Please help

[lolo's_mom]

I'm not even sure where to start or what to ask first - I have so many questions running through my mind. I started my now 6 month old on the 4 hr EASY routine about a week and a half ago. There have been some success along the way - we now have a routine, her feeding is scheduled (every 4 hours whereas before was whenever...), she has nap time and easily goes down for the nap, even pretty easy for bed. She has no problem going to sleep its when she wakes be it at naptime or middle of the night that she cant seem to go back to sleep on her own. But, overall she seems happier and I'm more attuned to her sleepy signals. But I doubt the routine, my techniques, the PU/PD method, all the time. Some days, without varying anything, things will work, some days not work. My biggest problem is her napping. As I've seen on these boards so many times - she onyl naps for 30 - 45 mins. I can count on one hand the number of times it was longer. I've tried to extend them with wake-to-sleep, trying to catch the jolt...and neither has ever worked. My question is - god there are so many in my head right now it's hard to write this clearly and make sense it seems - my question is if I just accept thr 45 min. naps how am I able to continue with the EASY routine. SAy she goes down at 9am and it's supposed to be till 11, but she wakes at 9:40 and won't go back down. Her awake time is going to be incredibly long cause her next nap isn't until 1. She won't last that long...so it just seems the whole day gets screwed up. Or should I be doing PUPD for the duration of what the nap should be? Ugh...so confused, and tired and desperate. Constantly doubting everything. If she wakes during the night - me and my husband think do we do PUPD, or maybe she really is hungry, having a growth spurt, maybe she is in pain, teething, maybe it's gas..............................I dont know anymore. I think I just need some encouragement, some advice,  something. It's just been a crappy day and looking to be a really crappy night considering she only slept for a grand total of an hour all day...

[Matthew's Mommy]

Hi there! Big hugs to you!  It's going to get better (tell yourself this!)

Okay, let's have a look at her daily routine. Is she on solids yet?

As well, how does she settle to sleep at the beginning of her nap, and when she wakes up, is she waking happy? Or screaming?

Hang in there.. you are in the beginning.. and it will improve! You are already seeing positive changes, just a few tweaks I'm sure.
 :wink:

[mango_baby]

hello,

My little one is quite a bit older than yours, but I have some experience with the same nap problem. At the most he would ever only sleep for 45 min. When I did PU/PD and that first day he woke earlier i did do PD until 11. It seems that is the only way he got the message. I know for the first few days your little one wil be tired, but at about 12 something do your nap routine so she is in bed for 1240, twenty min's before the nap time. it seems that with this way they get quite quickly into a routine and extend the nap.
This is my experience anyway, and I waited until my babe was 11 months old when I started PU/PD. For almost 1 year he was having these short naps I thought it would never end. I was amazed with persistance, consistency, and with patience how quickly things turned around. I wish I had done it sooner, in my opinion it is well worth the few days of tired chaos.

let me know how it goes. my heart goes out to me.

Melissa

[mango_baby]

that should have read my heart goes out to YOU.
I know what it is like.

Melissa