I have a wonderful little 1 year old girl who, up until a week ago, had very nice sleep habits. Each day she would take one late morning/early afternoon nap for about an hour and a half, sometimes two hours. Then she went to bed between 7:30 and 8:00pm, sleeping until between 6-7 in the morning.
Starting two weeks ago, out of nowhere that I can pinpoint, she is totally boycotting the naps. Where I used to be able to lay her down and she would talk herself to sleep, she will now scream her head off until I go get her. All the while she is obviously VERY tired and will pass out in the car or just lying around later while I read her a book. But, put her in the crib and she screams. Then, she goes down great at night, no problems. The problem is that she now wakes up at 5:15am! And refuses to go back to sleep!
I don't know what to do! I have stuck with the routine to a 't', I know that she is teething, two teeth currently, so I make sure that she has either Tylenol (day time) or Motrin (night time), as well as Orajel.
Is this normal? What do I do? I really want to get back to good sleeping because we are all suffering!
Thanks so much!!
I appreciate all of your thoughts! To address a couple of things. One - I was giving her tylenol during the day because I was worried the effects that motrin would have on her tummy if I gave her only that. I may go ahead and try the motrin though. Also, she has been taking one nap a day for quite some time, so no transitioning there that I can hang my hopes on. When I say she screams, I have let her go for 30 to 45 minutes and she shows NO signs of calming down whatsoever, if anything just getting more angry. As for at night, she is perfect going down, we read books, put her in her crib and she puts herself to sleep. That is what she was doing at nap time too, until recently.
So, I tried something different yesterday. She has been very attached me to lately, VERY attached, so yesterday I did the whole book routine, put her in her crib (she immediately tuned up) and then I laid down right beside the crib. I did not interact with her in any way, I didn't look at her (actually hid my head under the crib), didn't talk to her, just laid there. And she calmed down right away, sat there and talked to herself, played and after about 15 minutes or so (which is what she used to do) she laid down and went to sleep. She didn't take a perfect nap, it wasn't as long as I would have liked, but I felt like it was a start at least. Now, this morning she was up again, at 5:45 (ick!), but I think that we'll try putting her down earlier tonight and see if that helps.
Thanks again!
Teething will always disrupt a good routine. The problem now is that you may have a new routine. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but I have had the worse time with teething and sleep patterns. And every time that we get used to the new times ... new teeth start coming in. I will be so glad when they are finished. Only 4 more to go for us. Good luck to you.
perhaps spend the nap time as just quiet time. Go in with her and read to her. She may fall asleep, she may not, but she will rest and you will get quality time with her. All children change at different levels. Dont worry, just work with it. God bless.
given her age, my guess is that she is ready to go to just one nap per day. You may find that now that she is transitioning to just the one nap, that you will need to get her to bed a bit earlier than the 7:30p - 8:p that you do now - probably more like 6p - 6:30p. She's probably waking up at 5:15am because she is so overtired and the more tired a child is, the less they sleep - sounds crazy, but it's true. Sleep begets sleep, so the better rested she is during the day, the better she'll sleep at night. My guess is that things will settle back to 'normal' once she transitions into the one nap per day. Good luck!
you answered your own question. you said she screams until you go get her... of course shes going to do it everyday! she knows that if she screams you will come get her. leave her in there go rub her back if she cries for over 10 mins then leave again but do not get her out. this only shows her that she gets what she wants by screaming... not a good thing!
Some of it could be the age, I remember my son fighting naps around that age.
But I noticed you mentioned she has tylenol during the day and motrin at night. Any reason why she doesn't get motrin during the day? Maybe the tylenol isn't reducing the pain enough. Motrin has anti-inflammatory properties that tylenol does not, so maybe it helps more. Also, I don't know if you're keeping her dosed all day, but don't. Try using orajel throughout the day and the motrin (or tylenol if thats what you prefer) only at bedtime (or when she's in obvious pain that orajel isnt helping).
how long is she screaming before you go get her? My son did this too sometimes, but after about 20 minutes, he would pass out. It could be a game to her... cause and effect. Personally, when my son was that age, if he had just eaten and had plenty to drink, had a clean diaper, and was obviously tired at naptime, I just let him throw his fit and he'd take his nap. It took about two weeks of ignoring the naptime only fits though.
good luck with whatever you decide to try!
Hi L.,
Try making her nap time a bit later in the day (maybe mid-afternoon) and shorten that nap to no more than an hour. If she still doesn't seem tired, just tell her that this (whatever time you put her down) is "quiet" time. Leave the room and don't go back in no matter how much she screams (as long as all of her other needs are taken care of). She may be testing new boundaries, and if you cave in, she won't be getting the sleep she needs, and you will all pay the price. It will be hard, but she will figure out that she has nothing to do in there but sleep eventually. Or you could put her down when you usually do, and do the same thing. Because she is growing, her sleep/wake cycle appears to be changing, but it is important that she get back into a regular routine as soon as possible.
Is it possible that your daughter might need two shorter naps? Maybe put her down around 10:00 for an hour, then again at 2:00 or 3:00 for an hour.
