How to get a later start to the day?

[LisaM]

Hi Siria - yes its so hard isn't it to move it along when they don't nap too well and with the EW as well - they do end up being up a really long time some days. I have accepted that dd2 is probably never going to be like an 'average' child her age and sleep similiar amounts - I guess she gets what she needs at night.  I have to say that mostly (will probably jinx myself now) her naps have settled down better and have been longer most days now which is fantastic - we have been doing one nap for quite a while now and its taken ages to settle although still not consistent every day but better.  I have just been moving the nap later very slowly and now am aiming for about 12ish even when she wakes at 5 - just trying to do the same each day so she can get used to the times for sleep - however she is older than your lo so can probably stay up longer than yours can. 

Caroline - you poor thing - bet you feel exhausted today - I had so many months of being awake at 4ish - I still don't like anywhere near 5 but its an improvement!  I know that dd1 at 2.5 still needed her naps and did sleep about 2 hrs each day and then happy to go to bed at night as well.  Sometime she did take a while to go off but mostly was happy to sing and talk in her bed so I'm sorry but I don't have advice for what to try with your dd.  No doubt my dd2 will want to give up naps early on as she has resisted sleep since birth really and I'll be in the same boat as you!

Good luck - lets hope for some long lie-ins when they are teenagers!!!!!!!!!!

[Sima]

HI Lisa:  Thanks for kind words!  Glad to know that others face the same sleeping issues.
Have been trying to move forward.  I have fixed nap at 12.30 and for 3 days has slept later past 6.30.  Today tried nap at 12.30 to put it up 15 min every three days and she napped less.  But she does sleep 11 hours so I am not that concerned.  I will let you know how it goes with this.  Hugs to you and both of your girls!

[LisaM]

Thanks Siria.  I'm glad you've had some later starts - 6.30 would suit me down to the ground.  We have had a couple of set-back days where she has only slept 9.5 hrs at night and been up 5.10 after not asleep til 7.45!  Problem is she has starting chatting each night and takes 30-45 mins to go off to sleep, perfectly happy just chatting away to herself - very sweet but frustrating.

Those 2 days she only slept 1.10 for her naps so overall very low sleep.  Put her to bed early last night 6.30pm and she was asleep by 7 thank goodness and then I heard her at 4.30 this am but back off til 5.40 so some improvement.  I still lie there trying to analyze her sleep but don't know why i bother because she is always coming up with something different to challenge me!  She may have her molars comign through which I know won't help her sleep issues as she has been having some even bigger tantrums the last few days than normal and my god can she throw a hissy fit.

Anyway, keep me posted I hope it continues to go better for you.
Lisa x

[RACHPEM]

We have had a dodgy couple of days due to having to be out more than ususal, but yesterday after having an eraly nap at 11 for 1.5 she did not go to sleep until 7pm and we had no nw and although she woke at 4.50 she went back of til 6am!!!! I will never work this out.
Hope you guys are getting results?
Rachael x

[newmama12]

Hi Rachel!! I can't believe I've waited so long to read this thread! We are going thru the same thing with dd being an early riser. 6am most days. She's also just going to one nap and that has been VERY difficult to figure out. To top it off, she only naps about 1.5 hours around 11:30ish, so by 5:30pm she's pretty tired. I have not tried to put her to bed really early yet though. I'm thinking if nap is short(er) again today, I might go a 6:30pm bedtime. But...it's not like she falls right asleep then! It can be 10 minute, 20, or even 30 minutes some nights till she finally falls asleep. Not crying though, just talking and rolling around or whatever.

Glad to know we're not the only ones going thru it! Oh and I did have the blackout curtains up (and still do) but I had another dark colored blanket over them thinking that if it's 'dark' she will think it's still night and go back to sleep. After months of this, I've noticed there's no difference. In fact, last night I took off the 2nd blanket from the window and just a tiny bit of light comes in and she still woke at 6:00am! So...it's her internal clock and now I've got to figure out how to change it. The only way that she will sleep past 6/6:15am is if she doesn't go to bed till 8pm or later. And that's just not an option when she only naps 1.5 hours a day! Good luck and I hope to follow this thread and get more advice.

