15 month old - waking earlier and earlier

[Tanners Mom]

Hi!
So up until about a week and a half ago, Tanner's day was something like this:

5:30/6am - wake and play in crib for 10-30 minutes, back to sleep till 8am
8am wake
12 - 1:30/2 nap
6:30pm bed

This routine started about three weeks ago when he went to one nap - but then he started to wake at 7:30, then at 7am, then at 6:30, then 6am and now this morning was awake at 5:45am. I typically leave him in his crib until 7am b/c he wakes happy and just talks and bounces around. Yesterday was the only day that he actually started to cry so I got him up early.

When he started waking at 6:30...I moved the nap to 11:30 but then if he slept only 1.5 hours till 1pm - I felt it was a long time till bedtime. Yesterday he was awake at 6am and then down for a nap from 11:15 to 12:40 only. So then I REALLY felt that it was a long time till bedtime at 6:30.

He had a Dr. appt on Monday and his ped. told me that he can stay up 6 hours and to keep his nap at 12pm even if he wakes at 6am. But that just seems really long to me....

What do you all think? Is 6 hours A-time too long for a 15 month old? Is 11-11.5 hours at night and 1.5-2 hours during the day enough sleep?

If he needs more, any ideas for getting more sleep for DS? I really don't want him to get overtired (or maybe he already is...).

Thanks!
~Jaci

[Layla]

Hi Jaci, so really he was sleeping from 6.30pm till 8am with a 30min break in the morning as well as a 1.5-2hr nap???

I do think thats a little too much for him & he might just be done with sleeping at 5.30am considering his bedtime is early & he's napping as long as he is during the day. About 13hrs is the av.... so 11-1.5hrs at night with  1.5-2hr nap during the day. He might be on the higher end of the sleep requirements but the difference is only about 1-2hrs when you talk about averages.

Also the av A time when on 1 nap is about 5-5.5hrs long. So what I would probably try to do is put him to nap at around 11.30am & put him to bed for the night around 6.30-7pm

My dd when she was on 1 nap was doing:
6am - wake
11.30 - 1.30 nap
6.30ish - bed

But then she started to wake earlier than 6am so now we are doing
6am - wake
12-1.30/2pm - afternoon nap
6.30-7pm - bedtime

Also I find that if I put her down any earlier than 11:45am, she will only sleep 45mins.... so perhaps he is ok with that stretch

I would start with nap at 11.30 thought & then slowly push it every couple of days until its back to 12pm so that he can do to bed around 7pm & will hopefully start waking up a little later

How is his mood? They don't necessarily have to be overtired or take short naps when overtired. He could very well be undertired too!

hth
Layla

[Tanners Mom]

Hi Layla!
Thanks for the reply! Yes...this is really what he was doing! Crazy, huh? Only for a couple of weeks though. Previously to that he was sleeping 10.5 hours at night and 2.5-3 hours during the day (2 naps). He's never been on the higher end of the sleep requirements. Maybe during those couple of weeks he was 'catching up' on sleep??

My main concern was that he wasn't getting enough sleep...it's SO good to hear that his current amount is normal. No one in my circle in life seems as concerned about sleep as I am!

His mood is really happy...he typically wakes happy and goes down happy! It's diaper changes that are a wrestling match - but that's another thread! 

Thanks for helping me to feel I'm doing right by my LO!
~Jaci

[Maffoos mummy]

Hi Jaci, yes I'd agree with Layla that if he seems happy then he's probably just ready to wake up! My ds was a 5.27am waker from 1yr-2 1/2, literally exactly that time every single day regardless of naps the day before,then randomly went to 6.50am a few months ago,yay!! So try not to be too disheartened with the ridiculously early wake up,it's tough but if your lo's happy that's all you can do really!!
Jen.

[newmom7]

Hi Jaci- My 16 mo old ds is doing something similar the past few days....wake ups are earlier and earlier and his 1 nap (we just switched to 1 in Dec) is getting shorter every day. He is teething (3 canines at once) so that may be it plus there have been lots of dr appts lately. He is not sick, but may be having some other issues which require testing. Anyway, I totally understand your confusion though with the switch. Now, my son usually only sleeps 10 hours at night with a 1 to 2 1/2 hour nap. When he first switched he would sleep 10.5 to 11.5 at night and still have about a 2-2 1/2 hour nap, but no more! He was always an earlier riser (5:15 or 5:30) but lately I hear him as early as 4:30a.m. yikes. He goes to bed around 6:30 or 7p depending on how long his afternoon nap was. Don't know if any of this helps, but just know you are not alone!
Alicia :-)

[Tanners Mom]

Ooooh...thanks for all the replies! It IS good to know I'm not alone! 

Interesting thought about the dr. appts and teething. Tanner is getting this last first year molar and just went to the dr for immunizations on Monday.

He's still sleeping the same - about 11-11.5 hours at night and 1.5-2 hours during the day and is pretty happy (although clingy, I think sep. anxiety? but that's another post!).

They sure keep us on our toes, don't they! 

[Maffoos mummy]

Oh they certainly do,changing routine left right and centre just to keep life "intersting" for us!!!