what happen to my great sleeper?

[Meg's Mom]

Hi

We have been thru the 1 nap transition roller coaster and last week finally got her to a 2hr nap @ about 1pm.  (wake @ 7am and bed @ 7pm) = 14hrs sleep, perfect right?

Well since the time change she is waking at 5am (6am would be okay, but 2hrs early   :shock: ).  We kept her up 30min later the past 2 nights try to get her to the new time - but it has back fired!

W/ the very early wake up i have had to give her 2 naps, but she fights the second on something aweful.

I have previouly used pd to extend naps w/ success.  But i don't know how to handle this as she never fights going down nor had early wakings.  Also, how long do you give a toddler to settle and how long do you hold back when she is obviously upset?

Help!! :?

[Katet]

Michelle, I know this sounds counterproductive, but try to give her an earlier bed time... I find those nights Aiden goes to bed more than 15mins late he wakes up heaps earlier... so try delaying by just 15mins at a time to get into the new time.

[Meg's Mom]

I was thinking that too so we put her down at 6.30 tonight, but she refused the pm nap completely...so even that maybe have been too late. 

I will have to find a way to make the 1nap work regardless of wake up time tomorrow as she went from 11am to 6.30pm w/o sleep - urg.

Thanks and i'll keep you posted on our progress.

How do you do pd w/ your toddler?  An how long do you hold back when dc is doing the hard cry?  I don't want to undo all our hard work, but i don't want to start a new neg habit either.

[Katet]

I never did pu/pd... Aiden just needed a hand on his back, he never stood up. So not much help there.

What I used to do when Aiden refused 2nd naps & it was a long time unitl bed was lie on the "story time pillows" in his room & give him books & me a book & we had quiet time for 45mins... I needed that as I was 6 mo preg! that seemed to give him just enough to get through to an early bed time.

[Meg's Mom]

ooohhhh  i like story time pillows, i'll see if she'll take to it.

Unfortunately, she is a toddler in consistent motion!  Won't sit or lie for more the a minute (unless a sleep or buckled in the...car...stroller...high chair).  But after pm nap refusal today we did take a very long walk and i think she got a wee 10mins of shut eye and some much needed forced rest.

[LindseysMom]

Oh Michelle, just wanted to say I hope that this will pass quickly and that she will get back to normal soon.   Sounds like maybe she just got a little overtired with the time change and hopefully a couple nights of early bedtimes will help get her back on track.  I wish I had more advice but I learned a lot of what I know from you. :wink:

[Meg's Mom]

Thanks Lynne, brought a tear to my eye  .

[Alison_3]

Hey Michelle.  I hope things turn around for both of us soon.  This time change has been awful.  Yesterday my ds was up at 4:10 and this morning at 4:30...yuck!!  On another post, many suggested to moving to one nap.  Well today we tried and still ended up with a 45 minute nap.  I swear my little guy is never going to sleep!

Hang in there...I have a neighbor with a two year old who takes a three hour nap in the afternoon and she has to wake him up so he doesn't sleep too long!  I can't even imagine...

As for the PD, I don't think my ds would go for it.  Lately when he's struggling for a nap or bedtime, he doesn't want to be held, read to, etc.  He wants to be in his crib with his blanket rolling around and sort of talking/whining!  The only thing is, I now have been staying in the room. :oops:

Every day is different for us!  Hang in there.

[Meg's Mom]

Hiya

Ya i hope things turn soon for us both!

I tried awake to sleep this morning and she slept till 5.30 (i guess that is an improvement from 5am).  But since i was just about to fall asleep, not really - moan, moan.

I figured out if i give her a 20min catnap at 9am, she can make it to 1pm happy and will still go down.  But of course she reverted back to the 1.15hr nap, not the 2hr one that we had last week!

Is 45min the same amount he was sleeping before when taking 2?  As Megan did this for a long time too.  Remember, they don't know they are only getting 1 nap - even though we tell them :-).  So give him time to adjust.  If still not sleeping longer after a week or 2 try awake to sleep...it worked for us.

