Getting LO to sleep longer?

[element2012]

Any tips?  DD used to sleep 4 hours consistently when laid down at night, then it was 2, now it's about 45 minutes.  Oh how I miss being able to have a glass of wine once she goes to sleep. She's now 13 months.. How can I encourage her to sleep longer?  She sleeps so darn good for her naps! Frustrating!

Edited by element2012 - 3/2/13 at 3:23pm

[mamazee]

You might try shifting her bedtime by half an hour earlier, or half an hour later, and see if that helps. And then try the other if it doesn't. Sometimes if they are a bit overtired or not quite that tired, they don't sleep that well.

And I'd go ahead and have the glass of wine even if you might have to nurse in 45 minutes. You would only have a trace amount of alcohol in your breastmilk, and especially at over a year of age, it won't affect her.

[skycheattraffic]

It may simply be a developmental thing. Around 13 months my DD was working on walking and talking and her sleep suffered big time. It got much better by 15 months when she had a bunch of words and was walking all day long. She had similar sleep regressions at 3 months (rolling), 6 months (belly crawl) and 9 months (pulling up). I didn't find any magic solution other than get through it, knowing things will improve in time. We also had lots of lost sleep with teething.

[element2012]

Thanks for the replies mamas! I've been giving her a pass on sleep since about 10 months, thinking that the walking was coming soon, or maybe teeth, or you get the idea.  But I am really wearing out with this now.  She sleeps SO.GOOD. for naps, easy 2 straight hours and sometimes more.  But throughout the whole night, there are very rarely any 2 hour stretches any more.  I've toyed with the idea of night weaning, but I don't think it will help now as I don't think she's ready.  Breastmilk is still by far her biggest food source, so she may very well be hungry during the night.  Oh but would I love to just have like 1 or 2 wake-ups! We've never scheduled her, but the routine we have more or less settled into is wake-up about 8 or 9 am, nap 1 around 11-12 and she almost always will sleep at least 2 hours here then nap 2 sometime around 5 or 6, and this nap does sometimes get skipped if I am out running errands all day, but when she takes it she sleeps an hour to two. Then bedtime is usually around 11.  I get that this is too late and I need to work on moving that up.  We are night owls and that has been what works for us as we might not be home at 8 or 9.  In the last month or two during the night she will wake almost every half an hour until we come into the bed with her, then she will sleep in 1-3 hour blocks.

So from what I've read it may be a good idea to keep the first nap shorter, and wake her up after an hour. Make sure she gets a good long second nap, and move her bedtime up in half hour increments towards 8 or 9 pm.  Does that sound about right? Does anyone have any suggestions?  I am nervous about moving her bedtime up as I don't usually go to sleep until 1 or 2 am and it will be very hard to deal with a needy toddler waking up at 6 am....  She's so high needs and this terrible sleep is really doing a number on me; she is suffering, my DH is suffering, I am suffering... I hope to get some rest soon...

[skycheattraffic]

I'd leave the morning nap intact. You said she sleeps consistently and easily for 2 hours. That tells me she needs it. Since the afternoon map is easily skipped I'd shorten/discourage that instead. I know most toddlers nap in the afternoon but 5 or 6 is very very late. 3 or 4 would be more reasonable and could get her to bed by 9ish. FWIW my DD (23 months) dropped her afternoon nap very early but is still holding on strong to her morning nap. For a loooong time now, she wakes 7 or 8ish, naps at 11 or 12 for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours and goes to bed for 8-9. Is there any way to shift your routine so you could be home for 9 pm reliably? Then dropping the late nap might be an easy transition into10-11 hour nights with one nap instead of shorter nights and more napping.

[element2012]

I have tried consciously skipping the later nap to go to bed early and wound up with a rambunctious toddler ready to play at 3 am! I may give that a go with some consistency this week and see if it gets better. The only thing that takes me out of the house in the evening is yoga maybe once or twice a week, but I may be able to bring MIL to my house to watch DD if the bedtime does get moved up.

[element2012]

Has anyone ever noticed that just when you think you really really can't take a certain behavior any longer, LO seems to change? Ha!  For some odd reason DD decided to wake only ONCE last night.  I am hoping that the sleep disturbance was related to walking, and now that she is a full on walker, I can look forward to some better sleep!