Help with EWs please

[Emami]

Omg you guys. Early early early.  I think the issue is the 1-0 but I've been slow to catch up with DD2'S changing sleep needs because we had other issues going on. She hasn't been sleeping well since Christmas when we went away, but now jetlag definitely isnt a factor and she is back to independent sleep, we have been left with crazy early mornings.

So Annabel is 2y4m now, and her routine was a pretty solid WU 7, nap 12-2,  bed 7.30, STTN. Now I knew we were on a good thing and that wasn't going to last, but as I said Christmas messed us up, and now that things have settled down her WU time is anywhere from 4.20 to 6ish. She has also cut her nap to 1h-1h30. At first I thought she must be getting OT since it's such a drop in sleep, but actually she seems fine. Her mood is good, she's actually really great to be around during the day. I just feel that there's too much of the day!

Since she's happy and doesn't seem tired I figured this is the beginning of the nap being on the way out, and I thought maybe she's waking early to try to get more A time. So I moved the nap to 1pm and she copes fine with the long mornings, but then wants to sleep 2hrs again which I can't let her do because of the school run. If I wake her she is awful! So I moved it back to 12.30 and she seems happy with an hour and a half until 2pm. Hasn't helped with the EWS though.

I also got a gro clock and she does wait for the sun and is pretty excited about it, but it hasn't helped her sleep in at all. She's still waking early and at least she stays in bed, but I know she's awake and I can't sleep either! A WU time starting with a 7 is ideal, 6 is fine, 5 is just about acceptable, but 4 is the middle of the night! I never let her get up and start the day that early. I would say she's averaging 5.20 at the moment and I don't get her up until 6.15.

Any ideas? Am I on the right track thinking it's the 1-0? Anything else I can do? She's gone from sleeping 14hrs total to about 11.5.

[creations]

Yes it could well be the nap drop, but it can take a while and looks like you might have to wing it for a bit with the school run beign in the way of a 2hr nap and her mood being awful with the capped nap - rock and a hard place eh?
When the nap was at 1pm did it help the EW? It looks like the 12.30 nap didn't help but was wondering what the situation is on the later nap WRT the EW time.
Also have you moved BT later?  In some cases BT needs to go later if LO isn't ready to drop the nap but is sleeping as much as they can and is just finished sleeping for the night.  My DS had an 8pm BT as our latest time routine wise, but during the 1-0 he ended up going to sleep later and later with call backs etc due to UT, it was a drag but I knew it wasn't for ever so just put up with it as best I could.

Another thing though, other than nap dropping and nap times etc ..Spring is coming, my DS is waking earlier and earlier due to light getting past his black out curtains. he is old enough to tell me and complain about it, in the past I had to just work it out.  You might need to re-look at your DDs bedroom to make sure it's dark enough to keep her asleep.  Mine goes to sleep with a night light on these days but I turn it off when I go to bed otherwise that also disturbs his sleep, and the morning light now is having a big impact, he is tired and grouchy even though his BT hasn't changed and neither has his sleep needs.

[*Ali*]

Yes our BT has moved later now as she just doesn't need such a long night with the nap these days. If you want to carry on with the nap (I do) I'd try moving BT later by 15 minutes for 3 days and see if that helps. Then do another 15 minutes later if no joy. I know it's not ideal, especially if DD1 is going to bed earlier but it might be all the sleep you're going to get out of her so it may just need redistributing.

And don't forget the clocks go forwards at the end of the month so that might help you if you prefer to just wait it out.

[Emami]

Lol, the clocks going forward is good for Annabel, bad for Chloe who I already have to wake every day at 7.30. I have such opposite sleepers!

The light could be a factor. I hadn't really thought of it as it is still very much dark at 4-something when she has sometimes been up, but yes at 5.30 it is getting light. She does have black out blinds up which are pretty good, but they do let some light in around the edges so I will try covering that.

I dont know that moving the nap to 1pm had any impact on WU time. I didn't give it long enough to work as she was such a bear to wake up and then I had to drag her along to school, I went pretty quickly back to 12.30 and a pleasant child! I do want to keep the nap, or really I think I have to, because there's no way she's ready to completely drop it yet. She wouldn't cope with cold turkey and early bedtimes and I'd probably end up with OT EWs anyway.  I will have to keep tweaking and hope the clock change helps.  I'm not used to this - Chloe either slept or she didn't and I did early or later BT depending. It was easy! Plus no school runs and no other little person to work around and she was done with naps before Annabel came along.

It has also occurred to me that Annabel's nights were awful until she was firmly on one nap and then she settled down, I might just have to ride it out until the nap is gone and she's used to night time being her only chance to sleep 😞

[cath~]

So I moved the nap to 1pm and she copes fine with the long mornings, but then wants to sleep 2hrs again which I can't let her do because of the school run. If I wake her she is awful! So I moved it back to 12.30 and she seems happy with an hour and a half until 2pm.

have you experimented with capping at different lengths?  Sometimes LOs can be easier to wake at different times (when they're not in a really deep sleep).  DD2 didn't like having her nap capped either though and was grumpy when woken, but it was worth it to get better nights (we had the opposite problem to you though of BT getting too late).
One other thing that helped her accept me waking her from her naps was having a nice WU routine, e.g. drink, snack and cuddle with a story, so she knew what to expect and enjoyed it.  We don't really do TV here (just occasionally) but, if you do, letting her watch something on TV as she wakes up might help?