How do I calm my SUPER busy 24 month old before bed????!!!!!!!

[imsmum]

I know my spirited dd gets wound up if she is overtired, so just a thought that maybe he's overtired by bedtime and can't settle???  If he naps at 12 for 1.5 hours he's up for another 7.5 hours before bed.  The nw's were always a sign of overtiredness at bedtime in my dd.  If he is  waking at 7, a nap at 11:30 maybe too early--but he's able to take it because he hasn't slept that great. It sounds like you wake him after 1.5 hours, what happens if you let him sleep?    

[sandraorion]

Sarah,

I'm the last to give sleep advice since I have a three year old that still wakes up once or twice a week.

But here are some random thoughts that might give you some ideas. And forgive me if I'm repeating what others have said, I just skimmed through the responses.

1. Adrian was never a napper. He never ever napped for more than 60-75 minutes a day.

2. In the last year or so, he needs between 10-11.5 hours of sleep total.

3. Since he was about your Logan's age, he was ready to drop his nap on non-school or slower days. He is dropping the nap now all together. If he does take a nap, it's about once a week, 30-45 minutes.

4. Having a high energy activity right before the bedtime routine helps him go down and stay put easier.

5. I read that kids after age two should stop waking up at night. If they do, it might indicate a health issue, like enlarged adenoids (which is fact is case with Adrian), allergies, or some other sleep disorder. Have you looked at anything like this? Why does he wake up? And what are they like?

Anyway, hope any of this helps.

[crazycanuck]

First off let me say this - thank you so much for your responses - I really appreciate the time people are taking to answer........

sandra - logan has never slept as long as the avg kid either.........never
He's not ready to drop the nap - but def doesn't need to total amount the "avg" kid does......
Logan may have health issues for sure - he def has some allergies/intolerances, he has inherited my ability to "Dream" very actively, he is a restless sleeper, talks in his sleep etc., Also a super soaker!!!  All things that can disturb sleep.

Also - the poor kid typically ets 2-3 teeth at once - and has major nightwakings when teething is really bad........

imsmum - logan has always not had as much stamina in the am - he has always been tired earlier - naturally - going by his cues etc., and he does nap later at the sitters sometimes several days in a row and it doesn't seem to make a differnce at night time
if i let him sleep longer than 2hrs - he is very cranky when he wakes - almost like he gets into a really deep sleep and then has difficulty for the rest of the afternoon with everything......shorter 1.5-2hr naps he wakes happy and ready to go - refreshed not cranky
usually he is up from his nap (12 - 1:30 or 12:30-2:00) 1:30 or 2:00 so at 7:00 he 's been up 5hrs.........which was working for a LONG time - but now - he's just not tired enough - i did the 7 thing with the same routine that had always worked and it just stopped working - and he just wasn't as tired

daybyday - Logan has a "blankie" and he only gets it when it is nap time and bed time - never any other time (maybe when he sick)

TODAY -
Logan was up at 7am
Napped - 1-2:30
Dinner - 6:00
Bath -7:45
Bed (after jammies water and a short movie) 8:45 - OUT LIKE A LIGHT - NO WHINING NOTHING!!!!!!

*** Keep in mind Logan was up - very restless - woke 4 times between 12:30 and 4:30 - we gave tylenol because he is teething........usually his wakeups are because he is stuck in sheets or some odd position - he is dreaming/restless or teething or wet!!!!

[crazycanuck]

colesmom - I TOTALLy get what you mean about looking at his life and how is he doing - is he happy etc.,
Logan has been a smiley happy baby (except for the first 3 colicky months) always - people often comment on how smiley and happy he seems
He eats well - talks well - everything else he does is just fine and typical - its just teh sleep...........
so thanks
i need to be reminded of that sometimes......

[sandraorion]

You can start teaching him how to fix his sheets.

Teething, sigh, I am glad that is over. Hopefully he is working on the last molars and soon that will be history.

It might be worthwhile to mention his sleep problems to his dr, or get one of these sleep specific books, Ferber's for example. And before people jump on me for mentioning the F name, the book actually has lots of useful info on sleep disorders etc if you ignore the methodology for habitual wakings.

[daybyday]

nope Sandra..I agree. Ferber, Weisbluth...good ideas and some clinical parts that make a lot of sense...But not the CIO...that's rubbish...

[Wilsmon]

Teething was a HUGE, if not the major sleep disrupter for us (looking back).  DS would get a little better, then slowly get worse (up to two weeks) prior to acutally being able to physically see at tooth coming through.  Motrin and Tylenol only helped a little, also.  Just some kids have more trouble with it and just have to get past it.

Also, both of mine have had their adenoids out.  DD not until later, but looking back, I am pretty sure that was part of her problem.  I didn't even realize how bad she was (because she never slept with us) until after ds was born.  She was almost five when we went to my sisters for a visit and dd slept with me in the same bed because of lack of room.  She tossed and turned ALL night!  She would sit up and flop back down, obviously uncomfortable.  And breathing through her mouth all the time.  IN fact, when we went to see the ENT dr. after that visit she took one look and asked if she breathed through her mouth like that all the time.  I hadn't even realized until she asked that. And, yes, she was a "mouth breather".  Anyway, had her adenoids and tonsils out and went back to sisters for my other sisters baby shower and dd slept with me again.  Quiet as a mouse!  I couldn't believe the difference. 

Anyway, didn't mean to write a book!  But when ds had to have tubes at a little over a year, it was the same dr. that had taken dd adenoids and tonsils out and I told her to just take ds adenoids also. She said she would look at them, but ended up taken them out because they were huge. 

It didn't make an immediate difference, because of the teething, but now he is a great sleeper.  THis ENT told me they can do a non-surgical "scope" of the adenoids, although I think maybe they still need to be put under, to look at them and see.

I am not encouraging anyone to run out and get adenoids out, but it is something you may want to kind of watch, and if you think it may be part of the problem, even see an ENT about.  Especially, if when napping you can watch them and also watch during the day to see if they breath through thier mouth a lot. Some of that can be due to congestion from teething, but again, just something to keep in the back of your mind.