Which IYE works better, to go cold turkey on daytime naps and just stop them altogether or to shorten them gradually over a few weeks?

[mehgalegs]

You think I'd have worked this out meself by now, what with having 4 of 'em, but DS4 is an enigma due to his SN.

For the past year we have been coping with the fact that he wakes at 4.45 - 5.15 am. We are bored of coping, it is too fecking early to start the day.

He has developmental delay but has grown a little stronger recently and is therefore much more active. He comes home from preschool with just enough energy to eat lunch and then poof - he's out like a light and will happily sleep for 2 1/2 hours if I let him.

I have tried cutting it down but he is hard to wake and then miserable for the rest of the afternoon.

This weekend we cut out the nap. He kept going until 5.30pm ish when we just about managed to get some tea into him before he wanted his bed. Sat morning he woke after 6am - a break through, short lived as Sun and this morning we are back to the 4.44 thing.

He is asleep now. Thought I'd give him 45 mins and see.

What do you reckon?

[ladytophamhatt]

I've always gone with what they want, so if he's tired I'd let him sleep.

Early starts are shitty though....

[ladytophamhatt]

IME they start cutting them out by themselves so I never forced it TBH.

[WowOoo]

Did he wake at 4:44 without a nap then? If so I'd just keep on witht the naps as it seems to make no difference. Butmaybe keep them short. (easier said than done though...)

We've cut out naps entirely here. He's 2.6 and used to be waking at 5:30. Now it's more like 6 - 6:30. Even that half hour makes the difference. He can be so stroppy because I can tell by dinner time he's just pooped.

[mehgalegs]

Yep - he still woke early without a nap two days running, but because he hadn;t had a nap he went to bed earlier (ramble ramble)

I really should go and wake him now. I am having trouble sleeping at the momnet too so I don't drop off until 1-2am. I think I need the nap.