waking up every hour crying

[seaflower]

Ok, guys, I don't really know where to go from here.

DD goes to sleep much easier, and usually stays asleep until around 12am (may stirr in once or twice occasionally if she gets stuck in the corner of her cot) but then after 12am still keeps waking up every hour or two. Usually the waking at 3am she is very hard to settle, around 15-20mins. Then she gets up at 5am for the day! (we do have blackout curtain, used to help but not anymore).

Feel as if we should tweak the technique but don't know how?

[teezee]

have you changed the routine at all since you last posted it? if so, pls post the new routine and we will take a look for you did you have any progress at all?

[seaflower]

We have changed it a little bit, mainly getting her to bed early and her waking up at 5am

Wake up 5 - 5:30am
breastfeed 6am (she usually moans until then and seems tired but can't get her to sleep)
solids 8-8:30am
nap 9:30-10am for 45 mins, sometimes 1.5 hour.

solids 12:30pm
nap 1:30-2pm for usually an hour (usually a bf beforehand)
solids 4pm (fruit)

dinner 6pm
bath 6:20pm
breastfeed and bed 6:30pm.

She is asleep by 6:45-7pm. Stays asleep until around 12am and then wakes up in the small hours regularily every hour or so. If I am in the room with her and catch her while she is sturring, and say shhhhhh she settles quick enough, if I leave her for few minutes she starts to cry and takes ages to settle her afterwards. Don't think it is discomfort at this stage, as it is repeating every night.

The improvement is that she sleeps 7pm-12am, which I am delighted with, but we are still exhausted from all the waking afterwards.

[teezee]

you may want to try extending A times a bit...esp that pm A time before the second nap, and that will help make sure lo isn't getting overtired right before bed.

also the way your naps are set up (mind you it works that way for me) don't always work for all lo's. usually the shorter nap 'needs' to be in the am and the longer one in the pm..the reason for this is so lo isn't making up for lost sleep at night with a long morning nap..a catnap should be sufficient at this age - if they had a good night's sleep should be well rested enough with that. look at the am nap as an extension of night sleep. i would try limiting that nap and letting lo have a longer pm nap - in essence try 'switching' them around - hopefully that will help solve the issue. good luck hun! hth!

oh and once she starts sleeping til a 'normal' hr in the morning, i would think she could handle a bit more than 3 hrs at this age - all lo's are different but if you are still having some issues i would try extending this a bit too.

[seaflower]

Hi teezee!

you may want to try extending A times a bit...esp that pm A time before the second nap, and that will help make sure lo isn't getting overtired right before bed.

she starts rubbing her eyes much earlier so was afraid to keep her up too long in case she is overtired. Also, if I get her to nap at 3pm for 1.5 hours won't thaht be too close to bed time? I'll try it anyway, can't get ayny worse

oh and once she starts sleeping til a 'normal' hr in the morning, i would think she could handle a bit more than 3 hrs at this age - all lo's are different but if you are still having some issues i would try extending this a bit too.

Which three hours is that? The morning A time?

Thanks for all suggestions, will try extending her pm nap and cut down on the am one.

[teezee]

if you do cut down that am nap some then her A time won't take her as late in the pm kwim? and if it is only a couple hrs til bedtime i wouldn't worry about it too much myself, if you find it is having an effect on lo not wanting or being ready to go to sleep extend her bedtime to 7:30 if need be and see if that helps.

i do know that around 11 months i had horrible nap issues with my lo (and early wakings  ) who has always been a great napper...i am not 'suggesting' you do it..but i do know some days i opted for 1 nap - 1 long nap and put her to bed early so she didn't get overtired. if all else fails you may want to try it if you feel confident in doing so. now on the odd occasion dd will take 1 nap - but always two - a longer one and a catnap.

nap 9:30-10am for 45 mins, sometimes 1.5 hour.

solids 12:30pm
nap 1:30-2pm for usually an hour (usually a bf beforehand)

the A time after the first nap...if lo is sleeping from 10-11:30 (as is now) and is going down for the next nap at 1:30 then there is only two hrs of A time in there..i think that could be extending as A times as the day goes on should/usually do get longer by 15 to 1/2 hr each A time.

[seaflower]

Thanks, TeeZee, I'll give it a go. I was a bit reluctant to mess with her schedule as it took us long time to get onto a routine and now it seems as if I am tweaking it every second day Hardly know what her 'routine' is anymore, iykwim. We are just having a bit of a rough time at the moment and finidng it hard to cope, she has one of us hostage in her room for the second half of the night.

I'll have a look at the other posts and routines of babies similar age, and will try and stick to a new routine for a week, see if it makes a difference. Really appreciate all your input, will print it for DH to read

[seaflower]

How is this for a plan?

Wake up 6am (she slept later lat few morning so hope it lasts)
breastfeed 6:30am
solids 8-8:30am
nap 10am (will try to keep it short 45mins)

solids 12:30pm
nap 2:30pm (will try to keep it long, 1.5h)
snack 4pm (fruit)

dinner 6pm
bath 6:20pm
breastfeed and bed 6:30pm.

[teezee]

if lo is sleeping later than perhaps everything you have done thus far is taking effect? maybe you don't have to do anything as of yet...i would give it a couple more days and see how it goes..unless that isn't including the other night wakings?!..you may still want to switch the naps around to be preventitive though.

are you and your dh both doing the same thing at the night wakings? keeping lo in the crib with a hand on her??

i do think the routine you posted looks pretty damn good

how many bfs is your lo taking a day now? i am still giving my lo 3 (not to say that is right..) but when did you cut out the other bf? could maybe your lo still need it?