EW and naps balance of total sleep?

[Crispysage]

We don't have a big problem going on, I am just curious. LO is 2+ and sleeps well independently for naps and night time. He been a consistent EW at 5am most of his life.  Nowadays it's often closer to 6 unless he brother wakes him. 

P.S. My goal is to sleep till 7, though I am happy with 6:30 if I can achieve that consistently. I have a 7mo who is awake all night and also EW at 4/5am so it's a long term goal 

28 mo old schedule is:

5/6 WU
7 - Breakfast
12 - Lunch
1 - sleep
3/3:30 Wu
5 -  Dinner
6:30 Bed
7 - Asleep.

So thats often a total sleep time of 12 hrs which I think isn't enough. But then it can be 13.5 sometimes so I guess that probably is enough. Am I aiming for 14?

He used to nap earlier but he started fighting it so we moved it later and it works. If he is up at 5am I often move lunch and nap an hour earlier, but BT is always the same, though sometimes he is asleep by 6:30pm.

Should I limit nap to 2 hrs?
Be sure cap at 2.5hrs? 
Is 3:30 WU too close to BT?

 

[Buntybear]

Hi - when Olly started to drop his nap then I would move it 15 mins later when he started to fight it and then chop 15 mins off the end so he would always wake the same time and so have the same A time till BT. If he slept too long in the day he would fight BT. Your LO sounds like he will still go to sleep but then take it off in the morning!

Sorry to say but it is only now he is approaching 7YO that we are seeing a WU nearer to 7am! Some kids just don't need as much sleep as others I am afraid 

[Crispysage]

Oh dear! Yes I saw there is a thread for "support for EW" - seems like we just have to grin and bear it! Having said that, I think we might be getting a spot of trouble with NW - He's been ill and then he fell and hurt himself so he has been NW a little, and I assumed it was related to those things.

BUT now I am starting to worry its habitual waking because its ALWAYS bang on 3am and last night he was asking for cashew nuts and crying! BIZARRE

Any tips for nipping this in the bud?!

[creations]

He used to nap earlier but he started fighting it so we moved it later and it works. If he is up at 5am I often move lunch and nap an hour earlier, but BT is always the same, though sometimes he is asleep by 6:30pm.

I prob woulnd't move nap earlier due to EW, a set nap at this age works better IMO. So regardless of when he wakes you do the set nap when he is expecting it, it may be a long A time in the morning but it may also help to discourage the early waking. Also mine couldn't have coped with suddenly having longer A in the afternoon with the set BT but the nap coming earlier, a bit of OT before BT can also add to EW.

Having said that, we also struggled with EW most of 2.5yrs.  5am was normal, 4.30 was horrible, 6 and 6.30 was a marvel and I felt liked I'd really achieved something on my long haul towards a good WU time.  We didn't get 12 hr nights until he totally dropped the nap at 30/31 months.
FWIW total sleep was about 11hr in 24 when we were in the period before dropping the nap.

bang on 3am and last night he was asking for cashew nuts and crying!

Mine cried about an apple core and a spanner 

[Shiv52]

I agree I would set nap as well as bedtime. 

I also think while he's napping for 2 hours an 11 hour night is grand.  Personally I would either cut the nap back a bit or make bedtime a bit later.  his A time is very short after such a long nap at that age.  Mine wouldn't have coped with that at all and would have EW with lack of A time to bed.