Our son is 23 months. After taking the 'what type of baby do you have' quiz, he is firmly in the middle of 'angel' and 'textbook'.
Our issue is that he wakes up early. So early that I can't see straight I'm so tired. One of the issues is that it isn't every day, so it's hard to determine what to change. Out of the last six days, for example, he slept until 6:00 the first three and then was up at 4:30 two nights and last night at 4. We use a sleep training clock. It is a monkey whose eyes close and open to signal night and morning. I have a groclock on order and it should be here this or next week.
His schedule is this (and has been for months and months):
6:00 wake (except when he wakes earlier)
breakfast
7:30 - preschool
8:00 - breakfast
play indoors
9:30 fruit
outdoor play
indoor play (singing)
lunch (cooked meal)
11:30 - 2:30 sleep (they wake him after 3 hours or he would sleep longer)
inidoor play
2:00 big snack
indoor/outdoor play
3:30/4:00 pick up from preschool
indoor play
5:30/6:00 dinner
Indoor play
7:00 bath
7:30 pjs, bedtime snack, stories
8:00 bed (usually asleep in 10-30 minutes)
On the weekends he often naps only 2 hours. I haven't noticed that this changes his sleeping through the night. The only thing that might help is to go swimming, which I try to do on Thursdays and Fridays routinely, and on Saturdays and Sundays when possible.
When he wakes at 4 or 4:30 he is hungry. I'm trying to not encourage breastfeeding any longer (if it put him to sleep I'd still do it). Usually I am able to distract him. Yesterday when he woke at 4:30 I gave him a pear to avoid bf. I brought it to his room. He ate it voraciously. Then he wanted to 'get down'. We stayed in the room. After a bit I laid down next to him after swaddling him and he slept. Unfortunately, when I went to get a blanket for myself he woke. This morning he woke at 4, immediately asked for a pear, which I brought to him. After he finished eating I wrapped him and laid down with him. He didn't fall asleep but it looked like he might several times. He did lay quiet for almost an hour. When he got up (5:00, still in bed), I told him it was still night time (the monkey is still asleep) and that I was going to lay down in my bed and would be back when it was morning. After that I WIWO when he got too loud/distressed, never letting him get very distressed. It was about every 15-20 minutes. He stayed in bed until the monkey woke up, then we had happy 'good mornings!' and got up. He proceeded to eat bacon and eggs and more than two servings of yoghurt. I think he's going through a growth spurt or something. He is so tired by the time we go to school that the last three mornings he has fallen asleep on the way there - barely a five minute walk!
I talk to my husband about consistency. It is tough to find consistency between us. I have one way and he has another. They are very similar but not exact. Our son is bright and knows how to get around things. My husband has a hard time being firm. When M starts to cry 'more play' when it is time to go to bed, J is more likely to let him play a few minutes longer than to say, I know you'd like to play more and it is time for bed so we'll play more tomorrow, which is what I say. It doesn't take long for M to be okay getting into pjs or the bedroom. He is just a very good natured boy. (thank god!)
I'm tired and frustrated and tired and tired. To the point of tears. This morning. Now.
The teachers at his school suggest getting him up after 2 hours of sleep instead of 3. It seems like we just went from 3.5 to 3 - I suppose it was over a month ago. To jump to 2 hours of nap seems like a big step. It might make him more tired and able to sleep through. Or, he will fall asleep earlier and then just be up earlier. He's always been an early riser and I think he just doesn't need as much sleep in the night. It is possible to keep him awake until bedtime because he is just so good natured. And, this seems like a big jump to make. So, they suggest reducing his nap by one hour and going to bed an hour earlier and making sure he has lots of food all day long and just before bed giving him warm oatmeal. They also suggest not going to him when he wakes early but to keep the night time boring and dark. He does sleep with a night light, which I can turn off once he is asleep, and music on very low.
Advice? Suggestions? Help? Please!
