16 mth ol early waking-PLEASE please help!!

[avrillo]

My 16 month old DS has always been an early waker and on the lower end of the sleep needs but recently this has got so much worse. He has started waking at 4.30- 5am and this is him up for the day. He self-settles no problem at nap times and bedtime and through the night but at this time he is ready to go. Sometimes he will chat to himself for a while before crying other times he will start crying and not be happy until I go in. He's fine when he gets out of the cot but not if I stay with the light off soothing him. My husband and I are going insane and it is so hard to perform at work with minimal sleep. DS has been down to one nap since about 13 mths and has hovered between 1/2 hr and 2 hrs, mostly 1.5 hrs at 11.30- 1pm. BT varies depending on tiredness but has had to become 6 or 6.30pm rather than 7pm as DS is just so tired and the times I have tried keeping him up until 7 he still wakes early. At the moment he is teething but this has been going on for months (and has only thrown up one molar in this time, so it cant be all teething!). He used to always wake at 5.30 and whilst I was fatigued on that, this is a new low. Any suggestions at all would be helpful-its still dark, silent, and warm in his room when he wakes so these are not influencing factors. Please please help before this dooms DS to a fate of being an only child! TIA

[cath~]

(((Hugs)))

EWs are really exhausting. We had a spell of 4.30 am EWs with my dd1 for a while until I finally realised it was because she was getting too much daytime sleep.

What is his mood like in the morning before his nap? Does he seem well-rested after his night's sleep or does he seem tired?

Overall, does he seem to be getting enough sleep or does his mood suggest he could be tired (tricky to tell I know when there's teething going on too)?

Sorry for all the qns, the reason I'm asking is that you said he's LSN and if he does seem to be getting enough sleep overall then I think you'll probably have to think about capping that nap to get rid of the EWs.  I'd also try and hold off on the nap as long as possible each day so that an early nap doesn't pull BT earlier.

Fwiw my DDs are LSN and were on about 1hr nap at that age to get a decent BT and night length.

On the other hand , if he seems tired overall and like he's not getting enough sleep, then the EWs may be a sign that he's OT. If that's the case then I'd let him nap as long as he needs and do EBT to help him catch up, before trying to move the nap later.  The relatively early nap could be reinforcing the EWs so moving it later should help to shift everything.

What do you think?  The first thing to try might be just  trying to push the nap and BT later (ie his whole routine).

[avrillo]

Thanks- will have to work through the teething and cold he's currently got before changing too much as it distorts too much since he's having a really bad time with this molar/s..You could be right with the nap though- A wee while back he was having very short naps, 1/2-1 hr and his night sleeps were much better 11-11.5 hrs, but because I was scared he would be OT I was putting him to bed at 6pm so was still getting an early wake up. Because of me manipulating BT relative to nap length he always gets about 12.5 hrs in a 24 hr cycle as that's what he seems to need. I quite liked the long nap BUT not if the EW is then the result. Just felt like everyone has their LO's on 2 hrs and it might be what he needs but am having to reconsider it. Hard to move nap time when he's up so early, but I can't wait until he sleeps longer in the morning as its not happening!!!What would you suggest for nap time and bedtime and I'll work towards this..TIA 

[cath~]

Just felt like everyone has their LO's on 2 hrs and it might be what he needs but am having to reconsider it.

yeah, sadly not all LOs can take 2hr naps and still give you a nice long night as well

What would be your idea WU time?  Eg are there work/childcare factors that mean you have to be up by a certain time each day? 

Based on this:

A wee while back he was having very short naps, 1/2-1 hr and his night sleeps were much better 11-11.5 hrs

Maybe you could aim for something like
WU 6.30 am
nap 12.30pm for 1 hr
BT around 7-7.30 pm

WDYT?

[avrillo]

Oh I would so love a 6.30 WU. Got a 7am WU this morning but am sure its just catch up from 2.5 hrs sleep 2 nights ago. I know when sick/teething/developmental milestones happening sleep goes out the window, but its our overall picture I need to change. If I got a 6.30 WU I would almost forego a nap  . Will definitely try this schedule. How should I go about adjusting this, change naps 15 mins later and BT 15 mins later until I notice a later WU???Just don't want to create an OT problem if WU is 5am, nap 12/12.30 for 1 hr and BT 7pm. LO will be shattered by BT and I know OT then can lead to early WU's?   

[cath~]

I think you need to approach it like when there's a clock change and shift things 15 mins every few days
How to Adjust to Daylight Savings

(Read the bit about 15 min changes)

If you think he's getting v ot during the process then I'd suggest going for EBT so he can catch up and not necessarily a longer nap

[avrillo]

ok started that as his tooth settled, not up but settled and it seemed to go well for 4 days but this morning he's awake again at 4.45 (think the tooth moving further up). Do I just stick to the same plan even if he keeps waking earlier or do I try earlier BT as its a very long day for him??

[cath~]

IIWM I think Id try the same BT for a bit longer but if he's getting really OT then do slightly EBT.

How was this morning?

Another option could be a v short catnap in the pm (you may have to apop it eg in car/buggy) just so he can last until the later BT.

[avrillo]

Had a couple of good mornings which meant a sleep through until 6am/6.30 so I thought we were sorted but back to 4.45am this morning and 5am for the 2 before this. He's just so tired by 6pm but I've stretched him to 6.30 each night and he then drops like a light. How long should I keep trying the 7pm BT before doing an EBT. He does not do a catnap, have tried all sorts of ways but he never settles so just try to keep some time in pm as quiet time.

[cath~]

Argh - that's a shame about this morning. Dyt it was OT? If so, maybe an EBT would help.  Or could it be something else like teeth?