Author Topic: After vacation my 20 month old's sleep has gone down the drain..HELP!!!  (Read 1066 times)

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Offline andymcpandy

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My LO is 20 months old

His schedule used to be as follows:

Wake up - 6:30-6:45 - out of crib by 7

Nap - 5.5 hours from wake up (usually for about 60 minutes - 90 minutes - he's never been a long napper - but more of a long night sleeper).  He would fall asleep within 5-10 minutes.

Bedtime - 5.5 hours from Nap wake up

We went to Florida for 3 days and his sleep went wonky - due to him not being home.  He had short naps, early wakeups (5:45) and just general overtiredness as expected from being on vacation.  When he would wake up at 5:45, I still kept to his routine and didn't take him out of his crib until 6:45 so as not to perpetuate the early wake up.

When we came home, the 5:45 early wakeups have continued!  It's been a week since we've came back.  This causes his nap to be earlier (I still push it to about 11:45), and bedtime to be earlier (he sleeps as early as 6:15 with the early wake up and 1 hour naps).  His total sleep has also gone down from 13 hours to about 12 hours.  He will only sleep an hour for his nap and even though I give an early bedtime, he won't make it up at night.

Anything I can do to fix this?? Do I have the appropriate schedule? I didn't think it would take this long to sort out what happened to his sleep after vacation.  This 5:45 wake-up is killing me!!!
« Last Edit: February 05, 2016, 21:18:15 pm by andymcpandy »

Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: After vacation my 20 month old's sleep has gone down the drain..HELP!!!
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2016, 02:10:41 am »
How long have you been home from vacation? Was there a time change? Any chance there is developmental stuff in the mix too?
Heidi




Offline andymcpandy

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Re: After vacation my 20 month old's sleep has gone down the drain..HELP!!!
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2016, 17:55:36 pm »
Thanks for the reply! We've been back for a week now. There was no time change.   He hasn't gone through anything developmental recently. 

I did read somewhere that I shouldn't be going by wake times anymore but by the clock.  Friday night he slept 12 hours with a couple of sleep cries and a waking at 5:45am which he did fall back asleep until 6:15.  I read that I should push for a nap time around 12:30 regardless of when he wakes up so I did 12:15.  He slept 45 minutes.  I then pushed bedtime to 6:45 since I read that kids his age shouldn't have a bedtime before 7.  He fell asleep within 10 minutes, no sleep cries and woke up at 6:15.  I put him down for his nap at 12:15 and he fell asleep by 12:25.  I'm hoping for an hour nap (since that's what he normally gives me).

Does this sound correct? A 6:15 wake time, although earlier than he used to get up before vacation, is fine with me.  He is ok in the crib until I get him closer to 6:45.

Is 12:15 nap and 6:45 bedtime ok for him at this age? Am I being too conservative? If he does wake up later, do I always stay at those times?  I'm new to doing things by the clock and I'm worried I'll make him overtired since I've always gone by wake times. 

Any advice/help is appreciated! I didn't think it was so much a schedule issue since this all happened after vacation but maybe he does need to have more awake time?

Edit: he slept an hour for his nap today.  I'm worried his total sleep is lower..around 12 hours rather than the usual 13...
« Last Edit: February 07, 2016, 18:28:16 pm by andymcpandy »

Offline MasynSpencerElliotte

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Re: After vacation my 20 month old's sleep has gone down the drain..HELP!!!
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2016, 02:59:56 am »
It could just be a change in sleep needs - how is he during the day?

As for clock routines - just make sure something isn't fixed...ie he can wake from the nap or in the am on his own so there is somewhere to tack on. Not sure where you read about no bedtimes before 7 pm but tbh an early bedtime (or super early) can be a godsend during the one nap and no nap phases when needed. My kids never went for it unless ill but loads do.

At that age my DD3 did an 8pm bedtime, 7am wake and a 30-45 min nap. Her bedtime was 8pm from birth, we consider 7:30 early bedtime here lol.
Heidi