After the first couple weeks of daycare (beg of Aug) LM settled into a good schedule of napping and eating at daycare. But, last week, we decided we were ready to have her start giving some solids during the day (previously we've only been giving him some at "dinnertime"). Well---all heck has broken loose and he either stopped taking his afternoon nap or would be up/down/up/down etc resulting in basically no nap. He also (near the end of the week) started not finishing all of the ounces of his lunchtime bottles. When he was at home in the evenings, we ended up dropping the dinner solids because he was more restless at night (having trouble going back down, not wanting to go to sleep in the first place, not wanting his last bottle etc) and I was worried he was too full. The weekend came and he took am/pm naps (though the pm were about an hour max) both days. He had two meals of solids a day (breakfast/dinner one day, lunch/dinner another) and most of his bottles (his wakeup time was later so he usually dropped a bottle in the morning).
Today, I mentioned to our daycare lady (in-home daycare place) that maybe waiting until after his pm nap for the second solids feedings would help him nap better and to just give him his normal lunchtime bottle instead. Apparently though, he didn't nap at all. He ate his breakfast bottle and half a jar of baby food (right on track) and his lunchtime bottle but refused to nap, take his late afternoon bottle (so she didn't attempt the solids) etc. TH said she seemed really frustrated (even complaining that she really relies on that hour break in the afternoon for herself...um WHAT?) and thinks that I should stop feeding him at night when he wakes up (just do water instead) because maybe he's too full to sleep well at night and then it's affecting his day. I already stopped feeding him when he wakes up (30min before we get to daycare) because he's been waking up for a bottle (4-6oz of formula) between 1-3 and sleeping until I get him up at six...that way he's ready to eat baby food right when he gets there.
I don't want her to be frustrated with him...because I don't want her to let him CIO as a result of her frustrations and trying to get him nap. I have NO clue why he's stopped napping. I'm sure it has something to do with the food--the timing is too coincidental. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong at night still feeding him a bottle....maybe we do need to wean off of it (he weighs about 20lbs etc).....I just don't know what to do. I'm a mess about it. I'm sure that there are other factors that might be in play too (teething, routine change etc). It also doesn't help that when he skips naps, he falls asleep in the car on the way home and naps for awhile at home...being awake later in the evening. And--now, because he skipped a bottle today...we're behind on calories/feeds and that doesn't bode well for sleep.
I just need help. I don't know what to try next....or what to say to her. I'm up for trying pretty much anything...whether it be during the day changes or night changes.... But, I also don't want to make changes because of her....I want him to be happy/healthy etc...that's first. I guess I just don't know what to do......and the anxiety about taking him tomorrow is already getting to me.
Here's what his "normal" schedule looks like in case that helps:
Bedtime around 8pm
Up for a nighttime feed (4-6oz of formula) between 1-3am
Woken up at 615 (diaper change, snuggles and out the door)
Breakfast (1/2 jar of solids) around 645-7.
Bottle (6oz formula) around 830.
AM nap--usually down around 9-930ish, asleep for 1.5-2 hours
1130/1200ish--was getting 1/2 jar solids with another bottle about an hour later (no solids today, just bottle at 1130/12)
1(ish)-245 PM nap (did not really occur last week or today)
Picked up around 345
Dinner bottle 530-6 (we used to do 1/2 jar solids around 430/5 and then the bottle around 530-6)
Bedtime bottle 8
This is really just a big long vent....I understand if you don't actually have a solution for me :-)
wow, your daycare provider should not be complaining about him missing his nap, if her doesn't nap, he doesn't nap!! how old is he again? maybe it's time to transition him to one longer afternoon nap? louise transitioned around 12 months and goes down around 12pm for a 2-3 hour nap.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some answers for you! Changes in schedule and routines are hard enough when you're dealing with it yourself, I can't imagine how hard it must be when you're trying to help a third party. Bean has gone through several transitions when it came to nap time, but none of them had anything to do with food or being too full. They were more related to how much she was doing and how tired it made her. I moved her nap times around when it would take me a long time to either get her down for a nap or at bedtime and I'd also try to wear her out a little more. I agree that your daycare provider shouldn't be complaining about your little man missing a nap. As a stay at home mama, I have to admit there were the days where I'd try extra hard to get Bean down thinking how much I needed her to nap, but then I realized that what I needed had nothing to do with it and we all were happier in the end. She should be prepared for this to come with the job. I hope you find some resolution and that things get easier. I'll be thinking about you!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteI talked with her about it all and I think she understands that he just needs to adjust to the new changes in his life. I think she just doesn't think before she speaks sometimes...it's ok to feel overwhelmed but I don't need to hear it. I think she needs to learn that the little ones make the schedule. Until then---I think she'll stress herself out about it. I suppose it's a lesson I had to learn myself. But--he had a good day the last two days so that helps. I'm hoping he's regulating back out! Though, now we've got a crazy a** diaper rash to deal with (pun intended!)