Feeling sorry for my baby

[cwolff]

I know I need to keep Rachel up longer in order for her to start taking 2 good naps.  But in the morning, she has been making this sort of whining/keening sound and it sounds like what you would make if you were tired.  I don't know if this is just a new sound she's trying out, or if it is a tired signal or both.  Either way, she does it early in the Activity time and keeps it up till I put her to bed.  I feel so sorry for her, and feel like I'm being kind of mean by making her stay up.  But if I don't, then she won't nap well.  Sometimes she doesn't anyway, but I'm really making a committment to be consistent here, and keep her up at least 2 hours.  Will she eventually adjust?  And is this what happens when you extend A Time?  I tried pretty much everything to keep the Activity time this morning low key, but even chewing on a chew toy on her blanket kept her keening and whining.  She wasn't crying, but it sounds like she's always on the verge of fussing.  This is also interfering with trying solids, because she's tired after being awake only an hour, which I think is because she's so restless from 5am on.  So she doesn't want to deal with being in the highchair and eating.  But there's not much I can do about the waking, except resettle her.  So she wakes up a bit tired, then can't stay up too long, and it's just a vicious cycle.  So should I stop feeling sorry for her, and just stick to trying to keep her up a bit longer?

[deb]

Teeth? Cold brewing? We have both going on here at the same time. Nat's schedule is even MORE all over the map than usual, if that's possible. :shock:

How's her early morning sleep, like the last couple hours till she wakes for the day?

[cwolff]

Bad.  She seems to be unsettled from 5am on.  Today, I gave her the paci 2x during that hour, and I think once during 6am hour.  Then she slept till I got her up at 8am.

Sorry to hear about DS's troubles.  Hope they pass soon.  Maybe the cold brewing is the teething.  I've heard that happens sometimes.  I don't think there are teeth on this front, just major motor developments, which must be disturbing her and preventing her from getting comfortable.  She's tossing all over the place and finally fussing out of frustration.

[deb]

If her early morning sleep is unsettled, odds are she's waking up tired. Do you do a dream feed? Does she feed around 4-5AM? If she wakes then, try putting her back with a pacifier?

[cwolff]

I agree she's probably waking tired.  We tried the DF, but she just wakes again at 2 or 3am anyway, so I stopped doing it.  I hate feeding her that close to wake up time, I'd actually prefer to do the 1am or 2 am feed.  Sometimes she'll wake at that time though, and just want the paci and go back to sleep.  I always hope that she'll just sleep thru, but then I get the dreaded 4 or 5am wake up when I do have to feed her.  She won't accept the pacifier (unless she's been fed earlier in the night).  If I have fed her earlier, then usually the paci will resettle her.

[deb]

How about wake-to-sleep around 3:30AM?

[cwolff]

Well, I don't know if that would work, since she just woke once an hour from midnight till 4am.  Then she woke 2 x, then 5am I had to resettle her and picked her up, finally got her back to sleep around six, and she's just getting up and it's 7am.  She usually doesn't do that.  I don't know if she was waking just for the pacifier or what.  I fed her around 2am.  I hope this doesn't become a pattern too.

[deb]

Have you started solids yet? Might need the calories..... Grasping at straws here....

[cwolff]

That's exactly how I feel Deb!    I'm grasping at straws cuz I can't figure it out.  We introduced solids, but she has already shown a reaction to bananas.  She also won't eat her bottle if she gets too much solids, so it's still a tricky game.  I think maybe last night her tummy was bothering her, because she was very fussy today until she pooped.  Then it was sweet potato colored.  Yuck.  I hope there's not a problem with those too!  Thanks for wracking your brain for me.  Maybe tonight will be better, who knows, miracles have happened.

[cwolff]

That's exactly how I feel Deb!    I'm grasping at straws cuz I can't figure it out.  We introduced solids, but she has already shown a reaction to bananas.  She also won't eat her bottle if she gets too much solids, so it's still a tricky game.  I think maybe last night her tummy was bothering her, because she was very fussy today until she pooped.  Then it was sweet potato colored.  Yuck.  I hope there's not a problem with those too!  Thanks for wracking your brain for me.  Maybe tonight will be better, who knows, miracles have happened.

[GraceKellysmom]

IMHO, she seems a little young for two naps. Most babies at that age take two longer naps and one or even two catnaps. EASY sometimes has to be adjusted for that, as long as you are getting enough day feeds in. My day care baby couldn't stay up for 2 hrs until he was much older, say 9 months, and my own kiddos were similar.

That night sleep can be affected by too little day sleep. A cat nap in the late afternoon (that you actually wake her from after about 30 min) may help her relax and sleep better at night.

[cwolff]

I totally agree, but she fights me on the catnap.  Rarely can I get her to take it at home.  She won't sleep in the stroller.  So I've resorted to driving around for 45 minutes to get her to take the catnap.  I live right near a major highway, so back and forth I go!

[deb]

Nat also is on again off again with the late nap; IF she takes one, it's usually 30 minutes, MAYBE 45 minutes. If she doesn't take one, she's whiny and cranky till bedtime, which I just move earlier to compensate.

Heck, come to think of it, she's whiny and cranky till bedtime if she DOES take one, only I can't get her to sleep earlier because of the nap, so it's usually easier for us w/o it!

[GG]

If she seems fussy earlier in the morning, just put her down for a nap earlier.  My little guy can't make it to 2 hours of A time in the morning but he's up for 3+ hour stretches in the afternoon.  I guess he's just not a morning person.  It may also end up taking care of the catnap in the afternoon (we would hope, right?).  Btw... if she won't take a catnap, don't force it by driving her around.

The poop color will definitely be affected by what she eats, so don't worry too much about that.  Just make sure she's hydrated enough so that she doesn't get constipated.  Bananas usually cause constipation.  Sweet potatoes are okay.  Somewhere in the "Feeding Solid Foods and Weaning" forum there should be a post about the 4 or 5 "P" foods that help prevent constipation (I know pears and prunes are 2 of them but can't remember the others).