This is my first ever posting so please bear with me (and gently let me know) if I get things wrong.
I've tried to take some time to read back over some posts which was really helpful but it would be SO great to hear suggestions to help me make sure I'm helping my little guy get the sleep he needs. He is 13 months and had always slept 8-10 hours through the night from 3-11 months. For the last 2 months he is waking 2 or 3 times. I thought it was maybe that he is so active with walking etc that he is hungry still. He nurses big time when he wakes. I didn't mind going along with it at all but lately he won't settle after nursing, or without nursing, and wants to get down and play, etc. To make things worse, he has started to nap less. He has only ever had one nap since about 5 months. It was always an hour and a half, always 2-3 hours after he woke in the morning. But now he only does about an hour in the morning, and that's it for the entire day. I try to put him for some quiet time/nap in his room in the afternoon (he started sleeping happily on his own at 4 months) but he NEVER naps, even if he appears tired. He is asleep by 7pm at night, really tired. We have the same exact routine every evening, at the same time.He is very busy, and usually very happy all day long, never crabby. I am worried that he is just not getting enough sleep. But if he seems to be doing ok during the day, is it just that he's a little person who doesn't really need to sleep much? It's kind of difficult for me to have such disturbed sleep all night, and then very little opportunity for quiet time during the day with him. I just adore him and have always been committed to following his cues and meeting his needs. But I need to sleep to have the energy for his active days. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to sleep any better if he co-sleeps. And I just can't seem to sleep with him in the bed. Also until just recently, he was good about putting himself to sleep if I nursed him and laid in his crib drowsy. Now, he'll leap up as soon as I go to leave the room and start crying.We are so against the idea of leaving him to cry himself to sleep, when he is calling "mum- mum". (We do leave him to settle himself when he is clearly just protesting - he's asleep within 10 mins).
Sorry this is so long, it's hard to concentrate and be succinct when he is by my side. My instincts tell me this is just a phase and to continue to trust myself to just go along with whatever is at every stage, just honoring his needs as they change. But I guess I am just a little concerned after reading the posts about sleep deprivation. (I certainly know I'M suffering from that, even if he isn't!).
Thank you thank you thank you ...
