What to do, she wants to play in the night

[natasgirl]

DD IS 5 MONTHS ON A 4 HR EASY AND HAS BEEN SLEEPING THROUGH SINCE 9 WEEKS. SHE HAS RECENTLY STARTED TO ROLL (ONLY TWICE), AND CAN SIT UP IF I SIT HER UP. SHE HAS IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO STARTED TO WAKE SOMETIME IN THE NIGHT AND IS LAYING THERE PLAYING FOR AN HOUR OR SO THEN STARTS TO CRY. WHEN I GO IN SHE STARTS SMILING AND WANTS TO PLAY. TODAY IT WAS 3:30 AM WHEN I WENT IN, BUT I HEARD HER AT 2:30. I TRY TO SH/PAT, BUT SHE JUST LAYS THERE MAKING NOISES. I STEP BACK AND SHE STARTS TO CRY AGAIN. SO, I SH/PAT AGAIN AND SHE IS JUST PLAYING. THEN SHE STARTED CRYING AND WOULD NOT CALM IN THE CRIB SO I DID PU/PD. IT WORKED AFTER AN HOUR AND SHE SLEPT UNTIL 7:30 AM. IT WAS REALLY HARD TO NOT CAVE IN AND GIVE HER THE PACI THIS AM

I HAVE BEEN LOSING SO MUCH SLEEP LATELY I FEEL LIKE A ZOMBIE. WE HAD ISSUES RECENTLY WITH DD HAVING SHOTS THEN AN ILLNESS. I HAVEN'T HAD A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP IN WEEKS.

SHE HAS RECENTLY STARTED TO PUT HERSELF TO SLEEP ON A CONSISTENT BASIS FOR NAPS, NIGHTS ARE STILL A STRUGGLE. SHE WAKES NUMEROUS TIMES BETWEEN BEDTIME AND DF. SHE GENERALLY GOES TO BED 7:30-8 PM, ABOUT 2 HRS AFTER CATNAP. SHE GENERALLY DOES NOT WAKE AFTER DF UNTIL RECENTLY.

IS THIS WAKING TO PLAY JUST A DEVELOPMENTAL THING? DID I HANDLE IT CORRECTLY? WHY DOES SHE WAKE SO MUCH BETWEEN BEDTIME AND DF? I CAN'T DECIDE IF SHE IS OVER OR UNDER TIRED AT BEDTIME. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH HER ON ROLLING.

THANKS, NATALIE

[Colin Macs Mom]

Hi Natalie,

What is her EASY routine? That would help a lot. But since you say she's just started rolling, I suspect the wakings are largely developmental. That's always tough, but the best way to combat it is to make sure that she gets all the time she wants during the day to practice. That way she'll get the urge out of her system and master the skill faster. Rolling is one of the toughest milestones for sleep, so hang in there! You're doing great. Make sure that you don't go in unless she's really crying and PU/PD if necessary.

[natasgirl]

Thanks Jessica- I hope this phase passes soon. She is still swaddled and sleeps in a positioner, so she hasn't rolled in bed yet. I do give her tummy time often during the day. she is getting stronger and lifting higher every day.

here is todays schedule:

E/A 7:30- 6oz
   S   9:15

E/A 11:30 3tbspcereal-2tsp pear & 5oz
   S 1:45

E/A 3:30 6oz

catnap 5:15---this is where we are now then generally she will eat solids around 6-6:30 then bath then bottle then bed at 7:30-8 and DF 10-10:30.

I do a short winddown of 2 songs, cuddle and swaddle then kiss and put in crib and leave unless she needs me at all sleep times, she is swaddled at all sleep times. What is the goal for bedtime 2 hours after catnap ends or do I say bedtime is 7:30 and put her down then every night.

When i hear her in the night I can tell by the noises if she is trying to settle herself to sleep or not. I do not go to her until she starts crying. I often lay there for 30-45min waiting. I wish I could just go back to sleep like my DH.javascript:void(0);

Some days she has 1.5hr naps and other days 2hr naps- depends on the night sleep. 

Thank you, Natalie

[Colin Macs Mom]

Your routine looks good to me, so I think you're going through the developmental ickies. I think that you might try getting rid of the sleep positioner though. At this phase she might be frustrated by it and therefore waking more than otherwise. Just a suggestion - some parents around here have found that when the rolling starts and they had been using a positioner. And make sure that you give mild foods for the evening solids to avoid any gas or tummy upset.

As far as a goal for after the catnap, it's hard to say. That depends on how she works - some LOs have their longest A time at the end of the day, and others at the beginning.