The only thing is, I now have been staying in the room. 

be careful w/ that one, soon you will have be going in everytime he wakes at night too!

I'll try to hang in there!  You too.  Just a few weeks ago she was sleeping 13hrs at night, i just can't figure out how you go from 13 to 10.5 in a blink - wtf!

Let me know if i can help any w/ your 1 nap transition?

[lulah'smum]

OMG I need help here too!  :wink:  We've been doing the 2 to 1 nap transtition since Monday and it's now Friday here. She's been doing really well with it, having a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day then going to bed at 7pm. She wakes around 6.15am. On Wednesday she made it all the way to 7.20am and she was angel for the entire day! (Doesn't happen too often so I savour those days....)

Today, however, I jumped in the shower at 9.30am and she FELL ASLEEP ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR!!!!!!! While I was in the shower!!!!   She hasn't fallen asleep ANYWHERE other than her own bed or the car seat since she was about 6 weeks old. She won't even nap in her pram.

So do you think it's too soon to do the 1 nap thing? I have no idea what's going to happen this afternoon. I doubt she'll take an afternoon nap as she's been fighting them severely for 4 weeks, which is the whole reason we decided to transition. The rest of this week has been much easier than I thought it would be, with the 1 nap thing.

Lynne, I remember you saying Lindsey naps twice some days and once on others - does this work OK?

[Meg's Mom]

The 2 naps didn't work for us once we started the transition - it always ended up w/ a 45 and 45...hate those cuz I get a grumpy baby and no rest for mommy.

I can just see her on the floor, what a shock! 

Let us know what she does this afternoon and we can chat again.  How long did she sleep on the floor?  :shock:  Tracy does say that some days they will need 2 naps out of the blue, so go with it.

PS: I did ATS after 70min and she is still sleeping as we approach 1hr 45min, I am so happy!  FINALLY!!  We noticed last night she was hungry again after dinner, I have been feeding her ALL day...could the early wakings be due to hunger eg: growth spurt?

[Alison_3]

Great for you Michelle!  Today we only got up at 4:45 a.m.!  It's progress though.  When my ds takes two naps the times vary.   Today he slept an hour this morning and 45 minutes this afternoon.  (extremely grumpy after the classic 45 minute nap!)He was so tired by bedtime, I thought he was going to fall asleep in the bathtub!

I'm just trying to figure out what to do.  He has been walking for over a month now, last week stopped drinking his bottle, etc.  I just wonder if all of the changes are the main reason for his lack of sleeping!  I find it really hard to go with one nap when he wakes up so early!  I don't know if I should just give him some time with this early waking situation and then try the 2 to 1 transition OR do I need to get to one nap to stop the early waking?  This is all so confusing to a first time mom!

My ds does have reflux, which I think was the major problem early on with his sleeping.   Thanks for your post Michelle!

Lulah's mom:  I can't believe your dd fell asleep on the bathroom floor!!  I can't imagine that happening to my ds.

[LindseysMom]

I know what you mean about feeding them all day.  Lindsey has been eating something about every 2 hours but she also has been taking her 2 naps lately,  for the moment anyway. 

Just a quick question.  If your lo has a nap that ended later than normal do you still put them to bed at their usual bedtime or do you vary it a little depending on when they woke from their last nap.  I usually like for Lindsey to be  in bed no later than 8 pm.  But she has been sleeping sometimes til 5 pm.  I have been varying her bedtime depending on her last nap end time but now that it is getting light sooner she does seem to wake earlier.  But  if I put her down too early for her afternoon nap she will not take one, kwim.   What do you do?

[Meg's Mom]

Hi, we got a 2hr nap...i was soo excited!  But poor dd has dark circles under her eyes :oops:.  At least today was a huge improvement.  I tried to get her to bed early but she all she wanted to due after her bath was eat and eat - i think this could be it.  As i also gave her a huge snack before nap instead of after like normal.

