Lunchtime nap and 4am waking

[ClaireFontaine]

DD (10mo) has suddenly started having a really short lunch time nap, 10 or 20 minutes and is inconsolable with tiredness but will not go back to sleep no matter what I do.

She is also waking at 4 for the last few mornings and won't go back to sleep. I'm sure the two are related because she is overtired at bed time but I just don't know what to do about it.

I've been considering dropping her morning nap although she had just twenty minutes the other day and still only twenty minutes and her afternoon one. Also since she is waking at 4 I don't think she will last without a morning nap, she is completely knackered by 9 so it's a bit of a cycle.

She is without a doubt not hungry at any of these points by the way.

Anyone have any suggestions? TIA

[ClaireFontaine]

Desperate bump

[Chocolateteapots]

As its a sudden change I'd suggest it's probably a developmental phase and it'll stop as quickly as it started. I would put baby down for usual naps and if she wakes early then she does. I'm sure she'll go back to usual before too long. HTH

[poocatcherchampion]

Can you explain her sleep timings again please

• new thing wake at 4
  
• 20 mins in the morning?
  
• 10 mins at lunch?
  
• some time in the pm
  
• bed at 9pm?
  

At her age I'd be roughly expecting 2 day naps and bed at 7pm. We werenr strict about it but they do need quite a lot of sleep. I'd suggest trying to get decent day naps and a bedtime going through regular routine and keeping her awake other times as far as possible. And treat 4am as the night. Get up time here is 7.30 earliest. Would be sooner if thry were dreadful sleepers but no way before 6.

At some point after age 1 move to one nap.

She sounds desperately overtired.

Post a bit more and I'll try to help more.

[ClaireFontaine]

Thanks so much wveryone. Bed is at six as I've found she's dead tired and sleeps better if goes to be earlier (have experimented with shifting later and hopefully will move to seven at some point).

The afternoon sleep is really weird. Today she went to sleep on me (hasn't done since literally a few weeks old or after extreme rocking) I put her down when v deeply asleep but she woke absolutely beside herself after twenty mins. To be clear this isn't a self settling issue. She self settles just fine at bedtime and I do not rock her to sleep etc for her naps.

[ClaireFontaine]

Oh also this is new we had a fairly decent routine of 9.30-10 morning nap 1.30-3 afternoon nap before.

[ClaireFontaine]

And have a good bedtime routine.

[ClaireFontaine]

Also it's not because she's ivertired by afternoon. She had a forty min morning nap the other day and dame thing happened with afternoon nap.

[Dailylurker]

Could you try walking her in the pram for her lunchtime nap, hopefully to get her to have a longer sleep and to get back into that routine? Not ideal but I know if my little one is tired and we are struggling with naps, then a few days of a good sleep almost reminds her she needs it.

Hth

[ClaireFontaine]

When I mentioned 9 in OP I meant 9am as in she wakes at 4am so couldn't make her wait til lunch time nap

[stargirl1701]

I have the same with DD2, 10 months, at the moment. Desperately overtired but WILL NOT SLEEP. We have the 3/4am waking too. I am assuming sleep regression/developmental leap and I know she is teething. It'll go back to normal at some point...just gotta survive until then!

[ClaireFontaine]

Have tried pram for afternoon and she won't sleep even for a minute.

[stargirl1701]

I haven't even tried today! I spent 2 hours out walking with the pram yesterday afternoon for 20 minutes actually sleeping. Babies! DD1 was waaaayyyy worse though! I remember she settled again at 11 months as I posted it on FB! A sleeping baby - for more than 20 minutes! Woohoo!

[ClaireFontaine]

My older DS was way worse as well but I thibk by this point It was fairly consistent at like two forty minute naps a day. He never slept more than that, not once from the day he was born.

[ClaireFontaine]

How do you cope with rest of DC and get through the day? DD is so tired and just beside herself and crying and crying.

[stargirl1701]

I had DD2 in the sling from 9am until lunchtime. She was happy and quiet there as well as sleeping for 40 minutes or so. DD1 was at a drop in at the local leisure centre and happy too so all was well.

I'm now watching tennis and jiggling the pram while DD1 is playing with water in the kitchen sink.

This is all still easier than DD1 as a baby. Silent reflux. It was hell!

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

Is she teething? I also agree with the PP who said they would expect 2 daytime naps and a 12 hour stretch a night-ish

I would try some calpol tonight when/if she wakes.

One thing my DH told me (which I stupidly hadn't realised before is that teething can be quite off/on and latent before any teeth actually start erupting. he's a dentist btw!

[ClaireFontaine]

She's got six teeth. It could be that but I thibk not. Apart from the 4am waking nights are mostly fine and when she wakes at 4 she is very happy.

Thank you everyone for helping. I am in such a state

[stargirl1701]

Stay calm. Nothing stays the same with babies for long. It will settle again. Just keep doing what you're doing.

[nyldn]

it might be part of the fussy period of wonder weeks if you follow that. there is a developmentap leap around 46 weeks and theatre's leading up to it can include bad sleep. my DS, nearly 11 mo, has been waking ridiculously early too. I'm also trying to night wean though.

[ClaireFontaine]

Oh god bedtime has now gone the way of the nap. Totally beside herself, not sure what to do, I just went in which made things much worse. I can't bear to leave her when so upset though.

[stargirl1701]

We have abandoned bedtime as we normally do it at the moment. Bath + bedtime routine and then out for a walk in the sling or pram. She isn't actually going over until 9pm rather than the 7pm it was a month ago.

[WorkingBling]

Oh dear. Sounds awful. The problem sounds like she is getting cumulatively tired. What about if she wakes at 4 am putting her down for morning nap at 8. Bring everything forward in an attempt to get past the over tiredness hurdle? Then once shes less exhausted you can try get back to regular routine?

[stargirl1701]

How are you doing, Claire? DD2 has just dropped off.

[ClaireFontaine]

Hi star am up for the fourth time! Sitting in a rocking chair with DD singing twinkle twinkle on repeat. Torture.

[stargirl1701]

Oh Claire, what a nightmare for you. DD1 was similar. We did have success for a while with a white noise download on my phone. It seemed to prevent night wakings for a few weeks.