Hi All!
Bit of advice needed as I think we’re stuck in a cycle of overtired ness with my 15month old. She has always been a difficult baby bless her (very colicky, high needs baby who moans a lot & needs to be carried a lot) and has always cried herself to sleep no matter what. Recently I did some cry it out with her - I know lots don’t agree with it but it worked within 2 nights for me (5 mins first night then 3 mins) as it was taking me hours to settle her at night - only me though, not if dad would put her to bed! She has her teddy bunny to cuddle now. Anyway.. fast forward a few weeks & now she is waking much earlier than her usual & is very needy and crying. She used to sleep 7-7/7.30 and was napping twice but the second nap is getting harder and harder and I was having to wake her from both naps (capping the first one at 30 mins or waking no later than 11 so that she would go down for a second nap about 2/2.30 when I would then wake her at 3.30 MAX to go to bed for 7/7.30 - of course this changed sometimes) she has always seemed to have slightly shorter wake windows. Anyway she keeps refusing this second nap, and so often she is going from 11am - 6pm when I will have to put her down to bed. On the odd occasion this was fine as she would still wake at 7 I guess catching up but as this has been happening more and more she is now waking as early as 5 (just chattering away which is fine for me - but she’s unhappy after about half hour) I’ve tried just giving her one nap and it’s working out the same! She is either falling asleep in the car after about 3hrs awake or if I can hold her out till 11.30-11.45 which is really hard as she’s so whingey, she will only sleep till like 1/1.30 and so still need to go to bed early !!! thus waking early.. what on earth do I do!! I understand her sleep needs will change but I can tell she’s not getting enough sleep and isn’t happy to be waking early! I’m finding it really tough as I don’t know how to stop it? It’s creeping earlier and earlier - but the fighting second nap is also hard as I can cope with the crying in order to get her to settle but I work 3 days a week and my mum & her dad cannot cope and just take her out the cot and bring her down if she starts to cry! Sometimes though by the time she stopped messing the nap is almost pointless and she’s still only had an hour the whole day
im due another baby in a months time and I really want her to get back to sleeping better for her own happiness before then as she’s also such hard work when tired as she just cries all day bless her.