Please! - need help with early riser and naps

[PeepersMom]

don't know why I just saw Stacy's post.... but yes Stacy, you are right. I want it all!!! 12 hour night, 2 hour nap and bedtime 7.

Ummmm had to budge a little on my end.  boo hiss.  It took me a while to accept, but I did and it has made me much more relaxed.

Also on the note of banking sleep.  I swear PJ does this weekly. He'll have 1 week where he is overtired and there is nothing I can do to help him catch up and then a week like this where he sleeps so much I am worried. 

Meg

[Zaiby]

hey Meg, I want it all too   Why can't all lo's just understand that

I'm with you on the inconsistantcies though - I'm usually more laid back about things - but with Riyan I've become obsessed with his sleep and it's making me crazy   I want to be relaxed about this I truly do

So, bear with me - here's the update for his pm:

Nap 2: In crib 1:20, asleep 1:35..
I wanted to do 1:00 nap, but we went to the park and were a little late getting home - my fault - though the timing worked out as this is the first time in days that he's gone to sleep that quick in the pm after only 3.5hrs awake..

I will wake at no later then 3:30 if not already awake, and then in bed at 7:30  (or should he be asleep be 7:30)?

Does that sound about right?

[brightside]

I hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread. My son also seems to have trouble sleeping past 10 hours. Sometimes he will sleep longer but rarely in one go. He usually wakes and then it takes us 1.5 hours to get him back to sleep. 

I'm interested to follow your experience, Zaiby. Hope tonight goes well. 

[Zaiby]

lol Stacy! Anytime - i'm always up for a good game or two

Ok - So he did sleep til 3:30 ( I had to wake him or he would have gone on sleeping I think!)

So in crib by 7:25 (couldn't quite do the 7:20 )..
He was awake when I put him in and he called to me once as I left the room, and then nothing - no moans, nothing - which is weird.  The last couple of nights have been like that...usually he'll what I call "sing" lol or moan til he falls asleep...
So really I don't know when he fell asleep to be honest...I'm sure it wasn't more than 15 minutes though..Let see what tonight has in store for our experiment

Brightside:  No problem - I hope you are able to use the suggestions and advice given here...
What do you currently do to get him back to sleep? 

[brightside]

I tend to do PD and sometimes WI/WO if he starts to play. None of them work though, it still takes 1.5hours to get him back to sleep. I assume that if he has had 10 hours he isn't tired enough to go back to sleep.

This morning he woke at 5.20. Did PD until 6.45, fed him and then got him up. He might have gone back to sleep at 7 but I figured the whole day would be out then. He has been fine and happy to play since.  At 9 I have put him down for a nap and intend to let him have an hour max. Hopefully this afternoon he will have a good long nap. I will wake him at 4 and then bed at 8. My plan is to make bedtime more like 8pm so that if he does have 10 hours, at least its a more civilised 6am!    I think the trouble is that there aren't enough hours in the day for him to have enough sleep in the day due to increased A times so I always end up waking him from naps to preserve either another nap or bedtime-kwim? He therefore goes to bed having not had enough sleep and hence the early wake! I suppose he is about to transition to one nap but isn't quite there yet.

[Zaiby]

Hi brightside,
I totally know what you mean - it seems our lo's are very much alike..
 

I think the trouble is that there aren't enough hours in the day for him to have enough sleep in the day due to increased A times so I always end up waking him from naps to preserve either another nap or bedtime-kwim? He therefore goes to bed having not had enough sleep and hence the early wake! I suppose he is about to transition to one nap but isn't quite there yet.

Exactly!

So we did have 1 nw at 3:30 - he fussed on and off for 30 minutes but I didn't go in and he went back to sleep..woke at 5:40...was quiet/talking on/off til 6:30, then start fussing a bit - at this point I didn't know what to do    so I waited, he grew louder, then at about 6:45 - quiet - almost like he was going back to sleep!  No noise until about 7 when he cried out, but possibly could have gone back to sleep - but I thought let's just get him and stick to the plan..

So I intend to do nap again at 9:30ish..

[KellyC]

Sounds like it went really, really well 

[Zaiby]

so far so good Kelly!

He went to sleep at 9:20 (couldn't hold of even 10 more minutes as he passed out within 3 minutes in the crib)
I'll give him 30 min and hope for the same routine as yesterday..

One question - what if he had fallen asleep at close to 7 this morning?  What should I do then?

I hope this works!!
Zaibun

[brightside]

Somehow my plan didn't quite go to plan.  Woke DS at 10 as planned and then he started to act tired at 2pm. The plan was to leave him until 4 but he woke at 3.15 so was obviously overtired.  I swear he didn't seem tired until 2 though. So bedtime was at 7.15, asleep at 7.30. Fingers crossed. Anything past 5.30 would be a bonus!

[KellyC]

Zaibun - if Zander falls back to sleep at close to 7 I get him up at 7.15 (or I used to before wake-up time was 7.30  ).

How did today go?

Kelly x

[andibig]

  I have said that the milk isn't meant to be a long term solution, it's to make your LO feel satisfied (even if they weren't necessarily hungry) so they either go back to sleep or are happy to stay in their cot by themselves until wake-up time, so you're reinforcing that they don't get out of bed until that set wake-up time. 

really sorry to hi-jack this thread!!!did you do that just when he was transitioning to 1 nap?we have had probs with NWs (due to illness) finally now sleeping thru again-woohoo-but now have early wakings.the girl is stuck on 10-10.5hr night!!!i

[Zaiby]

Hi Kelly,
Well we are right on schedule as per yesterday -
Nap 1 9:20-9:55
Nap2  1:35-3:45 (I wanted to wake him at 3:30, but I had fallen asleep myself ) I swear it looked like he would just have kept on sleeping - poor guy - I so hate to wake him, but alas...

So today bedtime again at 7:30...


Sashasmum;
Hijack away!  These 10 hrs are a killer aren't they?  I'm certainly going to offer milk if that is what is needed in the short term, and worry about weaning that later...
So if he fusses too much after his early wake - I'll just judge whether he needs it or not..
Like today - he fussed on and off for the first 15minutes awake - I had the milk all set to go, but he quieted down - so I decided against it..but ofcourse he started fussing again - not crying loud or anything - but by then I thought it was too late to give it anyway - we managed to 7 somehow..
My only worry is, is it ok to give once in awhile, or do I need to be consistant - either give milk or not?

Cheers
Zaibun

[KellyC]

Sasha's mummy - we had early wakings when Zander was around 10/11 months old which is when we did the early morning milk feed.

Zaibun - I chose to be consistent.  Your call though!

I hope you all have good days.

Kelly x

[Zaiby]

So, we cried out at 2 (I thought oh no), but he immediately went back to sleep..
Woke at 5 - oh no - but he moaned for awhile and didn't hear anything after 5:30 ...He (and me!)must have dozed for awhile because I did not hear him again til 6:37!!!! (now I don't know if he was sleeping or not, but he was quiet..so who knows) woke up quite happy..

Could it be??? One thing - I did give him a few cheerios before his bath - I wanted to make sure he was not waking up hungry...You guys are stars!  If this is really working!

Any rate - got him at 7..
So now - try catnap at 9:30?  Will he take it?  If not?  early lunch and nap at???
I'ld like to keep 7:30 bedtime....

Zaibun

[debo620]

Zaibum,
that is great!!! I'm sure Riyan was sleeping this morning til 6:30----I know Noah wouldn't lie in there totlly quiet for 1hr.
Glad things are coming along.