Support and Chat thread for moms of early waking toddlers

[debo620]

Rina, well if thats whats working for you, I hope it continues. 

I'll just say we have not had one wake after 6am, mostly 5:30/5:45, don't know if its the time change, too much day sleep, or OT.

typical day has been:
wake 5:30/5:45---in crib til 6:30
nap 11:45--for 2hrs when I wake him
bed 6:45, asleep by 7/7:15

so I do feel that 12.5hrs is ok for him, but he seems much more pleasant on a 2hr nap vs a 90min or 1hr45min nap. so maybe I should just accept an 10.5hr night, but I would prefer it to start at 6 or later.
 tried sfirfting a bit lastnight, he was in bed 6:55pm, ddin't fall asleep til 7:25 or so and woke closer to 5:30 today,

I could cut the nap to 1hr 40min, maybe 11:45-1:30, but he can't handle more then 5hrs to bed after nap so that would mean 6:30, and I don't think would really achieve anything in terms of his wake-up

[debo620]

Hi Stacy, gosh I read your other post yesterday about the NO nap day---hope it was jut a fluke for you aswell.

honesly, your normal day looks good,
we are a full 1hr behind you (I geuss we always have been)----but what can I do? I WANT a later day. gosh I wish I had NEVER started with a 7pm bedtime when he was a babe---he was never going to be one who slept 12hrs at night like the ideal EASY.
not making that mistake with the next babe.

[debo620]

so do you think there would be any way to change things for Noah now?

[debo620]

yup, I think he probably is OT---we are doing about 6hrs before it---but thats because of the early wake

but with a 5:30am wake right now---not really wanting to do a 11am nap, so I keep him in his room until 6:30am and have pushed the nap to a bit of a set time of 11:45. but we are having him in bed for 5hrs after the nap ends.

[rinajack]

 

So, Zara went to bed at 6:30 last night, straight to sleep (well in a few minutes anyway) and didn't have any NW AND didn't get up til 5:26!!!!!!! Only a few minutes short of 11 hours

Honestly Stacy, I do think she will nap most days during her quiet time, just not for too long. And without fighting with me about wether she naps or not.  It is very very hard to give up control like this, but so far, it does feel worth it for sure.

Also, whilst I can quite happily handle early mornings, I was finding it hard to have her eating up my evening too, one or the other would suit me! So, an earlier bedtime is better!

[debo620]

yey Zara!

Noah woke at 1pm after a lovely 1hr 20min nap.
so OT, I guess the 6hr A time has caught up with us.
he did this yesterday and went back to sleep.

he'll be in bed for 6pm, and we'll see what the morning brings,

[MDHmommy]

Yea Zara is right!

Good luck Deb...

Marshall woke this am at 5:30 (grumble, grumble)  but it was POURING down rain and thundering so I think that's what woke him. He wanted me to stay since he's nervous about thunder. I stayed for 30 minutes and then left but it was time to get up then anyway - he cried for me to come back but I sent DH in to "start the day" with him.

Hoping for better results tonight. We'd been doing great there for a while!

[Layla]

Hi our 2 year old spirited LO is waking 5.30 every morning lately, our LO has a history of multiple nite wakings and early waking and we go through good and bad patches sleep wise (more bad than good unfortunately)  Things have improved in terms of the nite wakings she now only wakes once at nite usually between 1 and 2am and goes back to bed relatively easily, her current day routine is she takes a nap round 1ish for 2 hours and goes to bed with no protest at 7.15 for the nite. Our latest difficulty is that come half five she is up for the morning and I would like to get it up to half 6 at least Any suggestions would be appreciated,

I think her nap is a little late if she's waking up that early. Try a nap around 12-12.30 & you might also want to consider waking her up 1.5hrs later so that the hours add onto night sleep

[nattyc]

Hi
Im having similar problems with my lo for the last couple of months or so.
He is waking anything between 5.15am and 6.15am but is clearly still tired and grumpy once up, as is his mummy!!
he naps at approx 12-12.30 for about 2 hours. up until a month or so ago he was sleeping 3 hours but chopped this in hope for extension in the morning, with no luck! Am reluctant to cut this further as he is still tired if woken before hes ready!!
Bedtime is 7.30, usually asleep by 8pm, thou sometimes chatting and playing in bed til about 8.30pm. Last night he didnt fall asleep tl 9pm and was still awake at 5.30am!
he attends day care twice weekly and only ever sleeps for 45mins there.
Am desperate for any suggestions?!
Thanks in anticipation!!!

