Sleep and EASY support for spirited babies

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

 Good morning... Just wondering were the link is for the Baby type quiz... I did a test on another  site that stated she was spirited... Woukd like to take it again?..

[newkidontheblock]

Here you go:)
The BW "Know Your Baby Quiz"

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

Thanks newkindontheblock....  I redid the test and it came back as textbook/angel but I really believe she is a spirited baby.. Reading the summary does not match my missy moo at all... The spirited part does to a tea.. Do you think the test is accurate ?.

[newkidontheblock]

It always came back textbook for me too until recently when it showed a lot of spirited. But you know better then any test:)

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

I have a feeling missy moo is going through the 8 month regression.... She is fighting all naps now and putting her to bed at night is becoming a issue... Just last week I had finally found my groove... She was going to bed all by herself...... Being a mum keeps you guessing every day... Any ideas on how to handle it?.......

[newkidontheblock]

What's her routine at the mo? And her exact age?It might just be a routine issue. Although WW also plays havoc with sleep.  We are heading into the storm next week and I am scared! 4 months was a very tough time for me especially. Lots of sleep anxiety that I still haven't completely got over.

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

Good morning fleur

Awake 6.30-730am

awake time before first sleep 2.15 or 2.30... Trying to extend but at the Moment we are showing signs of needing to have a nap.....

Nap only last 20-40  mins...

Awake time before 2nd nap is 3  hours .... If she has only slept 20-30 mins I put her down at 2.5hours or 2.45hours.. Just spends on her cues....

Sometimes we have a 3rd nap but I have a feeling this is were the problem is....
If she only has 2naps, it most likely ends at 2 or 2.30pm... That means she will have an awake time of 4 hours cause I don't want her to go to have bed bedtime at 5 or 5.30pm.. She will wake up at that time the next day or even earlier.... She sleeps any where between 11-11.5 hours a night...  So I have no choose but to stretch her awake time by an hour... Is this too much if her awake time for her other 2 naps are 2.15-3 hours....

If she has a 3rd nap it's only for 30 mins and it usually cause we can sneak one in before 5pm.....

Here is any example

Awake 7.30 am
Ist sleep 9.45 or 10am (between 20-40 mins)
2nd sleep 1.30 ( usually 1 hour max)
 I can't add a 3rd nap cause it would happen at 5.30.. So she pushed til 6.30

Do u think cause  she is jumping from 2 to 3 naps and her awake time before bed keeps Changing, this is confusing her?

I would love to extend her awake time but it's the morning one she struggles to stay awake.

[newkidontheblock]

It seems to me that the solution to everything would be to stretch her A. I know you said she is ready for a nap in around 2 hours. Just wanted to share that whenever E's time jumps, she still shows all the signs of nap readiness at the previous A. So for example, her time now is close to 4 hours (it's jumped again but we're still experimenting) but she will seem absolutely ready to nap by 3/3.15. But I know that if I try a) she will resist like mad as she is UT  b) Then she will get OT in the process ruining all further chances of a good nap. If she is having trouble going to bed, again OT is a big culprit as they can't wind down properly. You're right though. Putting her to sleep at 5.30 seems a bit much. Instead you would have to keep the CN and push BT back. Not the best solution but only until you can increase her A, then you can bring it back to normal again.

Regarding your question about varying times to bed. When E was younger, BT was 7. No matter how the day went, I had her down by the time - more often than not 6.40pm. But that is not working anymore, especially since we are in some weird 2-1ish place. So anyway, now I adjust the BT depending on the length of the last nap and what time it ended. I'm just waiting for the WW to end so that things can get back to "normal"

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

  thanks that sounds like great advice...  I just extended her morning nap to 2.5 awake time... She ended up playing in her crib for a extra 15 mins and then feel asleep.... She was showing signs at 2.10 hrs awake time but I just walked around the house.. Hopefully it's a hour sleep.....  Her second nap is usually at 3 hour awake time, do you think I should extend that too today or just wait til she adjusts to the morning 2.5 hours...  I hope you had a lovely weekend...

[newkidontheblock]

It is really up to you. You know best what she can and cannot handle. Some people start with only the first nap as they are usually well rested after night sleep. Others stretch all at once and ride out the few days of OT until their bodies adjust

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

It ended up not so good today"........ She only slept 30 mins this morning after stretching it out and then her second nap was a disaster  as well... I attempted twice to put her down. 1st attempt at the 2 hour mark cause she was crying and very unsettle... That was unsuccessful. 2nd time at 2.45 hour  mark... Well she just screamed the house down... So I ended up rocking her to sleep, she slept 40 mins and I had to resettle again cause 1 hour of day sleep is asking for a diaster of a night....

Not sure if this is meant to happen when you extend?. I will continue cause I know this is the only way to extend her naps.....

[newkidontheblock]

This is the risk when extending, that is why it is advised to do it in gradual increments or rather, to hold at the increased time for a few days before reassessing. Also, of you have stretched it, even though she *seems* tired, she will probably refuse the nap before the new time. At least that is the case with E. she picks up on things so quickly

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

Sorry Coeur just another quick question........ If mix moo is waking up at 7am is it a good idea to make sure she is down by 7pm or am I going by her last nap time and her awake hours....  So today she woke up at 6.20 am.. We had bad naps, so instead of 2 naps she had 3.. The third ended at 5pm... If we go by her awake time she will be put in bed at 8pm.... Or should I aim for 6.30 or 7.30....  what would you do?? Or anyone else?

[newkidontheblock]

Frankie, I usually play it by ear. It is best to aim for a 12 to 12.5 hour day.

I don't go by A times for bedtime. E does 4 hours through the day but can barely handle 3 before bed. She does her shortest A before bed. If her last nap had ended at 5, I would have gone for 7 BT because she will go down even with 1.45 to 2 hours (accumulated tiredness through the day). But not all kids would.

[Frankiefrankiefrankie]

Thanks Fluer... I ended up popping her down at 7pm.... I thought a 12.5 Hour day was long enough with crapping naps In between.. Sending u a huge cuddle fora all your amazing advice.. Xo