9 month old routine changed?

[Mazzimaz2709]

Hello all, I hope you can offer some advice as I'm in a bit of a pickle...

My 9 month old previously took 2-3 hours of naps a day, but only in the pram or out in the car. Her night time sleeping was sporadic to say the least, and initially dropped a middle of the night bottle at 7.5 months but then picked it back up again at 8.5 months. She has Tummy troubles/wind which causes her to stir quite a lot at night and when at her worst the bottle tended to calm her and get her back to sleep so we allowed this to happen.

We had a small parenting victory about 2 weeks ago in that I was able to transition her to take her morning nap (usually 2 hours) in her cot by rocking, shushing, light show etc. And it felt like we had won the lottery. Oh the things I can achieve in two hours in the house without having to tip toe around the pram! Anyway, this week she has really fought against these morning naps - squirming and twisting when I attempt to rock her in my arms, screaming and hitting her bed with her hands when I lay her down, but all the while showing signs of tiredness... Eye rubbing, hair pulling, yawning...? It has been such a battle that now I don't even bother and she is really grumpy all morning as a result.

She perks up at lunchtime and enjoys some playing after, but then the signs of tiredness show again and the battle begins. I tend to take her out in the car seat to get her to sleep as even in the pram she massively squirms around and gets very annoyed. We get half an hour or so, then she wakes up and appears to be better but then quickly gets tired again.

The last piece of this puzzle is that since she has had significantly less sleep during the day (30-40 mins total) she has started sleeping through the night!!! Whilst this is great (we have to physically wake her at half 7 when previously she would wake 6ish) I am worried it is through sheer exhaustion and it won't continue like this. I have taken her out in the car this morning to get groceries and she has conked out (3 hours after waking up) so I know she is tired and clearly still needs these naps???

I have no idea what to do - skipping the morning nap does make her so difficult to deal with, but then the longer nights are bliss! The HV suggested offering her down time sitting in her pram in the garden instead with no toys or stimulation but when I tried that she absolutely won't sit at peace, just eh eh eh'd and squirmed until I lifted her. The other factor to consider is that she is desperate to walk/crawl but hasn't mastered either so always wants me to hold her hands so she can get around on her feet. I'm exhausted doing this most of the day so I can only imagine what it's doing to her!

Do I just continue to skip these naps, or take her out in the car to get some sleep? Or should I start some kind of sleep training??? Bed time routine is calm and she conks out pretty soon after her bath and bottle. Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Is she overtired in the morning maybe? How long do you leave it between wake up and putting her down for a nap? I think it's about 1.5 to 2 hours awake at that age, at that time of day.
Personally, I would persevere with trying to get her to nap in the morning so she learns to expect it. Have a consistent pre-nap routine. Have you tried leaving her to settle on her own? I know it's not for everyone but I've heard stories where babies who spend ages falling asleep with rocking but are out like a light when left alone (not my baby, sadly! I'm currently feeding to sleep as my dd will not settle tonight!)
HTH

You might be right - She used to be tired in the morning around 2 hours after she woke and would nap happily, but now just fights it... Maybe I should try putting her down after 1.5 hours instead as her wee brain is in overdrive at the moment! Unfortunately she doesn't respond well to crying it out or just being put down - cries to the point of making herself sick :-(

I may be wrong but you say she has started sleeping through due to what might be exhaustion. She is catching up but once that lovely nights sleep through is done she may well have caught up. When she enjoyed a two hour nap in the morning was it after a broken night's sleep?

My DS is 9mo and is kind of sleeping through, 7 ish until 5 ish then back to sleep until 6 /7. I have noticed that when he doesn't wake up at 5(ie sleeps through) he welcomes a 30 minute short morning nap ( after three hours or over awake time) and a long afternoon nap(after three hours or over awake time) If he has a broken nights sleep I can settle him more easily for the first nap and he will sleep over an hour but still only after three hours awake. If you catch my drift, that was hard to explain!

Maybe since your DD has started to sleep through the morning nap is becoming less essential and actually needs moving a little later ??? I may be wrong but 1.5 to 2 hours, after sleeping through ( or even not) would be a very short awake time for my DS, who is 9 mo, he would just refuse to sleep. All babys are different though. It never used to be like this but my DS seems to settle more easily and sleep longer when his wake time is between three and four hours( even if he shows tired signs at the two hour point, I have tried to put him down at this point but he actually just wants to play). Play about with awake times and see if it makes a difference to your baby. Not sure if that helps or confuses you more . Just basing it on my little one.

