what the heck is going on??

[csteely]

Just wondering if other mamas have run into this...

My DD just turned 10mo, and all of a sudden, in the last couple of weeks, she takes forever to go to sleep at night. I used to be able to nurse her down to sleep on a futon on the floor in her room (we take her with us when we go to bed) but now she pops right back up and just wants to crawl all over me. She seems overstimulated and I've tried to get her to bed earlier, but there's a limit to how early since my husband and I both work. She doesn't seem in pain (in fact she's kind of chirpy), otherwise I'd think it's teething. I can rock her to sleep, but with tendinitis in both wrists, it's not a comfortable proposition.

I know there's a lot going on developmentally - she recently transitioned from 3 to 2 naps (although they're longer, so she gets about the same amount of nap-time), she just cut 2 teeth, she's probably in the midst of her 9 month sleep regression.... but I am losing seriously losing my patience!

I'm wondering if it's the nap change. Is she just staying awake too long after her 2nd nap? Should I try to squeeze a 3rd nap back in?

[rzberrymom]

After my DD stopped nursing to sleep, sometimes the only way I could get her to sleep was to put her in a carrier or a stroller and go for an evening walk. DH was able to get the same result by pacing through our house with her in a carrier.

[Louisep]

What time does she go to bed and what time does she get up from her last nap?

I always found it hard to tell if ds was overtired or not tired enough. Around your LO's age though he really needed to be awake for a long time to be tired enough at naps and bedtime. It was for this reason that we quickly dropped to just one nap.

10 months is a tough age. My ds was the same. He was transitioning to a new way of getting to sleep (just lying down cuddling). Once he got the hang of it, bedtime got easier an then when we dropped to one nap it became a piece of cake.

[csteely]

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting points! She usually wakes up from her 2nd nap around 3 or 4 I think, and was going to bed by 7 or 7:30. I've been shifting it earlier, but so far it hasn't helped.

This does seem to be a tough age - so much going on for them!

[maptome]

DD at 8 months started doing this as well. It use to be: nurse, then sleep. Now it's: nurse, crawl around, fuss, nurse, sleep. I've been trying to lie next to her and let her crawl around some until she fusses before we nurse the first time. I've found that the first nursing interferes with her desire to nurse again, thus delaying her bedtime further. She gets too full to nurse long enough to get drowsy.

Some data for you. DD has been on 2 naps since she was 5 months old. He routine is: 3 hours awake, nap, 3 hours awake, nap, 4 hours awake, bed.

[Louisep]

We were on a 2-3-4 sleep schedule at 10 months. First nap 2 hours after getting up, second nap 3 hours after getting up from nap 1 and bed 4 hours after waking from the second nap. Honestly though, not much we did helped, just time. Is she walking?

[csteely]

Right - I forget about that 2-3-4 thing! I'll have to look at the sitter's notebook and see if she's fitting in.

She is on the verge of walking -- she's getting better every day at crawling and pulling herself up on everything in sight. And when she wakes up at night, she often flips onto her belly and right into a crawl stance. (I'm a little concerned she'll crawl right off the bed in the middle of the night even with the safety guard, but hopefully my spidey senses will warn me...)

I think you're right, this feels like a hang-on-until-the-next-developmental-shift sort of thing.

Thanks!

[HappilyEvrAfter]

Lol. I have a 5yo that goes through this periodically.

Last two nights he's been up till 11 or midnight. Yes, midnight.
I dread these short phases. He's cranky, I'm cranky/frustrated and we don't get along too well.

But, I'm on the "developmental " bandwagon...or growth. The ones that happen on the flip side of a growth spurt are tolerated better cause I know the cause, but when these sneak up with out any precursors it drives me batty.

My general rule of thumb (regardless of age) is to give it about a week...that's usually when it evens out for my DS.