Suprise night waking- how should we have handled it

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Well we had our first night waking last night for the first time in about 12 months. Of course dh and I were in such shock we didn't know what to do. DD woke at about 11.20 and first started whinging, left her a few mins to see if she would settle, went to the loo and it escalated so went in. She was sitting in bed crying so I left the door ajar and rubbed her back, put her lying down and rubbed her belly while I sat on the floor next to her cot. Then she started to chat to me, asking for her friends etc.  I told her to sleep said night night and left. She cried again and after about 5 mins dh went in. He lay on the spare bed which is close enough to her cot and just said ssh and sleep, he stayed about 5 mins, then went to the door, she cried a bit, he shhed again and then went and waited outside the door for a few minutes , she was quiet and he left. This took about 40 mins in total and this morning I had to wake her!
How should we handle this if it happens again? Will she continue to try keep chatting to me, I didn't really reply back to her just told her it was sleepy time? I have to be able to settle her cos dh travels a lot.
Not really sure what caused the waking, she had a 2 hour nap yesterday instead of a 1hour 30 mins so was up at 14.25 and in bed at 19.40? would this effect her night sleep? She has been chaning her schedule a lot lately 
Fiona

[Isom'smom]

I handled our night waking a little differently, but like you I was shocked.  First one in months last night - turned out it was a leaky diaper .  Isom woke and cried, I rocked him (I love sleepy cuddles) and laid him back down.  I went back to the livingroom and looked at my shirt - totally soaked.  So DH and I go into nursery.  I wake Isom and change his clothes, DH changes the bed, then we laid him back down after a kiss, and he went right out.  He woke a couple hours later crying a bit.  DH went in and gave him a quick cuddle then laid him down telling him it's okay.  Back out till seven am.  I guess it was a bad dream the second time - like he just wanted to make sure someone was there to look out for him - KWIM?  Anywho-

Sounds like you did fine - reinforcing night night.  The more Isom sleeps, the more he sleeps.  If he gets in a two and a half hour nap, he'll sleep 13 hours at night in a stretch. Go fig!

Crystal

[imsmum]

Strangely I find that if my dd naps too long she will wake in the night.  I think if she naps too long she falls asleep later and this causes the night wakings.  I've heard that the key to a long uninterupted night's sleep (for adult's too) is falling asleep when your bady temperature dips at the beginning of the night and if you go to sleep after this your sleep is shorter and or more disturbedd.