins to 1h15m.  Sigh...sorry for so much posting. I'm seriously at my wits end. I got just under 5 hours of broken sleep myself last night.

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #40 on: August 19, 2017, 02:48:20 am »
Ok after thinking it over all day and talking to my husband, we'll try a later bed time. In theory, her body clock should adjust to a new bed time too, right?  If she wakes from her nap around 1:45/2, do bed time at 6:46/7?

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #41 on: August 19, 2017, 07:38:57 am »
I get what you're saying about the OT making naps and night worse but I do think that moving the whole day on would feel better all round.
If you can move nap later (I mean based on your family constraints not based on her tiredness or bad nights) moving BT later will be easier.
With BT I think you just have to push it. I know she's harder to get down and then has a short night but you'll get past that.
When I moved my DS on I had to go past the planned BT to force a later WU.  He is not good with a later BT even now tbh but if I have to force it I know I can by going beyond where it is needed, waiting for WU to shift and then slowly easing back on BT.
I shifted something like 15 mins per day - after 4 days reached the hour I wanted to move but continued to shift because WU had not moved, another couple of nights (I planned to do 4 more making a full hour beyond where I wanted BT) and WU finally moved. I stuck at that BT for a few days to make sure WU stayed later then slowly brought BT earlier each night.  Initially the night is shorter,losing sleep every night because BT is later and WU doesn't move but that's what I knew would happen and I knew moving slowly would just prolong the OT so I moved faster. That was why 15 mins every day rather than 15 min then waiting 3 or 4 days if that makes sense.
Honestly I was scared of it - it was a gamble and I just hoped it worked.  But when things are bad sometimes it's worth a gamble and just grit your teeth during the first days when it's really hard.


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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #42 on: August 19, 2017, 13:52:15 pm »
Wow that is crazy! Ok, I'm willing to give this a go.  Honestly it can't get much worse, her last two nights were less than 10 hours of sleep.  She actually handles OT fairly well, so wondering if I can just jump BT to 7:30 now.  Or maybe 7:15.  She's been falling asleep after 7:15 anyway the last 2 nights and taking forever to get to sleep so how much worse can it get???  I can shift the nap to 12:45 now and then 1 next week.  No constraints now that camp is over.  Anyway, if i shift the nap to 12:45 today, you think I can just start at 7:25 bed time and shift later 15 mins a day till wake up gets later?

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #43 on: August 19, 2017, 17:50:41 pm »
Well if she hasn't been falling to sleep until late the last 2 nights anyway then I suppose it's worth the risk - I'd probably do it and just brace myself for a bad night, it always felt easier somehow if I expected the worse.
It really is up to you though - I'm sitting in a safe place lol


Offline Tabathagucci

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Re: Trouble getting 16 month old down
« Reply #44 on: August 19, 2017, 21:09:51 pm »
Haha!  I have to say I'm nervous to keep pushing her BT, I may just try 7:15 for a couple nights while I'm pushing her nap. Nap went fine today.  She woke at 5:30 am, asleep for nap at 12:40 (10 mins later than usual) woke at 2.  Really hope she starts sleeping soon.  She's doing ok on this amount of sleep, but she's GOT to sleep more at some point, right?  I hope!!!  And honestly, I can't imagine the nights getting much worse.  She's sleeping between 9-10 hours and sometimes waking up for long periods (although this part seems to be getting better).
« Last Edit: August 19, 2017, 21:11:26 pm by Tabathagucci »