Moms:
I might very well be loosing my mind. I need/welcome all suggestions about what to do.
Here is our problem.
Anslee, 18 months old, used to sleep at nap time and at bedtime like a little champ. Seriously. I worked so hard to make sure that she got 12+ hours of sleep at night and 2+ hours of sleep during the day. It was like clockwork. A science even! I laid her down at between 7:15-7:30 every night and within seconds she was sound asleep until sometimes 8:15 am. When we went to 1 nap during the day, I was laying her down right after lunch, at 12:30. 2:45-3 pm was when she was up and ready. The girl woke up happy, energized and ready for whatever we had planned.
A little over a month ago, Anslee started waking up during her nap at 1.5 hours into it. I never went and got her, making her "rest" until nap time was over. I remember the line "mom decides when nap begins and when it ends" and stuck to it. Come to find out, 7 out of 10 times the culprit was a stinky diaper. UGHHH. Also come to find, that when waking early from nap started, so did not going down easily for bedtime. She was never really fussy or cranky...just would not fall asleep. I would seriously hear her in her crib talking for over an hour.
This is still happening. I tried it all. Pushing the nap back some (thinking she was not tired enough at nap time) Then when that totally backfired, I tried putting her down earlier for nap (thinking maybe she had been overtired). That didn't work either. Then I tried calming down with morning activities, (thinking she was getting too much stimulation) That did not seem to help us any either.
I made sure her room temp was good
I made sure her diaper was clean and dry
I checked for more teeth even (like she can even get any more at this point)
I thought about her diet. No changes there (except maybe she eats better now)
I tried putting her down earlier for bedtime. Nope. Still up for over an hour, and the nap issues continued.
Nothing in our routine has changed. People, I have been dealing with this Since the last week and a half of June. Its August 1st, and I everything I used to try to tweak when this would happen before has not helped us.
I know 18 months is a developmental leap time.
I want to pull my hair out, because I have worked way too hard to give her what she needs to sleep enough for proper brain development. She was a total success story from 6 weeks on. Phases would happen every now and again, lasting a day or two. Not a month or two.
I have no idea where to go next. So here is my desperate plea via the blog. Any suggestions, references, ideas would be SOOOOOO appreciated!
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2 days ago
7 comments:
It sounds like your doing all the right things but I think I would throw in the towel and accept the 1.5 hour naptime! Somtimes when I find myslef banging my head against a wall over something in particular, throwing in the towel helps. If she is sleeping through the night then taking an hour and a half nap...thats not bad! Have you called your pediatrician if you're really worried? They always seem to help me! Good luck!
THESE KIDDOS HAVE A MIND OF THEIR OWN, AND GO THROUGH PHASES ALL THE TIME. SHE PROBALLY WILL NEVER SLEEP THAT LONG AGAIN,WE CAN TRY TO GET THEM TO DO WHAT WE WANT, WHEN WE WANT, BUT WHEN IT ALL COMES DOWN TO IT, THEY ARE GOING TO DO WHAT THEY WANT. SLEEP WHEN THEYRE TIRED AND WAKE UP WHEN THEYRE NOT. THATS AT LEAST WHAT IVE LEARNED WITH ZEHYA, HE DOESNT HAVE A SET SCHEDULE FOR ANYTHING, AND HES A HAPPY, ENERGETIC BOY. HE USUALLY TAKES AN HOUR NAP DURING THE DAY AND SLEEPS 10 TO 11 HOURS A NITE.
How frustrating! Depending on which is more important (naptime or bedtime) maybe push bedtime back to 8 & see if she takes the long nap then. Aubrey is a little older but she naps 12:30-2:30/3 and sleeps 8:30/9-6:30/7.
So here is my two cents! Not sure if it will help much but here you go. I always remember my sister telling me, especially with my first, to just relax. I get so worried and uptight when Aubrey is not doing what I want her to do, but when I just step back and let it be it usually fixes on its own. I would just leave your schedule as is and just go with it. She may fall back into it eventually and go back to a 2-3 hour nap. Stinky diapers used to wake Aubrey up a lot too! And it's okay if she plays for awhile before she falls asleep at bedtime. My two talk for at least 30-40 minutes every night. They aren't screaming so I let it be. So my advice again is just relax, it's not hurting her and maybe without the pressure of sleeping longer on you and her it will fall into place. Make sense? Again, not sure if it helps! Kids can be so frustrating and have us questioning ourselves over and over. Just know you are doing a GREAT job and that little girl is blessed to have you!
i agree with what a lot of these ladies are saying! i think its totally awesome you have her own such a great schedule, i plan to do the same thing...but you might have to just take the 1 and half nap. I also think pushing bed time just a little bit later might help. Do you have her on a "feed, play, sleep" schedule...or is she going down right after she eats? I hear that having a lengthy play time after feeding times helps with better, deeper sleep for babies. I think your doing a great job and your a wonderful mother, i will keep you in my prayers, hoping it gets better!
Thanks! You guys are all awesome for reaching out to me!
I posted a follow up on how today went, but I just wanted to say thank you to you guys because it was good to just be told to take a deep breath and really to be confident with what we are doing!
It really seemed like when I just stopped the stressing, things worked. Even WHEN phases happen, it will be ok!
Amber: Yes, we are on a eat/activity/sleep routine. Its wonderful and it really does work (besides a few bumps in the road of course!) I watched it work at 6 weeks old and told myself I would never go back after that :)You are already a great Mama! So glad that you are diving in and embracing motherhood like you are!
Hey Shea! I may be a little late on the post but our son Nathan and Anslee are both Jan 2009 babies. This past month has been rough for Nathan and his naps as well. We are a Babywise following family as well and he usually went down without too much fuss for sleep. He has recently started crying more/doing weird things for naps too (mostly they've been entirely too short!) I think you're right that 18 months is a big transition time. My husband has kept telling me to relax as well and we had some major breakthroughs this week! Just keep pressing on, pray often, and give yourself and Anslee lots of grace. Hope you're doing well!
Cami
bethancourt.blogspot.com
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