Routine overhaul needed! 23 months

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

Well our sleep is in shambles yet again or maybe we are just still there. DS is just about 23 months old and things have gotten out of hand and I am losing my mind! Currently DS is waking at 6am. He refuses to nap before 1pm and naps for about 1 hr 40 min. He absolutely refuses to go to sleep before 9pm no matter when we put him in bed. I feel like we are trying for hours to get him to go to sleep again. He was always an independent sleeper but now we are pretty much siting in a chair in his room when he falls asleep. Ugh! I am okay with a 6am wake up time although of course I would love it to be later. I cannot handle a 9pm bedtime any longer. I NEED that time at night to stay sane.

So do I cut his nap back? He is obviously way OT as it is and it's not helping his behavior in the least. I just don't even know what else to do to get this kid on track. He could be teething but isn't showing any obvious signs and, as usual, pain meds are doing nothing for him. I see nothing in his mouth. We are just missing the 2 year molars.

I am at a complete loss here. What to do?

[~Lori~]

I don't have any "advice" to give, other than we are going through tough sleeping stuff with my nearly 22 month old.  His sleep is all over the place.  I "vaguely" remember going through a rough sleeping time with my older child when she was around this age, but it eventually got sorted out.

Interested to read what advice others will give you!

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

(((((hugs))))) Hopefully we can both fugue something out soon!!!

[Mom to M&M]

Hugs Jenn - sorry you are still having a rough time. If he really won't nap before 1 I might cut his nap at an hour, wake him at 2 and then shoot for 7pm bedtime? Is he teething?

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

He might be teething but he's not showing any signs and pain mess are not helping us at all. Today he was so tired that he went to bed for his nap at 12:30 so that's an improvement. Maybe he just needs to get OT enough to start actually sleeping again?

[shivi]

Hi Jenn

Can't remember, is Ethan on the low end for sleep needs? Or maybe he's like my DS who would love to be, isn't, but couldn't be bothered, and never has, at satisfying his or anyone else's sleep needs???

Emma is LOW SN and we've cut the nap back to 1.5 at 20 mths, 1 hr at 24 mths and even to 30/45 mins lately....to get our evenings back. Otherwise she is serenading us in her cot on the monitor till 9pm or even later (though granted she didn't give us EWing but would lie on till 8.30 or 9am so would need the nap even less the next day and even later nap, even later bedtime etc etc).

We are now on wake up at 8am, catnap on the couch at 1pm for 30-45 mins, bedtime 7pm. Works a treat for now. (but don't be jealous of the 8am wake up!!! - Oscar has us awake to some extent from 6/6.30 and if its not him its the alarm clock as I leave the house at 7am Mon-Fri).

S x

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

I would say he's more like Oscar. He thinks he has low sleep needs but his behaviour shows otherwise It's like he always wants to know what's going on out there and needs to be part of it. Usually he is a sleep begets sleep kinda guy. Honestly though, nothing feels like it has ever been stable enough to get a good feeling for what he is like. As soon as I start thinking one thong, he completely changes into something else. I'm going to start him dairy free tomorrow again and see if that makes a difference in his sleep at all. Unfortunately he has just never been a great sleeper

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

So today went:

Wake: 6am
Nap: 12:30-2:30
Bedtime: 7:30pm but asleep at 9:05 pm

Karen, I let him have that bit longer nap today Ashe was so OT. Maybe I should have woken him early; I don't know anymore.

So the thing is, he is so flippin OT that he just has meltdowns all day. He just about feel asleep on the way home from Grandma's today in the car, at 4:30pm during a 2 minute drive. UGH! He was glassy eyed at supper time but then gets this second wind after supper and races around like crazy and then when I try to do our wind down, he freaks out and loses it (clearly OT behavior from him) but still will not go to sleep. I have tried every APOP trick that usually works for him and nothing is working! Why if he is sooooo tired will he not sleep before 9? And why if he has to be awake until 9, can he not sleep until at least 7?

I don't get it! I just don't!

[Jenn+Ethan+Emily]

He went to sleep at 9:05, woke several times in the night. He was up at 6 until 7 and then he cuddled with Dad in bed from 7 until 8 and ended up falling asleep for a bit.