Jan/Feb 05 chat - Thread #3

[HeatherC]

I had to trim Kelsey's hair for the 4th time tonight.  It grows so quickly, but I'm hoping if I trim it that it will come in thicker. 
As for the paci, I'm hoping that after 1yr it will be for sleep only.  I actually found it on the floor when I went to get her for a nap one day, so that proves she can sleep without it.  Right now she also has it about 30 minutes before a nap, and I use the paci keeper to have it with her while we're out to calm her if she gets fussy.  She usually keeps it in while in the car.  I hope it totally gone by 2 yrs.

[Leah's Mom]

I had to trim Kelsey's hair for the 4th time tonight.  It grows so quickly, but I'm hoping if I trim it that it will come in thicker. 

 :shock:  :shock: You do realize you are making me totally jealous!?!?!  :wink:

[tabrenna]

I am only home for 3 more weeks before a return to work - on my DS's birthday none the less.  I am trying to absorb as much baby time and info as possible.

Hazel - awesome shirt.

JulieB - My DS sleeps 11 hours at night and from 3 to 4 hours during the day.

Thanks for letting me put in my 2 cents.

Terri

[julieb]

Keep the sleep times coming!

So far, I've concluded Asher is on the short end of the sleep spectrum.  But I don't know if that's just the high needs aspect of his personality, or I'm hindering his sleep in some way.  I just don't get it.  I have days where he sleeps 11 hours that night, then takes a 1:15 hr morning nap and 45 minute afternoon.  But I can't get him back to sleep for the life of me.  So I think I need to limit the morning nap more or that he's getting too much night time sleep.  Then TODAY, after sleeping in, 11.5 hours of night sleep, he proceeds to take a 1:30 morning nap (didn't wake him in time) and a 2+ hr afternoon nap!!  :shock:  :?   So it's completely possible!!  Is it that he's not getting enough night sleep (11 hrs) and so he's over tired for longer naps?!  We'll see what time he wakes in the morning.  Funny thing is, he still happily goes to bed at 8:00 despite getting up from his nap at 5:30!  :roll: 

He slept SO well at the hotel.  Could have been how tired he was.  But like I said before, that trip solved his night wakings.  Makes me wonder if there's something to that cozy little pack n play tent.  No slats to hit your head on, much darker, smaller cozy nest....  Today I shut the blinds more for his afternoon nap.  I usually have them cracked during the day to differinciate day/night.  It's still quite dark, but he sleeps toward the window, and I've been doing this since he was 3-4 months old.  But since the pack n play tent was so dark, I decided to give it a try today.  I wonder if that's why the nap was longer.

[klt]

Ciara does 12-12.5 hrs at night, (with or without wakings!) and then lately can't seem to get more than 2hrs during the day. It was 3hrs in the day until the past couple of weeks, but maybe that's because she was waking up more at night before.  She does seem to either have good nighttime sleep or good daytime sleep. 

And Julie, Ciara definitely sleeps better when it's dark in her room.  We have very light curtains in her room and on a sunny day, nice though it is and a rarity here, she struggles to nap well.  When we move I am going to get dark shades!

[Jaime]

julieb - once luke could tell between night & day (around 7-8 weeks?), i covered his window in aluminum foil (hey, cheaper than blackout curtains  :wink: ), making his room pitch black.  he never has a problem with sleeping too long during the day, but it definitely helped his naps to extend. it's still up - i might take it down when he's 18!   :lol:

also, it sounds kinda folklore-ish, but when you were at disney, you were outside a LOT.  seems to me that outside air makes them more tired.  since you're maybe as cold as we are now, maybe getting asher outside at least once a day will help?

christine - jaina's pacifier "vanished" one day a few months ago - she was a little over 2 at the time.   :oops:  she'd only been using it for sleep times.  i might've gone longer, but i'd accidentally dropped the thing behind her desk & couldn't reach it!  but once she saw it wasn't in the normal spot, she understood it was gone.  she was a little restless that first day & night, but has never looked for it since.  probably should have done it a lot sooner!   :oops:  :lol:

Heather - what do you use to cut Kelsey's hair?  john wants to cut luke's, but i'm to scared to let him!!!

us - i think luke's working on something BIG.  his afternoon naps have gone to pot.  he sleeps for about an hour, i spend an hour convincing him he needs to sleep more, and then he sleeps for another hour.   :roll:   he's started butt-scooting this week.  it's too funny to watch - i wish i had a video camera!  but while he's sitting, he can manuver his arms & legs so he drags himself along.  he also is trying to pull up on my leg & a couple other things!  we may be on to something here... 

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Hi ladies.  I only have a few moments to myself, so I only have time to ask for any insight into my current situation!

Ethan was sleeping great until about a month ago.  He was going down about 7 pm, and waking about 6:30 am = 11.5 hours nighttime sleep.  He was then taking anywhere from 2 to 3 hours naptime total during the day (2 naps).

