21 month old taking up to an hour to sleep at night

[Jodieplus2]

My 21 months old day is as follows:

wake- 6am
nap 11.30am for 1.5-1.75 hours
bed by 7pm

However for around 3 weeks it is taking up to an hour of him chatting at night to go to sleep. He goes straight to sleep for his nap, it is just bedtime. By the time he is in his bath he seems tired and is getting pretty grumpy, but then livens up as soon as we put him in bed!

I have tried cutting his nap back, but he just seems really tired when I wake him and he tends to have disrupted night sleep if his nap is short.

Do you think I should give him a later bedtime- if so, what sort of time?

Thanks
Jodie

[Samuel's mum]

I don't think you should give him a later bedtime, not with a 6am wake up.
If he's not unhappy but just chatting and if he is sleeping well for his nights and naps - is it a problem? What is his bedroom/ cot like? Is it particularly stimulating? Dark?

[irish3680]

If that were Ella, she would need an earlier bedtime as opposed to a later one. If he wakes around 1:00 from his nap, that is 6 hours before he goes to bed, which could result in OT. I would either try a 6:30 bedtime or push his nap to noon and keep the 7 pm bedtime.

[Jodieplus2]

Great, thanks ladies, maybe I was looking in the wrong direction at giving him less sleep. I will stick with 7pm bedtime then.

His bedroom is very dark at night- we have black-out blinds, so no stimulation there.

With his nap he would happily sleep for 2 hours- do you think I should let him have this then? I will push his nap later too, although when he wakes at 6am he is usually pretty tired come 11.30am.

Thanks again for your help.
Jx

[irish3680]

I would let him have the 2 hour nap, I don't think it's too long. You may find that making the nap a bit later, he will sleep in a little in the morning. Ella is 20.5 months and her routine is:

wake between 7 am and 8
1 - 3/3:15: nap (I wake her at 3:15 if she's still sleeping)
7:30/7:45: bed

She has always handled a longer A time in the am and shorter one before bed.

[Jodieplus2]

Great, thanks I'll stick with a 2 hour nap then. I will begin to push his nap to later, but he does seem better for longer in the afternoon than morning, but maybe that is because he wakes so early in the morning!

He is chatting away in bed as I type, so no joy yet!
Thanks
Jx