u/No-Objective-8247

My 7.5 month completely sleep trained at 5 months old has started doing these weird split nights lately and I’m not sure if it’s a schedule issue, teething, or both.

He usually wakes around 6am and currently does 3 naps a day. His last nap often ends around 3 or 3:30pm, then he gets super sleepy by 5:30pm and goes to bed easily. The issue is he keeps waking around 2 to 3am and stays awake for 40 mins to 1 hr. He’s not hysterically crying, more just awake, babbling, needing paci reinserting etc.

He is definitely teething right now and has does 3 hour to 3 hour 15mins total day sleep. He also can’t really handle more than a 2 to 2.5 hr last wake window yet without melting down.

I tried removing the catnap that he ised to take from 5pm to 515pm and doing early bedtime but the 2am wakes still happened. I’m wondering if 5:30pm bedtime is now too early for him and causing the split nights because he seems to naturally do around a 10 hr stretch.

Would you:

keep the early bedtime

add back a tiny bridge nap

or push bedtime later gradually?

Would really appreciate hearing from parents who went through this awkward 3 to 2 nap transition phase 😭

My dad was recently diagnosed with cancer and my brother travelled overseas for part of his treatment and spent around $10k. After coming back, he asked me to send $200/month to my mum and said he would also contribute monthly.

The thing is, I had a very difficult pregnancy and had been saving money for years specifically so I could take a career break after having my baby. I currently only have my husband helping with childcare and I’m seriously considering delaying my return to work because daycare during peak winter worries me and I really wanted more time with my baby after such a hard pregnancy.

I already emotionally agreed and sent the money because I felt guilty. My parents spent a lot supporting my education and helping me build a life overseas, so part of me feels ashamed even questioning this. At the same time, I’m living off savings right now and feeling financially anxious.

What’s also making this harder is that my brother is financially better off than me, has no children, and still spends a lot on expensive holidays etc. I feel conflicted because I DO want to help my parents, especially with my dad being sick, but I also feel like I’m being pushed during one of the most vulnerable phases of my life.

How do people balance supporting parents while also protecting their own young family financially?