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8.5 mo old suddenly forgetting how to sleep independently??!!

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Nora2kids2:
Hello,
My DD is 8.5 mo old, transited to 2 naps few weeks ago. Her A times had been 3 hr-3hr5m but the last few days she has started to take 40 mins naps so I thought it was time to increase A time.
 
Yesterday and today I started the bedtime routine at 3hr 10 or 3 hr 15 when she yawned. With the 3hr A time She fell asleep totally on her own  ( the process was : check nappy, sing a song in rockingchair, kiss on the cheek , put her in bed and I left the room-she was asleep within 5 mins after some talking, taking off at least 1 sock  ;D and a little mantra cry)..

However, with the longer A time she fusses a lot, cries ( first mantra, then it turns into ‘someone pick me up’ cry) so I go back and try to calm her in bed -no success. I thought I should use PUPD and after 4-5 PUPD she started to calm down in the cot. Right before falling asleep she realized I was at her bed and became completely awake, tried to play with my hand etc, so I decided to leave the room and let her fall asleep on her own. When I leftthe room she got upset so  I returned and repeated the PUPD. Only after 20-30 mins she fell asleep.
What do I do wrong? I miss my independently sleeping little girl.
Thanks for any advice

Katet:
Separation Anxiety can come into play around 8/9mo, so that could be part of the process.

 it's probably best to try & extend an A time early in the day & not at bedtime, as after the long night sleep they adjust better.

Aslo if she's only just transitioned to 2 naps, then it could be that she's just adjusting &  as the A times aren't an exact science & as babies get older the environmental stimulation can impact how tired they get, as if there is more going on & more people they can get more stimuation, and if they are starting to pull up & crawl around lots that can change it too.  I'm thinking that the wind down process is about 3-5mins & I'd say if she is more physically mobile that it probably needs to be longer & it might be that she isn't winding down enough. With DS2, I was reading to him from almost birth & I was definitely reading to DS1 at 3mo, so they are never too young to have stories & it's a great way to calm them down & help with SA as well as it's a real time for connection.

Nora2kids2:
Thanks a lot for the quick reply.

I know that she is just about to crawl but didn’t think this could impact how she falls asleep. Will definetely try the reading idea, hope it will get her into ‘sleeping mood’ :)

I also figured out in the meantime (after re-reading the PUPD technique section) that I held her too long in my arms with the PU, so my technique needs fine tuning.

Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities :)

Nora2kids2:
Update: falling asleep for AM nap is going well, takes 5 mins for her. However the pm nap is a struggle. She starts to cry when she realises we are going for the nap. I put her into the cot after calming her but she gets upset and I do pupd. After 3-4 pupd (or sometimes 10) she is sooo tired but cannot fall asleep unless she can hold my hand next to her face. So I was afraid my hand/me may become a prop, which I want to avoid so I combined pupd with walkinwalkout.
For the last 2 days this struggle happened at the evening sleep, as well.
Please advice what may be the issue?
I just can’t understand how come that the am nap is perfect and the pm nap + evening is so difficult ???.

Katet:
If she is going to sleep well for the first nap, do you think the timing is wrong for the subsequent nap & bedtime, that she is overtired/undertired/over stimulated. I know with my boys later in the day definitely requires a longer wind-down before naps. As the day goes on they (actually we all do) build up more tension in our bodies so it takes longer to unwind.  Maybe try a different ritual  for the afternoon nap even give her a walk in the stroller or something like that for a few days to break the cycle.  Remember too that the A time isn't an exact science, some babies like longer in the morning & shorter in the afternoon others the opposite. I know that my 2 children had different routines & transitioned to less naps at different ages.

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