16mo early wakings...advice?

[daniel'smom]

Hi, all!
I haven't been around for a while, but I"m hoping someone can help...

DS#2 is 16 mo and we've been struggling with early wakings for a while. He had been sleeping 7:15-6 pretty well but now it's back to 5 or 5:30 wakeup time. And he wakes up cranky and is obviously tired....He goes to sleep easily on his own and can resettle himself at nighttime and for naps. His room is dark, white noise, comfort object, the whole deal.

His usual sleep schedule is this:
Wake 5-5:30 (we get him out of the crib at 6)
Nap 12-2 or 3
Sleep 7:15

We've experimented with earlier/later bedtimes and neither seem to work well. When we're off-schedule for a day and he goes down late, he always wakes early the next day. I usually nurse him at night and in the morning; pushing back the morning nursing till he'd been awake for a half hour helped for a while, but now we're back to early wakings. So...

Should I try walk in/walk out? (I'm afraid it might get him more worked up...I can't pat/hold him to calm him down--just not who he is)
Other suggestions? I'd happily try!!

THANKS.

Rachel

[coopers_mommy]

I wanted to bump this back up...but also ask, could it be teething?

DS has been teething for about a month now and that is what brought on our horrid EW's!  We are just now begining to overcome them. 

Also, he might be going through the stage of not needing as much total sleep.  If he's napping for 3 hours he might now need as much sleep at night.  Maybe you could try limiting the day sleep to allow for more night sleep? 

HTH and I hope some others can give some great advice!

[daniel'smom]

cooper's mommy--
thanks (and btw i love your ticker!!)
i don't think it's teeth, although....
he's been doing these ew's for a loooong time. and if he woke up happy i'd just go with the flow and haul my hiney out of bed. but since he's grumpy, it makes me feel like he's really needing more sleep. ugh.
we'll limit his daytime sleep, too, and see if that helps.
thanks!