My DD dropped to one nap at 9months and for the first time in her life napped for longer than 45mins. Is there a reason the pram naps are a problem? I used to pop mine into her pram after lunch and either go for a walk or just roll her around the kitchen/back garden for 10-15mins til she nodded off. She didn't wake up when I stopped rocking mind!

Ds is 9.5 and is fighting naps but them pram does the trick. I try for a nap 2.5 - 3 hrs after waking. If he is up early it can be 2. Oh what I'd give for a full nights sleep and a lay in!

@fififerusha thanks that does helps, even just comparing her to others her age. Yes she would always have her longer morning naps after a broken night, so maybe the better nights are meaning less need for longer naps. I just feel that all the signs are there telling me she is tired and needs to nap! Previous reply has suggested she is over tired and perhaps well past the point of napping when I start the nap routine, but then again if she has slept through maybe I am trying too early?!! So confusing but might need to play about with awake times as you suggest.
Thank you

Thanks @rinceoir I think pram naps are a problem now only because she knows it is to try and get her a nap, is that even possible at 9 months old? She seems to frustrated all the time like she wants to be independent but clearly isn't yet able. So when I strap he into her pram she gets very annoyed to say the least. The car seems to be the only sure way to get a nap without a fight!

I think Fifi is right about playing around with nap times. My almost 11mo seems to nap well after 2 hours awake in the morning. She has about 40 mins to an hour and then awake for around 4 hours when she normally has at least and hour. So, they're all very different! And I might be getting it all wrong anyway as bedtimes are currently a bloody nightmare

Touchcat, I may well be getting it wrong too. It is really hard to work them out and as mine doesn't sleep through properly most of the time, I am sure somewhere I am off the mark. My DS also shows quite a lot of tired signs at the two hour point. The amount of times I have tried to put him down at this point and do some kind of 2,3,4 routine is countless but he isn't having any of it. He cries as soon as I walk in the room , ha. I don't know why but he likes to sleep when a bit overtired. . .which I know is completely against baby sleep rule, whoops. Then againi don't think I will ever work it out. . Until he about two or three and I dont need to worry about naps. Good luck OP, hope you find the magic key to your LO's sleep. X x x

We've already had a fight this morning (after a terrible night that resulted in my wee girl sleeping in our bed from 4am!!!) and tried to put her down at 8am (1.5 hours after waking) and after 20 mins gave up and tried again at 8.45am after reading some books. Total meltdown ensued so she is now currently ripping out the flaps of dear zoo I'm now going to wait an hour and try again but probably just in the pram out for a walk. If we face her looking outward then we can fool her into thinking it's not a nap!!

They are just so interested in the world at this point and really fight naps don't they? I think that is why I have to wait until mine is really tired. I also have to go through ridiculous steps of calming in the pre-nap routine just to get him to have the sleepy feeling. I play you tube lullabys downstairs for a about 20 mins and put him in a sleeping bag. This is our pre pre nap routine I guess. I have also found that they have really good days and really bad days and I can never work out why(just look at today as one of the not so good ones and work it out tomorrow. . .that's what I always say but really not sure that I will ever work it out :))

I think this is why the pram naps work for me. I put him in before he's too tired, he faces forwards and has a good look about. I get to turn towards home and he nods off. It can be a bit of a pain but at least he stays asleep.once we stop now.

Still jealous Nottalotta, If only mine would sleep in a pram. My funny boy x But yes, use the pram, oh to have the freedom of the outside world :)

We used to have no issues with pram naps (it was the only place she would nap) from the age of 3 months, but now she's totally on to us!! The car seems to be the easiest/quickest nap route for us but I've basically finished the Internet as this is the only thing I can do whilst sitting in the car (stationary obvs!) meanwhile my washing piles up, beds stay unmade and I get hungry

Fifi Lol at someone having nap envy of my ds!!! Yey!!

Ha, yes, enjoy it ! I do envy anyone who has an LO who naps in the pram. However, good point Mazz, naps in cots do mean free range to do the housework(um, I mean give myself excuses not to and go a mumsnetting) My washing still piles up and bed unmade, and hungry. . .what is lunchtime anyway? :) x

Ha ha very true - I actually found myself watching Americas next top model one morning and before I knew it the wee one had woken up and it was time for her lunch! Whoops!

Aaand I've got a puncture. The pram that is. Ffs.