Support for Mum's of LO's 16-19months with sleep issues

[*Natasha*]

Ok so i have read at least 4 posts of Mum's whos LO's aged 16-19months who are having:

Bedtime issues,night waking and early wakings.

We are also having the same issues which is driving me crazy as we have never had this problem. I though i would start a post so we can all chat and compare and give advise as to why this is happening.
Ours started when we got back from Christmas break at the In Laws (she was sleeping great their).
She started taking slightly longer naps (2.5-3hrs some days) but then protesting bedtime and then the last few days night waking and early wake ups. She is cutting her eye teeth at the moment and we think this is part of the issue but we think she is also testing us out. This is our routine and has been since 14months:

7am - Wake milk
8am - Breakfast
10am - Snack
11.30am - Lunch
12pm - Nap (average is 2&1/4hrs)
3pm - Snack
5pm - Milk
6.30pm - Dinner
7pm - Bath,brush teeth,story
7.30pm - Bed usually asleep within 15mins

She eats great so hunger isn't an issue and goes down for her naps no problems just bedtime.
We are using Wi/WO to settle her for bed and it is taking 30mins-1hr for her to settle to sleep.

So lets share stories/routines and see if we can help each other out.

[allyson]

Having issues here as well. My DD is 19 months and is resisting long naps and going down for naps and is also resisting going to bed at night. she has only night waked a few times ( like 2) and sleeps until her normal 7am. But it is the resisting going to bed that is tough. It is taking her one hour to fall asleep at night and she will only nap for one hour tops during the day. she used to fall right to sleep and nap for 2 hours and fall asleep at night within 15 min. at n ight.

her schedule is
awake 7am
breakfast 8am
get ready for the day
activity
snack 10am
lunch 12ish
nap 1pm (used to be 2 hours now 1 hour to the minute)
awake I leave her there until 2:30 for quiet time if up early
snack
dinner 5ish
bath
bedtime 7pm
she has lately been falling asleep at 8pm!! late for her

She wants me to rock her and I can't anymore. I think we got into a bad habbit and she needs to figure this out herself. I am having another baby in 4 weeks so we are back to being strict with bedtimes and naptimes. UGGGGGGGGGGG I need a break
awake

[*Natasha*]

Can I lurk even though DD is just 14.5MO?  Just in the last few days we've started getting the bedtime protests, the very frequent night wakings and the early wakeups.  So even though the age is off, I think we qualify, if you don't mind.

Of course

[Mom to M&M]

Natasha - might the bedtime be too early for her? If she's waking at 7 and taking a 2-2.25 hour nap, I'd think she might not be ready for bedtime until 8...

Allyson - have you tried the nap at 12 or 12:30 instead of 1?

[Mom to M&M]

Casey - sounds like she is definitely overtired. I realize it's probably tough since she's reliant on the nursery schedule but she might do better with a nap around 11 or 11:30 - by noon she's already been awake a while after a restless night of sleep and she's likely going into it overtired - hence the 75-90 minutes only.

[*Natasha*]

Natasha - might the bedtime be too early for her? If she's waking at 7 and taking a 2-2.25 hour nap, I'd think she might not be ready for bedtime until 8...

I have been thinking the same thing. However we had sucess today with:
6am - Wake
11.30am - Nap 2hrs
7.15pm - Bed
Whinged on and off for 5mins then asleep by 7.30pm
I think 2hr nap is great but if she has anymore she doesn't want to go to bed.
Fingers crossed our problem is resolved i am hoping she will go back to 7am bedtime.

[allyson]

I have had her on 1pm nap now for the past 4 months why all the sudden the change? I brought her up earlier last night and it took her one hour to fall asleep. she slept 8pm-7am no waking then today I brought her in at 12:45 for her nap. I am reducing the amount of time of rocking her so she can fall asleep totally on her own. I think she just does not want me to leave. so we will see how this works. I am sure it will take her a few days to catch up again but I am just going to keep putting her down early and letting her settle herself. I am so pregnant I can't sit there for 45 min. she never had this problem it is new and I know she can get back to herself again. it just stinks. 

[Mom to M&M]

Natasha - what time did she wake after that bedtime? If 6:30 you may need to cut her nap at 2 hours and try for an 11 hour night - so like 8-7 and nap from 12-2 or 12:30-2:30...

Hard to say why the change, Allyson - they like to do this to us and change things up! Is she teething?

[*Natasha*]

Natasha - what time did she wake after that bedtime? If 6:30 you may need to cut her nap at 2 hours and try for an 11 hour night - so like 8-7 and nap from 12-2 or 12:30-2:30...

