1 year old sleep gone amok

[avrillo]

Needing help with my one year old. He's always gone to bed 7pm but seems to consistently wake at 5.30-6am. Recently he's been waking up at 4.30-aggh . He just chats away to himself moves round the cot (I can hear him) etc until he starts to get grizzly after 6. I get him up at 6.30. I don't mind a 6.30 get up but I DO MIND a 4.30 wake up, esp now I'm back at work, and 5.30 is early now we're moving in to winter (NZ). He has a black out blind and we live in the country so I know its not noise waking him. Nor is it hunger or temperature drop. He naps at 9.30 for half an hour only and again at 1.30 for 1.5-2 hrs. I've tried everything to change the wake up time from 5.30. Dropping to 1 nap, earlier and later bedtime, nothing seems to work. He self settles fine through the night and at naps (as long as he's tired enough, he needs enough wake time between naps of he won't settle). Have you any suggestions? 

[Buttonbobs]

Hi there, I'm sorry you've been missed.

My guess at this point would be that the first early nap could be impacting on night sleep. Or it could be teething or developmental change impacting on the night sleep. Are there any signs of teething?

[avrillo]

Thank you for getting back to me- no real signs of teething but now that I think of it, the first signs of him getting his first teeth were a week of early morning wake ups. Though he would wake up crying a lot then and now he just chatters happily on and off. Might have to wait a few days to see if it is teething- he is due some. If its not this, do you think he maybe needs to drop to one nap now or what will I do with the morning one??Any longer than half an hour and he won't take an afternoon nap. I wake him from both naps most times to ensure he isn't taking too much sleep during the day.

[Buttonbobs]

I'd you're already having to wake from both naps I would try either capping that first nap even more (maybe 15 mins max) or just cut it cold turkey. If you go CT you may need to bring BT a little earlier if you get a short nap, but this wouldn't be an everyday thin, just to help in really tired days.

If you want to rule out teething you could offer some medicine (perhaps as a dream feed) at around 2am and see if this helps.