Alison - I find it really hard to go with one nap when he wakes up so early!  I can relate, it is really hard to do.  What about you trying this - reduce am nap by 10min every couple days until the pm nap lenghtens.  Fiona/Lieghs mom (on our other nap thread) did this w/ success until dd totally dropped the am nap and kept her pm nap.

Lynne- i would adjust her bed time a little...by 15min (30max) but no more. 

You all have been a great support this week, i can't thank you enough!

[lulah'smum]

She slept for an hour on the bathroom floor! She looked very comfy with her blankie so I didn't dare move her. She then napped for a huge 20 mins in the car this afternoon. It's 6pm now and she's getting massively cranky. But DH is home to keep her occupied TG!!

Michelle I so know what you mean about the "toddler in consistent motion" - I have one here too.  :wink:  I had a thought: How light is it in Megan’s room in the morning? (now that your clocks have gone back an hour). Once it starts staying dark in the morning (winter isn't far off) she might sleep in longer. I know it's a long time to wait though…

As it's coming into summer over here the mornings are getting lighter and lighter. Consequently in the week before the clocks went forward Tallulah was waking at 5.15am. The sun was coming up at 4.45am. She could see the cracks coming through her blinds and could hear the birds - TOUCHY little thing. Since the clocks have changed she sleeps until 6.15am, sometimes longer.

When she was waking early I tried everything to get her back to sleep. But once she was up she was up. PU/PD just infuriated her - she worked herself into a real frenzy on more than 1 morning! Mum & Dad were then set up for a cranky day too. So my advice would just be to put her to bed early (6.30 or earlier) and ride it out. She’ll sleep in herself eventually.

[Meg's Mom]

Lulah's mom, if she deperately needs a morning nap i would keep it to 30min.  I have done this the past 3 days, due the unsually early wake up and it has worked for us.

Strange thing is at 5am it is pitch black here! 

At least today she woke at 5.13 - fussed for 10min and went back to sleep w/o any intervention until 6am.  A huge improvement and i am so grateful.  I will do early bed tonight and let you all know how it goes.

I tried pu/pd and leave on day 1 and 2 of these mad early wakings - she went nuts!  The thing that helped us turn the corner i think was on day 3 , i went in and sat on the floor next to her crib.  But did not get her up or out of the crib until 6am.  Near the end of the time she actually sat down on her own as if to say "okay i give.  If your not going to leave me and not get me up...i might as well relax"     

Ever since (now day 5) i haven't gone back in her room for these wake ups and today was the best so far.

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Hi There,
Sorry for late reply, no internet connection for a few days  :cry:
Michelle hope things are back on track or getting there. We are doing ok most days a 1.5 or 2 hour nap usually 2.  Alison I think you said your little one still needs a morning nap? My dd was the same needed a nap 2 hours after being up but was cutting back on the pm so I just cut it back slowly until we reached 30 mins, that was 30 mins in bed even if she only slept for 20 or 25. Eventually she was starting to fall asleep at 10.20 and would have been up at 10.30 so on those days I just took her up and continued the day. I did this for about 4 or 5 days then just didnt put her down for her morning nap any longer. Worked well for us I have to say. She still yawns a lot at 10 am which is old nap time but I think its more a habit than anything else, also moved lunch nap foward by 40mins.
Hope everyone else is well 
Fiona

[Alison_3]

Okay ladies-  I need serious help.  This morning was 4:30 again.   My ds was cleary still tired.  He woke up screaming so I went in and he was screaming no matter what I did.  His latest thing is to point to where he wants to go and he wanted out of his room.  So we went out got a drink and a few cheerios and started the day.  He was asleep by 7:20 last night.  Should I try an earlier bedtime?  I know some of you have mentioned that, but I am afraid if he goes to bed any earlier, I'll be getting up at 3:30! :shock:

As for making his morning nap 30 minutes, do I really go wake him after 30 minutes??  Yesterday was horrible too.  He was so cranky in the morning because he got up too early and he's getting two more teeth.  We ran a few early morning errands.  He was asleep in the car immediately.  So I drove a little bit :oops: .  He woke up, we grabbed a bagel together, did a little shopping and went home.  He then stayed up until about 10:45 at which time he took a 1.5 hour nap!    Of course by 3:30 he was miserable and tired so he then slept for 30 minutes and was even more miserable when he woke up!  I just don't know what to do...