It is also possible that she is one of those rare children who don't need a nap at all and prefer to get their sleep in one long stretch. If that is the case, put her to bed a little earlier and eventually she will sleep a little bit later. Children will get the sleep they need one way or another, but they do go through periods where they seem to resist it. If she is still acting tired around the time when she has been taking her nap, stick to your guns and put her in her crib for quiet time.
You are not being cruel or unreasonable by doing this. She is most likely beginning to figure out that maybe no doesn't mean no if she fights it hard enough. Make sure she knows that nap time will be nap time no matter how hard she screams. It is also possible that she hears the goings-on of her older brother and doesn't like missing out on the action.
If she is getting up earlier, even after not having a nap, that will change eventually, if you do take away the nap. The reason she is getting up earlier is because her sleep/wake cycle has been disrupted due to her not wanting to take her nap. There are so many hours a day she needs to be sleeping, so she won't go on like that forever. Either the nap goes back in, or she will start sleeping in later. Just be firm either way. If she is waking up at 5:15, don't go in there until it is closer to the time when she used to wake up. You will probably have to listen to some screaming but it will even itself out. And you will be glad you stuck to your guns.
I have great sleepers to this day because I went through things like this and decided that if I wasn't getting the sleep I needed (didn't want to get up at 4:30 or 5:00!), I wouldn't be equipped to handle all of their needs to the best of my ability during the day. If mom doesn't get enough sleep it's even worse than if they don't get enough sleep. They survived and gave up the fight eventually and rarely have getting-to-sleep issues to this day.
This is temporary, and it will pass. Many blessings to you and your family!
I too have a 1 year old and an 8 year old - both boys. My 1 year old has always been a great sleeper until about the same time (2 weeks ago). He refuses to lay down for a nap unless I make him go to sleep. Then at bedtime he keeps going and it doesn't matter how sleepy he is, he is going to fight going to sleep. I don't really think it's the teething because my son is teething too. I think it has more to do with my oldest son being out of school and my 1 yr. old thinking he's going to miss something. When my oldest son isn't there I can get my little one down to nap and to bed at night but when my oldest one is there you can just forget it. I've had to tell my oldest son that when I put his brother down for nap I need for him to go out and play or to sit and be quiet. This usually works. At bedtime, I've had to cut lights down and all noise down and have my oldest son settle down until I get his brother to bed. In my opinion I think it's all because there's a new situation with big brother being out of school and at home during the day and staying up later at night. It may be teething but I think it probably has more to do with big brother being around and her desire to be up doing what big brother is doing. Just my opinion.
It's normal for kids to change sleeping patterns as they grow but this is different. She has reached another milestone and is more aware of her role in the household. She might miss you or be afraid she's being left out.
Be insistant that she take a nap and put her down everyday as usual. If she's not alseep after 30 minutes then get her up for a while and try again later. After a few weeks she'll be back to napping like normal.
My kids went through many iterations of naptime schedule. At one time my son was napping from 2-4 but now both my kids nap from 12:30-2:30. Every few months they seem to reinvent themselves and I have to figure things out all over again.
All I can say is - whew. I thought I was alone. My lil guy is almost 18 months old, and the past week or so, he's been fighting the naps like crazy. Past 3 days he's been refusing all naps and gets super cranky at 4 or 5 pm. Once I put him in his crib - he stays up at least another hour playing [I removed his crib toys thinking it would help and it didn't, he still stays up at least an hour babbling and giggling to himself but at least he's unwinding].
Mine is also teething, he gets a shot of Motrin in the morning and another at night since it lasts longer than Tylenol. But your daughter, I would say, is definately waking up that early because she's overtired. I too would let her cry at night or at naptime until she calms herself down unless you think she's in pain and not just throwing a tantrum. What I've been doing for mine is I keep offerring him the naptime. I set him down at 10, 1, and again at 3. So far he hasn't been taking the bait but I'm hoping it's a temporary adjustment and eventually he'll choose a time to nap. I was wondering if perhaps he's ready to unload his morning nap, just by the way he's been acting. Good to know we're not alone though.
don't worry, it's just a phase. it'll pass. just keep doing what you're doing. =)
I am going through the SAME exact thing right now with my 14 month old. She is teething 4 teeth at the moment, so we are just being patient and helping her through it. Things will settle back down when she feels better. I always comfort through pain, but let cry if she is just fussy.....I would imagine that you can determine the difference.
Good Luck!
Over the next 2-3 years you'll notice that their sleep patterns will change about every 4-6 months. They may go down for a nap a little later, sleep a little less, wake up at a different time, and even slip naps totally (hated those days) on some days.
If she is teething remember that swollen gums can effect the ear drums. A little swelling around the ear drum can cause intense pain, made worse by lying down. If she is waking up early she may need a slightly later bedtime, maybe by 1/2 an hour or to be woken up from her nap 1/2 hour early.
What ever changes you make, make them small and give it 1 full week to see if it is getting the result that you want.
Good Luck
K.
Kids change in schedulde a lot in the first few years. I think it was about this time when my little girl transitioned from two short naps to one long one. I had to keep her up a little longer though, like after lunch. Remember with little people, sleep begets sleep. In other words, if they start having a sleep deficit it is harder and harder for them to sleep. Teething can definitely interrupt the cycle, but you may have to let her cry to sleep a couple times to get her back in the habit. If she gets too out of whack with her sleep habits, it will get harder and harder to get her back in one.
