Sleep Regression

Lately Alyce has been having some trouble going to sleep. It started earlier this week Monday I believe. We put her down like we normally do and she started crying, but it wasn't her normal cry. This cry was more of a scream. We went up, checked on her, and got her settled back down only to hear more crying after we back down stairs. In all it took about an hour and a half for her to go to sleep. This is a large departure from the 5 minutes or less it usually takes. Over the three other days in the week she has had trouble going to bed two more times. While it wasn't as dramatic as the first night you have to ask the question what has changed?

The only changes we can think of is that she isn't as tired. Alyce is starting to take her naps later in the day. When mom puts her down around 1:00 p.m. she isn't falling asleep. If she puts her down around 2:00 or later she has much more success. Well throw in a 2 hour nap and that gets her waking up around 4:00 - 4:30. With bed time only 4 hours or less away I guess we can say she isn't tired yet. So perhaps we should try putting her to bed at 8:30 or 9:00. That won't make us happy because we enjoy our "off" time, but it is a worth it if she goes down easier. It is hard for a parent to hear their child cry and do nothing about it. It might be for their own good, but it is still hard.