I am so tired and cranky myself!!  Dh is sick so no break for me!

[LindseysMom]

I would suggest trying an earlier bedtime.   You may want to try and re-establish 2 naps for a while longer.   In the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child the author says that sometimes when a child is put down to 1 nap too early they can become overtired and then the early wakings start.  He recommends going back to 2 naps to resolve the problem.  Or, if you don't want to go back to 2 naps then try a super early bedtime like 6 pm.   Then hopefully he will catch up on some of his sleep by the early bedtime and sleep til at least 6 am.   Then, if he still wakes up early then I would say he is waking up just to have your company so you would need to stop going to him at such an early hour.  Easier said than done though.  Especially when he is going to get mad when you don't come and protest cry.  Juat a few suggestions, hope you find something that works.

[lulah'smum]

Hi Alison, I would definitely try the earlier bedtime, it always works for us. In saying that, though, the early waking is probably because he is getting 2 new teeth simultaneously - extra painful I'm sure!! He would definitely still be tired at 4.30am though, so I would try giving him some children's paracetamol and resettling him until a more decent hour. If you start getting him up at 4.30am every day then that will be his routine!!

BTW, Tallulah does the pointing thing too. She woke at 7.45pm last night after only being asleep for 45mins. Teething woke her up so my DH went in and straight away she pointed at him then at the door and started "talking" (ie, telling him that she wanted to get up). He just put some bonjela on her dummy, lay her back down again and softly told her to go back to sleep. She screamed as he walked out of the room so we let her whinge for a bit but then she went back to sleep within 2 mins.

HTH and good luck.

[Alison_3]

I'll definitely try the earlier bedtime.  I've given my ds orajel and motrin before bedtime.  I'm guessing by the time 4:30 rolls around the medicine has worn off.  I'll try to go in and resettle him, but he is really out of control crying and can't be consoled.   I think someone on this thread mentioned sitting on the floor early in the morning...should I try that? 

My little guy can't seem to catch a break (or his extremely tired mom!)...he is finally dropping some of his reflux meds.  Then he has to get two teeth at one time! 

I can't believe I complained about my ds getting up at 5:30...right about now I would love that!    

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.  Sometimes I feel so lonely at 4:30 a.m., but then I remember another lucky one is up at the same time! 

The really frustrating thing is that when my ds is fully rested he is so happy!

[Meg's Mom]

Alison

Sorry for the late reply, I have had a really, really bad day...not due to dd for a change  :shock: .

Yes, I agree w/ everyone...an early bedtime.  If you are afraid of 3.30am wake up call (which I would be too) then do 15mins earlier every couple days until you see a positive result or the opposite (of which I will keep every finger and toe crossed for you that it doesn't go that way).  But you need to find a way to turn the tide as your ds is in overtired mode and you need to get him back the other direction.

Yes, it was me who sat on the floor (and it worked as the next day she slept a bit later and only moaned so I didn't need to go in to her room at all)  I was desperate but refused to let her get up until 6am.  If you do try it - don't interact too much, a few "it's time to sleep darling" and a few pats but not much else.  Have I (or other mods) sent you the pm on early wakings?  I took the idea from this.  I'll send you just now in case it helps you.

My eyes are crossed at this stage so I hope I made sense...feel free to PM me if I can help in any way.  You are going to need to decide, 1 nap or 2 and then we can help w/ a plan for that too.