2 yr old short naps and early wake-ups

[sherip]

My son is 26 months old. He has been a great sleeper now for about a year and a half, sleeping 10-11 hrs at night and a 2-3 hr nap. In the last few weeks he has been waking up around 5:00-5:30 (normally gets up 6:30-7:00). I go in there and tell him to go back to sleep. Most times this works, but he will only sleep for another 1/2 hr or so. The other problem is his naps have gone to 40min-90min tops. For the last few nights I have tried putting him to bed around 7:15-7:30 (normally bedtime is 8:00), just to get caught up on some sleep. The first 2 nights he didn't go down right away, but the last 2 he did. This hasn't changed his morning or nap problem though (he naps around 12:00). He also wakes up screaming and crying, especially after his nap. I am assuming this is because he is so tired, as he clearly is. I've tried leaving him in there to see if he will go back to sleep and also going in there and telling him to go back to sleep. This makes him cry and scream more so much so that he will start hyperventilating. I don't have much time to do a walk in/walk out or lay with him for a few minutes to settle him down, as I also have a 2 month old. She has her own sleep issues, too, but that's a whole other story!! Does anyone have any advice on how to extend the nap again and crush the early morning wake-up?

[becky1969]

I have a feeling what started the EWs was that he needed to have a later nap.  If he's had the same nap time for about a year, it's probably time to change.  We had a similar problem at about 27 months old, but in our case my son just skipped naps altogether every other day! On no nap days he'd be smashed by bedtime, and then the next day would take a nap.  Finally, I accidentally moved his naptime forward by an hour, and voila! He napped every day again!

Now you are in a bit of an OT cycle because of the EWs etc.  However, at this age they usually can recover pretty quickly just with an earlier bedtime.  I think I'd try moving that nap later (though I know that seems crazy right now with an exhausted toddler) but leave bedtime the same.  In our case, my son now has shortened his A time after nap by 30 minutes compared to before the nap change.  I've seen this happen with lots of toddlers.

Action plan:

*move the nap later by 30 min
*keep bedtime the same.
*continue for 3 days

Let me know how you get on!

[sherip]

He's only been on this nap routine for about 7 months. Before that he was still napping twice a day (we switched to one nap at 19 months). He has always been more tired in the am, even before the early wake-ups. I would have to be careful about driving anywhere after 10:30, as he would fall asleep quite quickly in the car. I've been wondering if he should have an earlier nap. But maybe by keeping him up a little longer in the morning, he will stop the early waking pattern. I will try putting him down around 12:30 for a few days and see what happens. He is very noise sensitive, too. He wakes up if hears any noise. My husband leaves for work around 6:30. I've always thought that this is the reason he wakes up around then. Maybe a white noise type of deal would help him, too. Any suggestions for that?

[becky1969]

Oh yes, white noise machine! Holy cow has that saved our butts more than once! 

We actually use a HEPA filter in my son's room.  It serves dual purpose: it cleans the air and makes a lovely white noise that drowns out all household noises.  It's awesome.  He loves it too.  Give something like that a try! Of course, you can always try a conventional white noise machine that makes rain, wind, and other nature sounds.  But I think I might start with a fan-like noise just to keep it simple.

Definitely give that a go!

Now that you've told me about the falling asleepi in the car thing, I'm wondering if teething might be driving your current problem.  Teething often makes LOs extra tired.  When my son is teething we need to move his nap earlier by 30 minutes and bedtime earlier as well.  26 mo is definitely prime time for 2 yr molars.  Any sign of the buggers?