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at my wits ends - toddler help needed
My 18 month old is hitting a bit of a sleep regression. It's not really
a big deal (especially compared to past regressions) and it was totally
expected. However, we've hit one snag that I'm not sure if it's
regression related or something else entirely, but it's really put me at
my wits end.
Her daily schedule is this: up around 7 a.m. afternoon nap is anywhere between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., depending on her activity level for the day. Usually (before this regression) a solid two to three hour nap. Back down for the night about 7 p.m. and sleeps through the night for twelve(ish) hours.
What's happening now is at her nap time (and to a lesser extent at bedtime) she's taking much longer to fall asleep. She tells us she wants to go to bed, so we put her in bed, she says bye! and we leave. Then we hear her talking over the monitor for anywhere from 30 minutes (in the evening) to up to two hours at naptime. No fussing involved, just talking to herself and to her animals. Because there's no fussing, we've been okay with leaving her for as long as she wants.
This is the bad part. At the same time she's started this marathon chatting session, she's also started an incredible fit of screaming after her nap. It doesn't happen in the morning, only after nap. I'll hear her wake up on the monitor, sometimes she's fussing, sometimes she's talking. But as soon as I go in to get her and pick her up, it's almost (I swear) like she's possessed. If I put her down, she'll just spin around screaming and crying at the top of her lungs until I pick her back up again. She still screams if I pick her up, but it stops the crazy behavior. It's almost as if she's having a night terror, but she's not asleep since I can hear her wake up over the monitor. There's back arching involved, stiff legs, she pulls at her face, but thankfully, no hitting or biting. Today it was so bad that I had to put her back in her crib and just step away for a minute to collect myself. When I stepped back into her room, she was almost throwing herself at the crib bars.
My gut isn't saying this is medical, since it only happens post nap. I would think if it's an ear infection or some other type of pain, like teething, it would happen at diaper changes, in the morning and other times throughout the day. And today, I went in while she was still talking, before she fell asleep, and she didn't flip out. So it only happens after she's been asleep.
It started last week, both on Thursday and Friday. Saturday and Sunday were better, as my husband was home and he went in and got her up from her nap. It's happened every day this week and seems to be getting progressively worse (or it could just be my tolerance is getting progressively worse.) I thought maybe it was missing her dad, but he was able to come home from work early today and if anything, it upset her more when he got home. It took her a good 90 minutes today to get back to her normal self.
Anyone have any ideas at all what this could be? Or at least sympathy?
Her daily schedule is this: up around 7 a.m. afternoon nap is anywhere between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., depending on her activity level for the day. Usually (before this regression) a solid two to three hour nap. Back down for the night about 7 p.m. and sleeps through the night for twelve(ish) hours.
What's happening now is at her nap time (and to a lesser extent at bedtime) she's taking much longer to fall asleep. She tells us she wants to go to bed, so we put her in bed, she says bye! and we leave. Then we hear her talking over the monitor for anywhere from 30 minutes (in the evening) to up to two hours at naptime. No fussing involved, just talking to herself and to her animals. Because there's no fussing, we've been okay with leaving her for as long as she wants.
This is the bad part. At the same time she's started this marathon chatting session, she's also started an incredible fit of screaming after her nap. It doesn't happen in the morning, only after nap. I'll hear her wake up on the monitor, sometimes she's fussing, sometimes she's talking. But as soon as I go in to get her and pick her up, it's almost (I swear) like she's possessed. If I put her down, she'll just spin around screaming and crying at the top of her lungs until I pick her back up again. She still screams if I pick her up, but it stops the crazy behavior. It's almost as if she's having a night terror, but she's not asleep since I can hear her wake up over the monitor. There's back arching involved, stiff legs, she pulls at her face, but thankfully, no hitting or biting. Today it was so bad that I had to put her back in her crib and just step away for a minute to collect myself. When I stepped back into her room, she was almost throwing herself at the crib bars.
My gut isn't saying this is medical, since it only happens post nap. I would think if it's an ear infection or some other type of pain, like teething, it would happen at diaper changes, in the morning and other times throughout the day. And today, I went in while she was still talking, before she fell asleep, and she didn't flip out. So it only happens after she's been asleep.
It started last week, both on Thursday and Friday. Saturday and Sunday were better, as my husband was home and he went in and got her up from her nap. It's happened every day this week and seems to be getting progressively worse (or it could just be my tolerance is getting progressively worse.) I thought maybe it was missing her dad, but he was able to come home from work early today and if anything, it upset her more when he got home. It took her a good 90 minutes today to get back to her normal self.
Anyone have any ideas at all what this could be? Or at least sympathy?
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Re: at my wits ends - toddler help needed
My dd has done this before. It is pretty difficult to deal with. It sounds like night terrors which is probably cause by not getting enough sleep.
eta: Here is a article on it. Good luck.
https://www.babycenter.com/0_night-terrors_142.bc
almost the same thing was posted here too, if it helps...
maybe you're missing the nap 'window' which is why she's taking so long to fall asleep, and then waking up before she's ready?? can you try to enforce the earlier naptime and do a soothing ritual before the nap to calm her down? or how about driving around, will she fall asleep in the car more quickly?
good luck, this sounds just awful.........
I would think it's night terrors too, but she's very coherent and awake before I pick her up, when I'm just listening to her on the monitor.
I think we're going to be more consistent with an earlier naptime now, because I do think the talking is messing up her sleep cycles.
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