2.5 year old, EW, NW nap refusal and falling asleep at 4!!!!

[gilly37]

Hi! Where do I start?? I'm looking for some ideas on what to do with LO, she's 2.5, always been an early riser (6.30) but these days it's more like 5.45 or 6. A while ago we went through some NWs/EWs and got some great early BT advice from you lovely ladies. However, circumstances have changed and early bedtime is no longer possible 

Some days she will take a proper nap in bed, but we have to wake her after max 1 hour otherwise it's impossible to get her to go to sleep at night, the last time we let her nap for 1hr 30 she finally fell asleep at 9.30pm... The best way I find is for her to take a catnap in the car/pram or couch as there's a limit to how long she'll sleep like that. Yesterday she had 20mins in the car and was in bed sleeping for 7. When she's refused a nap she's fallen asleep wherever she is about 4pm which is obviously hard to deal with!

NWs seem totally random, some nights she sleeps through, some nights she doesn't. She's a very active sleeper, we've caught her sleepwalking/talking a few times and I'm convinced that when she comes into our rooms 3 times a night that she's not fully awake. When we put her back in her bed she generally falls straight back asleep again.

EWs have been going on for months now, her wake up time changes every day, from 5.30 to the occasional 6.45, never any later than that. The one thing that's consistent is no matter what time she goes to bed she still wakes up v early. We were away for the weekend a couple of weeks ago and she was going to bed around 9 or 10 but still getting up at 5.30/6. Because things change on a day to day basis there's no routine anymore, and the chances of getting one back are slim since I'm starting university full time next month and she'll be at my mum's or childminder, then I'll be picking her up, some days at 5, some days 6 or later. I just want to know what I should do about the nap, and hopefully shift that wake up time a bit later. Part of me hopes that once she drops that nap for good (she'll have to when she starts nursery in 6 months), her night sleep will magically be fixed.

[Truly Blessed]

Hello Honey,

Ugh, welcome to the 1-0 nightmare, there's a lot of us in it!

First of all I would highly recommend you join us here:

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=231291.0

You will see what is working for others, and also what is not LOL.... You will also find that what DD is doing is totally typical of the 1-0 transition. Our DS is 2.5 exactly and we are int he same boat. I tried going no nap with him but what has worked for us and some others is to get him down for a 1 hour nap as early as possible in the day. because his nights are now shorter than they used to be this is possible.

Some days I let him play in his room with subdued lighting and he lies himself down for a nap as early as 4 hours A time  but obviously that isn't always possible. Mostly I get him down for his nap after 5 hours. If he isn't already awake I wake him in the morning at 7 am, but usually he's up at 6.30 anyway. 6.30 is not a bad wake up Hun, some Mammy would kill for it LOL  When Sam does wake early I just get him up straight away now because I know I will achieve a decent BT if I do which to me is better than a lie in, I need my time with DH in the evening and can not bear a 9pm BT, I am Mummy's out by 8pm latest  .

So  take a 7am WU for eg and we do this:

WU 7am

Nap 12 to 1 (if no go and his nap is later I wake at 2pm very latest)

BT 8.00. PD at around 7.40 for stories and WD after WD with Peppa Pig TV downstairs.

The key for Sam is the long a time before BT which on an hours nap has to be 6.5 hours minimum for him to settle, the alternative is a circus act.

Something important to know also, is that while a Toddler can have accumulated OT, UT will always trump at BT, so it is irrelevant mostly.

If your DD has a really EW and you get her down for a nap after 5 hours, then you could allow a CU nap of 2 hours, but but be aware the 2nd A time may need to be 7 hours plus, so you need to have the time in the day to fit it in, without the day getting extremely long.

HTH Hun. See you on the support thread 

Vicki.x.

[gilly37]

Thank you so much, I will join the other thread definitely. It's so hard isn't it? I don't know anyone else who is having sleep problems with their kids of the same age, in fact 2 of my friends have to wake their lo's up in the morning, and they've never followed any sort of routine - it just makes me wonder sometimes why I bothered sticking to a routine you know?? I think the main problem for my sanity is really the NWs, there's no rhyme or reason to them and I go to bed just hoping that she'll sleep through.

[Truly Blessed]

I don't know anyone else who is having sleep problems with their kids of the same age, in fact 2 of my friends have to wake their lo's up in the morning, and they've never followed any sort of routine

The mystery of 'go with the flow' parenting. I don't believe a word of it, they just keep all the problems secret 

I know how it feels to go to bed dreading hearing that little voice in the night LOL.x.

See on the thread 

x.