Toddler sleep issues

[mellyad2018]

Hey, wanted some advice please regarding my daughter's sleep who will be 3 next month. She was always a fairly good sleeper at night until last summer, since then she has repeatedly woken several times at night. We only need to go in say shhhh and tuck her back in and she will go back to sleep, but she won't until we do this. We thought about just letting her cry it out, but it seems quicker if we just go in and settle her, so we can all go back to sleep. We don't pick her up or anything like that. I am pretty sure it's not hunger or nightmare, more that she just wants to know we are there and this has now become a habit. We've tried night lights, porridge before bed, lifting her for a wee during the night (use in case it was a full bladder) and have kept up with the books and bath routine. I have reduced her day nap to about 45 minutes/60 minutes.

We have spoken with her nursery and the health visitor and they did suggest getting rid of day nap. We have tried this, however, she becomes a nightmare about 4/5 and then won't want tea as she obviously too tired. Plus if she's waking in the night she will need that short nap to catch up. Having looked at the days she naps compared with the days she doesn't, it have no impact on how well she sleeps at night.

I must also say, she is still in her cot and we did think about taking the side down, but read somewhere we need to sort the sleep out before we take this down as it might make it worse. She has never fallen out.

Just wanted some advise really. Has anyone else been in this situation? Any tips. Just thinking maybe we need to ride this out as I'm sure she will grow out of this eventually?

[mumma90]

👋 hello
My DD is 2.5 and dropped the one day nap at around 2. She sleeps on average 7.30pm to 7.30am. I find if she had a day nap of 90 mins she wouldn't sleep until 9pm.
She does sometimes get grumpy at dinner time 5/5.30pm - depending on how many activities we have done that day - but we push on to bedtime and bring it earlier - say 7pm.

We make sure she's out for a walk everyday and playing in the garden for a time. Made a big difference to how well she sleeps.

I would try and cut the nap out completely and have a quiet time after lunch or around 3pm. Books , drawing or even a bit of CBeebies....

[crazychemist]

Personally, I’d just resettle her for a little while. Give her the reassurance she’s looking for. While you’re doing that, read stories to her about growing up/sleeping on her own and introduce a toy that she needs to look after because it gets lonely at night and needs cuddles. See what happens after a couple of weeks.