Advice Needed- Fighting Sleep? Phase? What to do

[ThankfulMama]

DD is almost 10mos and has started having problems at naptime and bedtime. She cries and flails her body around almost as if she can't get comfortable. If I don't protect her head she will bang it against my collarbone/chest (ouch!). Sometimes she will do this for an hour, then fall asleep only to wake up 5 minutes later. Last night we were up in the middle of the night for a few hours (wide awake) and I couldn't get her back to sleep. Is this normal behavior for this age? Right now we attempt 2 naps (morning and afternoon) but shes not sleeping very long (typically 30min). I am at a loss and need suggestions. I don't know how to approach this when she needs to go to sleep and she cries and flails around. suggestions/ideas?

[Louisep]

Do you think she's tired? I know it seems early but I've seen some babies on here drop to one nap as early as 10 months. My ds is a catnapper and dropping to one nap at 12 months helped some but typically I have to nap with him to make him stay down.

Once we dropped to one nap it became really easy to get him to sleep. When he occasionally flails I have to hold him tightly.

[To-Fu]

My son (now 26mo) has gone through that phase at various times. Usually it was a reflection of some stress or developmental stuff (teething, his daddy being out of town, etc.). If you don't think there's a problem with the quantity of sleep your baby is getting, then I'd say it probably is a phase.

[ThankfulMama]

Thanks for the input!

Some days I feel like she is OK with shorter naps (e.g. two 30 min naps) but I don't want to short her on sleep if she needs more. . .

Last night was a bit better; not as difficult to get her down, but she woke up before we went to bed and DH could not get her to stay asleep so he brought her to the living room and she slept on the sofa next to me until I went to sleep.

I'm wondering if it is a bunch of factors rolled into one (teething, developmental changes, separation anxiety)?

[Louisep]

Originally Posted by ThankfulMama

I'm wondering if it is a bunch of factors rolled into one (teething, developmental changes, separation anxiety)?

Very likely! It's a rough age. If she'll sleep next to you on the sofa, I say no harm done. My little guy would never do that otherwise I might have tried it on occasion.

FWIW things got better in our home around 12 months.

[ThankfulMama]

Thanks so much!

[hedgewitch]

My son dropped to one nap at 9 months! Makes life a lot easier as he drops right off with no fighting. Before he was beating me up! HTHs

[ThankfulMama]

Thanks again.

Today she took one 20 minute 8 a.m. nap and a 1 hour nap at 1:30pm then was doing OK until we went on a walk in early evening--she fell asleep on the walk shortly before 5pm and was OUT (her normal bedtime is 7pm). I had to go to the store so we woke her up after about 20min. I ended up waiting until 8pm to put her down for the night.

Hedgewitch- how did you drop down to one nap? What was your day like before and after?