you are probably creating bad habits by rocking lo back to sleep etc...there is a reason lo is waking and although in the middle of the night it is easy to rock...etc..(i have done it too
) for the short term..for the long term taking the time to figure out why will pay off
do whatever possible to keep lo in the crib when settling at night - put a hand on lo even a few quiet words. if lo still cries - have you tried pu/pd?? although depending on your lo's problem - it may/may not work. i would suggest tweaking a bit to make sure it's not lo not being tired..or pain...or hunger..whatever you think you can rule out and then go to sleep training..pu/pd..shhhing etc.
it could be developmental..how long have these wakings been occurring for? if it is teething - have you tried giving tylenol or some pain reliever a half hr or so before bed? how about orajel when baby wakes at night? if it is teething this should be a sure shot in helping reduce or get rid of the wakings.
lo seems to have a lot of A time before bedtime - have you thought about perhaps putting lo down for the night an hr or so earlier to make sure she is not overtired?
the A time after the am nap seems a bit short. 'usually' what works is the shortest A time in the morning getting progressively longer throughout the day. so if lo is ok with 3 hrs in the am, go to 3.25 to 3.5 in the second A time (which will in fact help push the day forward some and help lo NOT be overtired before bed..although you still may need an earlier bedtime - just not as early this way.)
you also may want to try limiting one of the naps..usually it's the morning nap..although depending on the lo the second nap can be just fine. try limiting one of the naps to say an hr so you know lo isn't getting too much daysleep. at that age imo opinion 2.5 hrs 'should' be enough. the reason usually the morning nap is the one that gets somewhat shortened is b/c the am nap is like an extension of night sleep and if lo is rested from a good night's sleep than doesn't really need a long am nap...kind of look at it as a 'topper' nap to top of the night sleep kwim? also, if lo is getting a long am nap sometimes that can contribute to night wakings as lo is 'finishing' the night sleep and 'making up' where they lost it with this nap...not saying in your situation but 'sometimes' this can happen purely accidently and just wanted to tell you to keep it in mind
have you tried letting lo go a bit longer to see if she will settle herself? i know i was famous for rushing in too soon
and once i let her go a bit more - many times she would actually settle herself...just as i was getting to her door
if lo is fussing or mantra crying and not screaming 'i need you now mommy' cry - it is ok to let lo fuss a bit and try to figure it out
i do think from everything you said that perhaps the wakings are due to overtiredness and by tweaking that A time and perhaps the nap a bit - even go for 15 min for the nap to see if it helps that it will solve the wakings along with an earlier bedtime. i would say if lo is say having an am A time of 3 hrs - go to 3.25-3.5hrs for the second A time - and go to 3.75-4hrs for the last A time before bed..so it's gradual and not a HUGE gap compared to the A time before...hope i am not confusing you...if you have any questions let us know! hth!!