[Sima]

Rachael:
I wanted to share with you and others my experience with my lo.  I have been successful so far.  Vicku helped me very much as well as others.
I was going by awake times...drove me nuts.
So I decided to stick to one nap time and bedtime..it has worked wonders!!!!  This is what I did:
Awake 6.15-6.30
Nap 12.30-2
BT  7.30

She has never slept more consistenly before we did this.  I am trying to aim at 1 for naps though. 
But a 6.30 wake up is fantastic--no complaint. 
I realized that my lo was not tired enough when going by awake times.  She is able to take 6 -6.5 hours before nap in morning and she sleeps better during naps.  I always thought that 1.15 min naps were due to OT.  But in my case, she was undertired and setting the naptime also helped her.  Hope this helps you and others!!!!

[RACHPEM]

Hi Siria, glad things have improved for you.  Maya is still waking silly early 4.50am! so we are having problems with 1 nap at the mo.  We did do a 3wk stint of clock times which worked well then something threw us off and we have not been able to recover since.  If I can get maya to wake a little later we will go back to clock times as it was much easier.  Thanks for sharing it is good to hear success stories, hope it continues for you both.
Rachael x

[Sima]

Rachael: Have you tried an evening catnap for later wake up?

[RACHPEM]

Hi Siria, we tried an early catnap yesterday to push dday out and we got a 5.50 start this morning so a little better!
Rachaelx

[LisaM]

Siria - glad you have seen some improvement.  We are also going by set times mostly but not really settled into a later wake up.  Still same as previous post - has been waking 5ish for past week whatever time she finally drops off to sleep.  Am trying to get her to bed earlier so if she takes a while to go off at least she'll get more hrs sleep.  Last night in bed at 6.30 but took an HOUR to go off!!!  Woke at 6 today though so very good - I did hear her at 4.45 and a bit later but think she must have gone back off.  Naps only been about 1.15 so not good really.

Lets hope we all have a really good weekend
Lisa x

[Sima]

Rachael and Lisa!  Hi, spoke to soon...lo woke up earlier than ever..can't remeber time maybe 5.
OT caught up like someone said it could happen.
Had to do catnap of 20 min today because nap ended at 12? 
Anyways, going back to old schedule with 12 nap time.  I thought it was working but it backfired.
I am going back to awake times...crazy? How can this be sooo complicated???
Rachael: I really hope get better for you...It is hard..I am glad catnap helped a little.
Lisa: I used to get 1.15 naps all the time regardless of A time???  Crazy..don't know why.
Hugs to both

[LisaM]

Hugs coming back to you both as well. 

What a pain in the bum - just when you think things are getting better eh?  Our day started great as she slept from 7.45pm (was in bed at 7 but again ages to go off) and slept til 7am - she has never ever slept in til 7 so I was ecstatic although dd1 was up at 6 so I didn't personally benefit but at least she did fantastic.  Anyway, didn't know where on earth to pitch nap cos normally is up between 6-7 hrs A time plus I was going out for lunch with a friend so put her in about 12.15, she took til 12.35ish to go off and then had only 40 mins nap- disaster - don't know if its cos she is used to longer A time and wasn't tired enough.  So in bed 6.30ish but doubt she'll go off for her usual 45-60 mins, little madam.

Anyway, I had a good lunch with a lovely mate and then we saw Mamma Mia - so had great afternoon and am not gonna stress about it til she wakes at 4 tomorrow!

Have good B Hol weekend

xx

[Sima]

Lisa, wow that is great!  It just seems so queer that I talk to some moms and their kids take naps of 2 hours and put them down at 1 with no problems and no EW.  I just feel so frustrated at times. 
I hope you get more later wake ups.....5 is sooo hard to start the day!

[LisaM]

Update from us - well been ok really.  Since the 40 min nap day I put her to bed early and she ended up sleeping from 7ish-6.30 so very very good for her.  Only had 1.15 nap but better than 40 mins!  Last night slept only 10 hrs but at least that was til 6am as she took a while to go off to sleep and was later to bed as her nap had been later (I decided to try a bit later as the 40 mins might have been cos of too little A time - who knows!!!!!!!!!).  Anyway, so today back to trying at 12 and hoping for a 2 hour nap lol.

How you all doing?

[Sima]

Hi lisa:
Wow, that is fantastic!!! 
I was wondering..what is her schedule like?