This kid has me STUMPED!

[LeeLeeMelis]

So we were having trouble with early wakings about a week ago, they are better but not totally gone. It was suggested that I cut his naps a bit so Sunday I was fully intending to but he was either OT, too wound up or still in pain from a very minor "rough house with Daddy" session.  Here is what the last two days looked like:
Sunday
woke at 6
tried for a nap at 12:45 but it was a no go.
Slept for an hour in the car while running errands.
Went to bed at 8:30, pretty late for him.
woke at 6:45.

Monday
woke at 6:45
nap from 1-2:30 ( I had to wake him up)
Bed at 7:30
woke this morning at 5:30 and came and dozed in our bed, up for the day at 5:50

What am I doing WRONG!?!?!  I am soooo afraid of OT and sometimes he looks so tired I feel like cutting his naps isnt effective but other times it lengthens his wake up time. Is it just a phase? Am I over thinking it? I'm trying to hard to be flexible and just let his sleep happen but I'm 20 weeks along with #2 and I really cant give up naps and be getting up pre-6am. Wes is 2.5 this month, let me know what you gals think about how to handle it.

Thanks!
Melissa:-)

[LeeLeeMelis]

bump:-) anyone anyone??

[M2M]

Hi!! I have a Wes too

What has worked for us is the toddler clock (kinda like a Groclock) does he know his colors yet?

http://www.amazon.com/Its-About-Time-IAT-100-Stoplight/dp/B002TKLN3C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294772547&sr=8-2

Wes really loves waiting for the light to turn green!  He gets all excited in the morning.  Wes was waking at 4:30 FOR THE DAY.  Then 5.  We set the clock for 5 the first day, and of course it was green when he woke, and he was so excited.  Then we set it for 5:30 a week later, worked again, now we are up to 6:30 and so far so good.

[LeeLeeMelis]

That's what a lot of folks have suggested so I think I will look into it. When your Wes was 2.5 how long were his naps? I feel like the issue is with how I am managing his sleeping? I hate waking him from his nap because he is still sound asleep but someone mentioned that 2+ hours for a 2.5 year old may be a long time and therefore affecting his wake up time the next morning.  Would you agree or is he just being stubborn and quirky?

[~*Nicole*~]

Have you tried a later nap overall and then a later bedtime??? I know later bedtimes usually end with EWs...which was true for my DD BUT a later EVERYTHING did seem to work. So later breakfast, later snack, later lunch, later nap, later bedtime and she slept later in the morning as well. It shifted her whole day, like during DLS time.

[LeeLeeMelis]

I have been trying but the stinker is that he typically wakes up when he hears my husband in the shower at around 6:30. If he slept until 6:30 I'd be greatful, I'm not even being greedy and hoping for later than that! I feel like I"m a bit stuck with that wake up time, DH isnt loud but the shower shares a wall with Wes' room so it is just enough sound change to wake him. He uses a sound machine still but I can only have it so loud.  We'll just say a sleep prayer!

[~*Nicole*~]

You could let him do a longer nap, later bedtime (shorter overall night though) and then let hiim wake at that 6:30 shower time. At least then you'd get to the 6:30....but you'd have to assess how he'd do on a shorter night and that's ONLY if he'd go for the longer nap. Maybe 6:30-wake, 1:30-3:30-nap, 8:30-bed???

[LeeLeeMelis]

He slept straight till 6 this morning and I'm totally fine with 6. I'll keep tweaking it, I"ll get it perfect by around May and then Baby #2 will arrive and it will all go out the window:-)

I dont need a super long nap and if he has a little later bed he has more time with Daddy which is nice so we'll keep working with the 1-2:30 nap and 7:30ish bedtime for now. Another key is to get him a full belly at night he often wakes early out of hunger I think. 

Thanks gals!

[M2M]

Well, my Wes has never been a good sleeper...so I really don't know about naps..I think at 2.5 he was napping about 2 hours per day.  He stopped napping a couple of months ago.  The only thing that has worked with my guy is the clock though, lol!