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Will this help break overtired cycle?

3 replies

AFeastForCrows · 09/08/2017 08:38

Hi there,

I'm a long time lurker on these boards and I have picked up some useful info and have now registered because I can't seem to break my DS's overtired cycle.

DS is 10 months and has never slept through and he still has one feed overnight. Even though he never slept through he only would wake for his milk and then a few times for dummy etc so not a terribly broken night.

He was waking at around 7 so he got himself into the routine of nap at 9 for 1.5hrs and nap at 1.30 for 1.5hrs. Bed for 7. The last week or so he has been waking earlier and earlier and having more broken nights. Sometimes crying around 2-3am and coming into my bed. This has made him more tired during the day and his routine just isn't helping anymore. If he wakes at 5.45am he can't last until 9am and also can't seem to manage the longer awake times between naps. His naps have also started going back to 45mins-1hour.

Would a routine like this help him get back on track because at the moment we're caught in a cycle of overtired and early wake ups. I'm back at work full time and it's starting to take it's toll.

6am wake
8.30-9.15/9.30 nap
11.30-12.15/12.30 nap
2.30-3.15/3.30 nap
Bedtime 7-7.30pm

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
FATEdestiny · 09/08/2017 12:34

If baby is exhausted I would revert back to an awake time led routine. Take cues from your baby what that awake time is because it will depend on how exhausted he is.

My philosophy is to not keep a tired baby awake without very good reason. So in my house as soon as baby was tired, it would be sleep time pretty much straight away.

Remember that outward tired signs (ear rubbing, red eyes, yawning, drowsy eyes) mean baby needed to be sleep at least half an hour earlier. So use this to inform when you time future naps by working out how long he was actually awake from and reducing next time. The ideal situation is to predict when baby will be tired and get him down to sleep before he is acting tired.

I would try for 2h awake times initially and go from there. 10 months would also be a good age to move to cot naps in a dark room, if you haven't already.

The only awake time to make different is the one just before bed. This wants stretching a but, so if all other awake times are 2h try 3h before bed. But as I said, be guided by your baby (not me) what awake times work best for your DS.

This will require you to be more flexible with bedtime, depending on how naps have gone that day. So Do bedtime might have a 2 hour window - day anywhere between 7pm and 9pm.

Say baby wakes from a nap at 4pm, then you might go for a 7pm bedtime. But if baby is awake at 3pm then I'd go for another nap at 5pm and bedtime at 8pm, for example.

Whilst talking about bedtimes, remember than 11h overnight is average at this stage, with a 10-12h range being normal. A bedtime of 7am will give you a quote reasonable wake up time from 5am. So actually, your bedtime needs to be later if you are looking for a 7am wake up.

AFeastForCrows · 09/08/2017 13:36

I was hoping you'd reply FATE as I've followed some of your other advice. DS is still having naps in his pushchair as this was the only way of extending them. Would you still move to cot naps even if they are only 45mins?

DS slept 8.30-9.30 this morning and then 12-12.45 so will try for another nap around 3ish and see how tonight is.

I've always been led by DS so never followed a routine and I thought I always knew his cues etc but I think he has tried transitioning to a 2-nap day andI haven't considered him not being ready for this every day so we've been a bit in limbo.

OP posts:
FATEdestiny · 09/08/2017 18:36

I would establish at least the one nap (the first nap is usually easiest) as a cot nap, the second as well if it's doable. It depends on how straight forward your in-cot settling method is. If it's not a challenge to get baby to sleep in there, then working towards at least the first being in the cot is good.

Naps get harder as the day goes on so pushchair naps fine for later naps will probably be necessary. But I'd be moving these to a room with minimal distractions, rather than a walk. If you can, pushing it back amd forth in a dark, quiet bedroom with blackouts would be ideal.

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