Need suggestions....please help

[Carmela's Mom]

Ok I just wanted to continue my other post and get as many suggestions as possible.  As some of you may recall, our problem has been early waking (5-5:45) and not good naps (1.5 hours which for my daughter is NOT enough)....she is 16 months old.

Yesterday
5:45 a.m. awoke for the day...she was still visibly tired...whiny but not crying.  I went in to get her at 6:30 a.m. - her old time of waking

6:30 a.m. milk
7:15 a.m. breakfast
9-10:30 park
11:00 lunch (which she barely ate because she was so so so tired)
11:15 (put her in crib, she fell asleep by 11:25ish) - 12:55 nap (woke up crying)

1:00 p.m. offered more lunch - didn't want it
2:30-4:30 shopping and park
5:30 dinner
6:00 bath
6:30 in crib (she talked until 7:30 though)....

Today
4:45 a.m. crying & talking for 5 minutes and then quiet on her own
5:00 a.m. crying (I am guessing she never went back to sleep like I had though)
5:08 a.m. really crying so I went in there.  I brought her Motrin just in case her teeth hurt.  I think they did because her whole arm was in her mouth.  She took the Motrin and then I laid her down.  I then laid on her floor.  She never stood up again (pu/pd won't work obviously) but she did look over to me 3 times to see if I was still there.  I would just shh to let her know I was there.  She would lay perfectly still for 5 mins at a time and then toss and turn.  I then unplugged her monitor because the little button made so so so much light!  She then cried (guess she thought I left) I "shhed" and she went to sleep about 10 minutes later

5:50 a.m. I left the room, she was asleep
6:35 a.m. awake...talking so far....


Anyway, I am guessing that she is way overtired .... today I am doing strict naptime at 11...snack before hand and lunch after.  any other suggestions?  Since she talks so much before falling asleep at night, should I keep a 7:00 bedtime or continue to move it up to 6:30?  How much awake time is normal at 16 months?  Thank you so much for your advice!

[tylersmommy]

How long has this been going on? How long has she been taking 1 nap? Since she hasn't been eating very well, I'm wondering if something might be bothering her, like teeth or getting sick?

Sorry to respond with a bunch of questions, but hopefully more info might help shed some light!

[Carmela's Mom]

This has been going on now for about a month!  I transitioned her to one nap in June, not sure of the time, but I want to say the beginning.  She's 16 months old.  I do not think she's teething too much right now becuase she's fine during the day...other than waking for her nap...today she woke up at 5:30.  She took a catnap in our stroller at 9:45-10 and then I put her in at 1...I'm going to try to put her in at 8 tonight in hopes that the later bedtime just changes her method right now of waking so early.

I did try to put her to bed at 6:30 but she talked and talked until 7:30

[sweetpea's mama]

Hi,

I am new to replying and read your post and felt compelled to write...our son is now 30 months old and I struggled with the same early morning wakings for a couple of VERY long months before I tried the "wake to sleep" strategy that Tracy talks about in her latest book, I think it is also somewhere in this sleeping issue section. Basically, you would go in about an hour before she wakes, just change her diaper quietly and then as she is half-awake, put her back in her crib and let her know it is too early to wake up...I think Tarcy suggested doing this for three nights, and then hopefully you will have broken her early waking routine...hope this helps, keep us posted!!

[sacmommy]

Hi, I had this problem with my daughter when she was about 11 or 12 months old. I definitely recommend the wake-to-sleep method. I think the target time for me was to lightly wake her 1 to 2 hours before she would normally wake (she would wake at 5, so I would go in between 3 and 4). I would move her around a little in her crib so she would grunt, etc., enough to show me she was breaking her sleep cycle, then I would leave. After 3 or so nights, and a little more patience, this completely worked for me! After months of early wakings it was such a relief to have her finally sleeping til 6 or 7!