7am and still sleeping Will have to wake her by 7.15am as we have to drop DH off at the train station this morning.
I think i will aim for:
7am - Wake
12pm - Nap 2hrs
7.30pm - Bedtime

This is what i was before all these problems and worked a treat. I think the long naps were interferring with bedtime.

[TDR'smom]

Hard to say why the change, Allyson - they like to do this to us and change things up! Is she teething?

Maybe once they hit a certain age (different for all children), they just need less sleep?  I wish I could have/get 13 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period!  Must be nice.  They don't know how good they have it! 

[JoC]

Hey you all, I thought (foolishly) about 3 months ago, i had said goodbye to the wonderful wisdom of this site for good...NOT SO FAST.
Ds is 16.5 months and everything is worse than ever in sleep dept. A catalogue of errors....Christmas, ;late nights, chicken pox, chest infections, cuspids ...
Ds is at nursey and only naps an hour a day, thinking this is not enough but not much i can do.

Wake 4-5: and i give him milk (I know BIG mistake)
Sleep til 7
Wake up 7
8.10 Breakfast
11.45-12 lunch
12.30 nap (1 hour)
4.15 dinner
6.20 bottle
6.40 bath
7 bed
He WAS sleeping perfectly til 6-6.30 for months, now...
Waking is similar to you guys,
10.30 sometimes
2.30 sometimes
4-4.30 most often

Shall i do wi/wo again, i think so, i just lack the energy at the moment, easier to give him milk, but for his sake it cannot go on.
Dh gets up to him, but i can't get back to sleep (unlike dh... )

Jo

[vuhoo]

This is such a great post.   Although I am sorry that your LOs are having sleep issues, it reassures me that my LO is not the only one having the problem.  He has been a good sleeper when we started sleep training at 5 mos.  He's now 17.5 months old and has been having issues for a couple of months now.  The issues could be a result from learning how to walk, teething, cold, Christmas holiday, etc. We're desperately trying to get him back on track.  He's been having short naps (from 2-3hrs to 30mins - 1hr) and early wakings (from 6:30am - 7:00am to 4:30am - 5:30am).  We've been doing WI / WO and thankfully, it has extended his wakings to 6:00 - 7:00am but naps are still a struggle.  I can't get him to sleep past 40mins.  Our nanny and I seem to think he's going through some major SA.  As soon as we walk out of the room, he goes berzerk (this is after waking up from a short nap).  My DS goes down just fine but won't stay down for the amount of time he needs.  I'm wondering if WI / WO is the right technique with SA.  If not, what is?  How can I get my DS to nap longer?  Is this just a phase?  Our nanny has been going in and comforting him.  He would settle but don't always fall back asleep.  Sometimes he'll lay or stand quietly in his crib.  When he's quiet we leave him alone.  We can tell he's still tired.  We continue to comfort him until we think it's time for him to get out of the crib which is 1hr45mins - 2hrs after he has dozed off.  Our logic to this is to let him know we're still here for him but it's not time to get out of the crib yet.  Is this the right thing to do?  We've been keeping our technique consistent between us and our nanny.

Our schedule:

6:00am - 7:00am - wake
7:30am - Bfast
10:00am - AM snack
12pm - lunch
12:45pm - 1:00pm - Nap (30mins - 45mins)
3pm - PM snack
5pm - dinner
7pm - bedtime routine
7:15pm - 7:30pm - Asleep

[*Natasha*]

Jo i would definatly use WI/WO to get through night and early morning wake ups good luck.
Vuhoo I would try putting him down a little earlier for the nap as i think the reason for the short nap is due to being overtired if he is waking at 6am. Try for a 12ish nap if waking at 6am.
We have had great success for the last few days so i am hoping our problem has settled down (fingers crossed)

[JoC]

Thanks natasha, I thought this would be the best thing, so hard to know.  (So glad not to feel alone right now x )
Vuhoo, when My ds wakes at 6 (or earlier) he has to nap 11.30-12 ish even if he doesn't seem tired, any later and he is overtired and won't nap at all 
It might help extend naps.
 Jo x

[RyansMum]

It is so reassuring that so many of us are going through the same thing and seeing as they are all about the same age that its just the way things are and we just have to get through it!

I am trying wi/wo from tonight to see how things go as I feel staying in the room till he falls asleep (even though I am not looking at him) will become a prop and that it will be harder for him to learn to sleep on his own again (although at nap times he is fine!)

I have to restrict naps if he goes down late, like today, I have to get him up after an hour else he will not be sleepy enough for bedtime.  Usually an hour is enough for him and 9 times out of 10 he wakes himself anyway!

Good luck to all you ladies tonight!