Stuck on 9.5hr nights...

[Mama2C]

Here's some background...DS is now 2. He was always up early, around 6, but several months ago he started to wake up even earlier, around 5/5:30. It was hard on us, so I just started to nurse him at that time and he'd go back to sleep. That gradually became a problem as he'd wake earlier and earlier to nurse...sometimes at 3! A week ago he started waking at midnight for a nursing so we just cut it out. Low and behold he is back to waking at 5:30 for the day. We try to keep him in his bed until 6 but if he's loud we can't as DD is in the same room.

We're planning to get a grow clock - on backorder at the store.

So my question is this - how do I regulate his day/night sleep with these early wakings?

Here was his routine when I'd nurse him back to sleep:
 
WU 7:30, Nap 1-2:30, BT 8:30.

Now I have changed it to this:

WU 5:30, Nap 12-2, BT 7...BUT he doesn't fall asleep until 8...which means a VERY short night!

DS doesn't have meltdowns with less sleep which I am grateful for but he does end up looking super tired before his nap...

Although he is fine now with less sleep, I am dreading the OT monster that will eventually pounce on us...

Any ideas???

[clairebear79]

I'd say his nights are probably UT (esp with him chatting til 8pm) so I would suggest to cap the nap back to its former 1.5hrs.  And I think you need to push it later again. So perhaps do 12.15-2pm for a week, then 12.30-2pm for a week, then push the whole nap 15mins later each week til its back at 1pm. The earlier the nap the more likely your EW will continue. 

We are having similar issues with our LO chattering at BT for aaages, & I have been trying longer nap in case its OT but I just know in my gut that the root cause of our issues is that he is UT with a nap of longer than 1.5hrs.  So we are cutting it back again.

HTH.xx

[Mama2C]

Thanks for your reply! You're definitely right on here...on Saturday we went to a bday party 1hr away and DS ended up having a short, late nap in the car from 2:55-3:35 and went to sleep at 7:40 and SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT until 5:40...first time he has slept through the night since he was a year old! (he is usually up once around 2or3 for 5 mins). So yesterday we had a party for DH's bday and he had a nap from 12:30-1:40 and he was again asleep at 7:40 and slept through the night again until 5:40.

It's a bit early for us but he has always been an early riser (except when I would nurse him so he'd go back!).

We'll keep an eye on signs of OT but so far he is really doing well on it....I'd love to get him to sleep in a bit later as he is having long days...I"ve got an order in for a grow clock...