[rinajack]

natty, while the early wakes are there, you probably need an earlier nap, and an earlier bedtime.  Sounds to me like your lo is OT....most (and I say most because my lo doesn't fit it LOL) do 5.5ish A time before nap, some 6. Then usually similar after nap.

Yesterday, Zara had her lunch then asked for dvd, then layed herself on some pillows (with no direction from us) and went to sleep after a few minutes of the dvd.  She slept 2 hours and we stupidly let her.  In bed by 7, not much playing.  But had NW and didn't sleep through Hugh waking to feed, which she does on a shorter nap.  Wanted to start her day at 4:50, but DH managed (by hopping in with her ) to get her back to sleep til 5:50 .  So the longer naps certainly don't suit her.

If she wants to nap again today I think we will be very noisy at the 1.5 hr mark if she is still asleep

[debo620]

we had an AWFUL night, with a long NW 3:15-5:15am, and only back to sleep for 40min, OT
took a 10min catnap at 9am and 2hrs 10min at 11:45. bed at 6:30 and asleep within a few min but woke crying 40min later
I HATE OT and here we go again, as if a 6:30 bedtime isn't early enough, it will have to be 6pm for a few days.

[rinajack]

Deb, so sorry that you are dealing with OT again!  Me, I LOVE a 6pm bedtime, have the evening to myself! But then, we do get up very early LOL.

So, with Zara controlling her nap again today, she napped for about 1/2 hr at 10am.  In bed for 6:30pm no fuss.  She was more pleasant to be around this afternoon than she was yesterday after a 2 hr nap.  Ate dinner brilliantly, she was great all round.

Interesting to see how her night goes, I will be happy if she sleeps til 5:30.

[debo620]

aaargh, last night and today were TERRIBLE!
I'm in tears as I write! and I'm exhausted---don't know what to do...

so after that brief waking at 7:30pm
I heard him cry out at 2am and back to sleep right away
woke at 4am, I gave him water and advil hopeing that was the problem
he played, cried, and then the screaming/tantrums  started from 5:15 onward---I layed on his floor. he may have gone back to sleep for 15min at 6am but I'm not sure. anyway not much and I gave up at 6:30---as I had to be at work for 7am!

DH tried for a little catnap this am---at 9am and he refused.
so nap was 11am---but only til 12:45---
he is going to bed at 5:45 or so--but WTF? is that going to be early enough?

he is NOT eating---offer him everything he would normally want, I think this may be part of the problem . bedtime is SO EARLY and it honeslty doesn't leave much time for a bedtime snack, which he may need. what do you feed a kid at 5am?

If this continues I am extremely tempted to do a late catnap for 20 or 30min and bed closer to 8pm----would this work? any thoughts Stacy, we can't keep up with these 5:30/6pm bedtimes---if he would just sleep 12hrs but I know he won't.

[rinajack]

Hey Deb, sorry for your awful night.

Is there any chance that he is unwell or teething since he won't eat either? Maybe pain meds BEFORE bedtime might help rather than at a NW?

My other thought, and it could be way off base, so take it or leave it, is that I see lots of posts with kids dropping some sleep at about that age, and zara has just done that too.  Maybe things are worse after two nap days, and you just need to stick to one nap and let him ride out any difficulties? What is his mood like when he is awake?

[debo620]

???2ndyear molars---I have thought htis alot over the last few months and still nothing. I have given advil before bed the last few mights and at NW he has had a fever for sure.
so he ate better at supper--had pizza and then I managed to get him to have a nutrigrain bar right after --not healthy but at least I feel he had some carbs.

anyway, in bed for 5:50pm and then fussed off and on til 6:30---may have been OT or just not wanting to sleep yet? I mean WTH time should bedtime be when he's been up since 4am???
right now a 5:30am wake would be heaven!
but if he has another 9hr night then I am going to scream, do a late day catnap and put him to bed late---maybe I could get that 9hrs to end more at 6:30.