18mo takes ages to fall asleep and wakes up 5-6am

[CarrotPuff]

About a month ago our DS has started to take an hour+ to fall asleep. We put him bed at 7.30-8pm, leave the room, and then he would babble/sing/shout/throw his teddies out the cot till 9-9.30pm. He doesn't fall asleep himself, at one point he starts crying so we have to go up and stay there with him until he's asleep.

We started putting him to bed earlier so that his final falling asleep time isn't that late but it still takes an hour or so.

We tried just staying with him once he's in his cot but it still takes ages. DP is out of the house for 12h so we want to spend some together, or just have an undisturbed dinner, but a big chunk of the time is taken up by one of us (usually me) sitting upstairs.

And he then wakes up between 5 and 6, occasionally 6.30. He used to sleep 8-8 at one point!

He has one nap, usually 2h long, 1-3pm, but on days he wakes up 5.30 or earlier he has 2 naps. I'm thinking of keeping just one nap and just putting him down a bit earlier on these days, as it's very hard to get him to sleep second time around.

He goes down ok for his naps, usually asleep within 15-20 mins, but I have to be there to settle him, but that's ok.

Last night for example he fell asleep 8.30 (progress!) but woke up 5.30, so that's 9h sleep at night. If he naps for 2h, that's 11h - it's really not enough for an 18m old!

I just don't know what to do - is it just a phase? He did go through a phase of fighting naps a few months ago but that passed.

I'm not a morning person so these early wake ups are killing me, I go to bed at 10pm and still not getting enough sleep... We would like to go out and DP's mum can babysit, but not with him taking hours to fall asleep!

Sorry for such a long post, I'm very tired this morning...

[Needsweetstosurvive]

I would stick to one nap, no matter what time he wakes. My 14mo is currently napping 10.30 until 12.30 and in bed by 6.30pm. I stick to that no matter when he wakes. As he gets older I will move it later but for now it works. If your DS is napping until 3pm the chances are he isn't tired enough to sleep until at least 8pm, so either move his nap so it ends earlier or put him to bed at 7.45ish so you both aren't wasting the light evenings and nice weather sat in a dark room due to putting him to bed too early.

Also, regarding sleep amounts, if he seems happy and rested then he is getting enough sleep, sleep needs change and even though he used to do 8-8, he obviously doesn't need that now. 11hrs in 24 sounds fine to me. Those recommended sleep amount charts aren't worth the space they use up, each child/person is different