10-month old nap/night sleep problems

[Spatchy]

My daughter is about to turn 10 months old. Since 8 months she has slept through the night but in the last couple of weeks has started to wake again at night about 50% of the time. At the same time her naps have gone a bit wonky. She has napped in her cot since 5 months (pushing in pram before that), typically for 1.5-2 hours in the morning and often a shorter 45-1 hr nap in the afternoon. She has always appeared sleepy and in need of the first one, rarely the pm one - but I've always managed that one as well even if it means napping on the go.

Now she doesn't want either. Seems grouchy/tired still for the morning one and not tired at all for the afternoon one. In both cases I can still get her to take a nap but now only by holding her legs down (gently but firmly) in the cot until she falls asleep (no crying involved). If I just leave her as I used to she stands at the cot and screams until I come back.

I'm wondering if the night waking is now because she is used to me helping her sleep during the day and now wants that at night? She will only stop if I do the same thing at night, and cries if I leave the room before she is asleep. Oddly, she still always goes to bed at night with no fuss.

Or is it that I should be dropping a nap at this age, is too much sleep in the day the problem? Only problem with that is that it has always seemed the morning one she wants and not the pm one, which could mean a long old afternoon! Any help massively appreciated.

[vez123]

We dropped our son's morning nap at 9 months because his nighttime sleep had become ridiculous with long wakings at silly o'clock. We also did some sleep training at just under a year. For us it was a combination of both, naps at the wrong time and not being able to self-settle. A friend's DD sounds like your baby and she sorted it out with some controlled crying.
Not sure if you want to go down this route but it worked for us and my friends DD.

[hophophippidtyhop]

Might be the 9 month sleep regression. it could also be because she's getting ready to drop a nap but isn't quite ready to yet. My dd2 is like this at the moment, and I remember her sister being the same and she dropped a sleep not long after.

[Spatchy]

Thanks for your help. Her nighttime sleeping is now a little better - though still does wake at least two nights a week - but now the big problem is she is waking at 5am. She wakes crying and won't settle whatever i do. Because she wakes crying I'm sure she hasn't had enough sleep but just can't make her go back down. I end up getting her up and then she has an epic two hour nap from about 8.30 (and another hour long one in the afternoon). What am I doing wrong??

[choc27]

Try not to let her nap too early in the morning or for too long as she will use this to make up for the lost night sleep. Best thing for early waking is to keep her in her cot in the dark until at least 6am. Don't feed til 7am.
What time does she go to bed?