The past few weeks, he has started waking around 5:15 or 5:30 every day.  Sometimes he babbles for a while, and will fall back asleep eventually until around 7 am.  Other times, he is up, and will not go back to sleep, and I have to get him finally (I try to wait as long as possible since it's so early!).

I have tried moving bedtime back a little bit (7:15, 7:30, and on a couple of occasions 8  ), and it doesn't seem to matter.  He still wakes at 5 something. 

I KNOW he is not getting too much daytime sleep, cause he is not the best daytime napper in the world.  If I get one 1.5 hour nap out of him a day, that's a good thing.  Plus, seems like half the time, he's taking two 30 minute naps all day, which is definitely not enough.

Anyway, does anyone have any insight?  It's weird to me that he just suddenly dropped from 11.5 hours at night to 10. 

Plus, nothing is waking him up (e.g. newspaper delivery, furnace coming on, etc.) externally, it's just him! 

Mommy is getting very tired at getting woken up at 5 every morning!   :roll: 

Thanks for listening!

[HeatherC]

Julie-when Asher sleeps 11 hrs as opposed to 11.5, do you put him down for his first nap earlier?  Would that possibly help combat the overtiredness?  I think at this age he has night and day figured out, and I would darken his room if it helps.  Kelsey also naps as late at 5:30 some days and still goes back to bed at 8.  I just figured it's the same amount of day sleep regardless of when she got it.

If it's any consolation, my cousin has 4 children, and at 1 yr they each hit a growth spurt that lasted a month or more and made them extremely sleepy.  They would get up to 16 hours of sleep.

Jaime-I just use small scissors.  I get her extremely distracted and have someone else with me, and keep my whole hand between her and the scissors.  Last night I did it when she was in the tub, but I've done it on the changing table just after a bath before.  When I cut the front, I lay her on the changing table and give her something out of the ordinary to play with that completely intrigues her.

[Leah's Mom]

Tammy - Leah will sometimes wake that early and I give her a bottle. I know that ruins the whole "3 bottles a day" that I say I'm on...but four a day every now and then doesn't hurt.  :wink: I don't know why it works, but I don't care at 5 am I just feed her and she goes back to sleep till 7. SO, I just keep doing it. I think I read somewhere in Tracy's book that this was alright to do.

BOOTS! For those of you in cooler climates (we are sitting at below zero degrees many mornings!  :shock: ) Where did you find boots for your LO? All of the boots I have found are size 5 and up. Leah wears size 3 or 4.

[HeatherC]

Christine-Target, my dear, Target!  My mom has some for Kelsey for Christmas.

[Leah's Mom]

Of course I should have known. Target is one of my favorite stores (along with Kohls  :wink: ) Now I just need to get there. The closest Target is 40 miles away.  I hate that!

Edited to add: Heather - I totally agree with Deb. You NEED to become a moderator in the new year. You have such awesome advice and it is always in such a friendly straight forward way. I'm keeping my eye out for a board for you.  :wink:

[HeatherC]

Thanks, I probably would like to try it.  I'm on the computer so much that I ought to do something good with it!
Kohls has the boots, too.  I saw them yesterday in the baby department with the socks and bibs, etc.

[Daniel's mummy]

Tammy - I don't know if you can remember but about a month or so ago  (I notice Ethan is about a month younger than D) Daniel was doing just the same thing - waking up every morning at about 5am, sometimes eventually going back to sleep but other times being up for the day at that time.  I would try to leave him as long as poss but sometimes that would still mean starting the day at 6am :shock:   We tried playing with bedtime, but it made no difference.  I have no idea really what changed, but now he sleeps til closer to 6.30 / 7.00.  I'm sure it's just something they go through.  I thought maybe Daniel was gonna start crawling or some new trick around that time but he didn't.  Milk never did the trick either.  He just thought he was getting his breakfast next!
I wish I had some great advice on what worked for us but I never did figure it out.  The only advice I have is to go to bed earlier :wink:

Jaime - Luke's bum shuffling sounds cute.  I used to think Daniel would move this way but not yet.  He prefers to dirty all his tops by dragging himself along the floor on his tummy :lol:   

Julieb - Daniel's room is almost pitch black for naps as well as at night.  I try every now and then to leave it slightly lighter but he often wakes earlier from his nap (may just be coincidence but I'd rather not try!)

Haircuts - I've cut Daniel's hair twice (mainly just around his ears) but his hair is looking now like it needs a proper cut.  What shall I do?  I am scared to go at the whole lot :?     It's nearly in his eyes at the front.  Heather I could do with you around to trim it for us.  With all your practice on Kelsey you must be quite the expert!

Having advised Tammy to go to bed earlier I should take heed myself and get to bed.  I am sooo tired for some reason these days.

Take care everyone.

PS Just another thankyou to everyone again - I LOVE this thread.

[HeatherC]

I am sooo tired for some reason these days.

Hazel, could you be PG?

[Leah's Mom]

Heather - Great minds think alike!!!!!!!!! That was my exact thought when I read Hazel's post!  :wink: So Hazel.....is there something you're not sharing with your online family!?  :wink: