In serious need of help!!

[Jpbaby]

Hello! I have a 37 week (8 and 1/2 month old) ds. We’ve been on easy since birth. Our routine has never been the same but every day we follow the pattern eat, activity sleep. He had  been sleeping through the night until he got sick. After that he lost his appetite making him wake up at night for feedings. He’s also been going through separation anxiety which has made him get very anxious around nap time as well as bed time. I still keep our nap and bed time routines so he knows what’s coming next. But I keep having trouble getting him to sleep. His naps have been erratic for the last few days, reversing to 40 minute naps making him very ot. I try giving him an earlier bedtime but for the last couple of days it has taking me more than 2 hours to help him fall asleep. He cries till no end and I am loosing my mind in the process. Nothing works, no matter how many times I try pu/pd, patting his back or just laying my hand. He falls asleep and wakes 10 minutes later and after a couple of times of that I loose him and two hours later of trying everything I have ended up breastfeeding him to sleep. I am afraid of accidental parenting!!!!! But I have nothing else to try. Please help!!!
Also how long do you thing his a time should be around this age?
Our routine today went pretty much like this:
6:50 wake and bf
8:00 solids
9:50 nap

10:30 wake and bf
12:00 solids
1:15 nap

2:30 wake and bf
4:30 solids
5:00 bath
5:15 bf
5:30 bedtime
2 hours of crying
7:30 asleep with bf

[becj86]

But I keep having trouble getting him to sleep. His naps have been erratic for the last few days, reversing to 40 minute naps making him very ot. I try giving him an earlier bedtime but for the last couple of days it has taking me more than 2 hours to help him fall asleep. He cries till no end and I am loosing my mind in the process. Nothing works, no matter how many times I try pu/pd, patting his back or just laying my hand.

He's probably not tired. 3hr is a pretty short A time for an 8.5mo baby and his protests and his 40min nap and the subsequent 1:15nap suggest he's undertired for both of them. He'll likewise be UT for BT at 5:30pm when he's not even had an 11hr day.

I think if you give his A time a push, you may end up with A time of 3:30-4hr and a day of 13hr/night 11hr.

[Jpbaby]

Thanks for replying! I figured that much but I wasn’t sure how much more a time to give him without making him ot. I will start adding more time in 15 min increments. It’s just so confusing, today for example he woke up at 6:45 am and had his first nap at 9:05 and slept for 2 hours, he started scratching his eyes and ears two hours later and I had to put him down by 1:15. He seems extra tired today!!!

[becj86]

Sounds like a good plan. Perhaps he is fighting off an illness or something at the moment - you're obviously doing well following his cues. Keep us posted on your progress