2.5 year old 5AM EW

[Elauriel]

My son has never been a good sleeper. I've spent more time than I can count on these forums since he was born, usually finding all the info I need without needing to post. And now I've had it! I need some advice for my horrible sleeper! Here was our usual routine (and usually on the early side)

6/6:30am wakeup
12/12:30 nap
1:30/2 wakeup
7/7:15 bedtime (usually 7 either way)

I tried moving his nap up to 12:30/1 and got NW and EW. That started the 5AM wakeups. I've tried capping his nap to 1 hour thinking that maybe 1.5 was too much and got earlier EW. I tried early nap/early bedtime just to snap him out of OT and that got the earliest EW at 4:50. (so shocking! He went to bed at 6:45. It's not like I put him down at 5!)

Usually in the past it takes me doing something once and all of a sudden he sleeps OK again (example, when I cut his nap from 2 hrs to 1.5 hrs he went from 5:30 WU to 7:30 WU and maintained 6:30am wakeup for a week or so). I just need to find out what that "thing" is! At first he was OK waking up a bit early, but now on day 5 or so he's getting super cranky. He wakes up fine and then crashes an hour later. He naps fine and goes to bed fine pretty much any time I put him down, and he's in a toddler bed with a night light. I have the toddler clock, thing, but I think he wouldn't care if I told him he couldn't get up until it's green. He would just yell at me. When he wakes early I go in, tell him it's too early, Daddy will get you when it's time, and usually I can get him to lay back down for 15 minutes while he sings and rolls around until he says "all done!" and jumps out. Please help!!

Also - side note - about twice a month he surprises us with a 7:30ish WU and I don't know what to do for nap/bedtime. I usually keep them the same out of fear and then he wakes up around 6:30 for the next few days. Should I cap his nap that day? Push his nap that day? I'd love to maintain that late WU! Thank you!!!!

[tamlev]

Hi,

It sounds like you've tried to do many things that may have mixed up your little one.
at this age, a 1.5 hour nap mid day should be fine.
My question is, what does the rest of your day look like? what activities are you doing? Does he go to day care while you are at work? or does he stay home with you?

at 2.5 they are VERY active and learning so much all the time. we need to keep up with their needs and try to fill up the day with fun, teaching activities that will keep them happy, learning but also tire them in the amount that is just right for them to want and need their good night sleep.

My little one sometimes wakes for several days around 5:30/5:45. if she wakes in a good mood then I just get up with her and start our day (not trying to fight it). if she wakes up in a screaming mood, then I know she is still tired and needs some more sleep. I give her a sip of water/ cover her and give a kiss and tell her it is still night time. then she usually goes back to sleep.
This usually lasts only a couple of days then she goes back to normal waking.

At this age they need 10-11 hours of sleep at night. they should go to sleep around 7:00- 7:30 PM.

[Elauriel]

Thanks so much for responding! Our days are usually pretty entertaining. M/Tu/Wed we do play dates in the morning and errands in the afternoon. Helping me cook, playing with toys - usual stay at home mom day. Th/Fri he goes to day care in the morning for 4 hours and then the afternoon is typical stuff. We run a lot at home and go outside whenever it's nice (not now at the moment in Buffalo!) The day that he slept the worse we were at the zoo for 4 hours running around and then he had a friend over after the zoo that stayed until bed. He definitely got enough exercise that day, so I know that energy is not the problem.

I cut his nap down to an hour. The first day he woke the next morning at 6:40 (but was rolling around from 4-5:30). The next day he woke at 5:45, and today he woke at 6. Yesterday he refused a nap (he was overtired after day care and I got him down too late. He got a second wind. It was a pretty miserable day).

Usually no amount of convincing can get him back down once he thinks he's awake for the day. Since birth if he's up, he's up, even if he screams his head off for 3 hours (when he was an infant my husband and I would play pass the screaming baby starting at 5AM). "He's tired" is my son's middle name :/

If toddlers go to sleep at 7-7:30 and only need 10-11 hours of sleep, then that would mean that many toddlers get up at 5/5:30, and I don't know anyone that has a toddler that does that!!! I don't want to believe those numbers! All my friends have those 2 year olds that sleep from 7ish-7ish. I'm in a play group with about 5-6 kids the same age. It's totally unfair! Every time I complain to my mom she tells me to keep him up 2 hours later, which is just asking for problems in the morning. Just a month ago he was sleeping 7:30- almost 7.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Sleep needs and times can really vary at this age - I have three kids and they all were completely different in sleep needs. DD1 was an average kid, dropped the nap at 2.5 and did 12-13 hr nights. DD2 still napped for 2-3 hours at this age and had 12-13 hour nights (!). DD3 is 2.5 now and has not napped in 8 months and gets 11 hours at night mostly, sometimes 12 and I consider her very low sleep needs (her bedtime is 8pm).

[Lindsay27]

This is no help, but my DS was a chronic EWer from birth until somewhere between 2.5 and 3yrs.  I could tweak his routine until the cows came home and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference.  If anything, an EW for us was more OT than UT...I'm wondering if you just let him nap without capping what that will do?  We were similar in that EBTs just meant WUs as early as 4:30am so I opted to keep the nap as long as I could and do a later BT if needed.