If you co sleep I'd like some advice please

[ImfinallyaMummy]

Only co sleepers need answer - thanks ☺️

15 month old is going through a 'I won't go to sleep' phase. It's driving me bonkers.

We had a really good sleep routine up until a couple of weeks ago now it's just gone haywire.

We used to get in bed at 6pm, have stories for 30
Mins then snuggles until he fell asleep at 7pm (practically on the dot every night) then I'd a week away until I was ready for bed.

Now we go to bed at 6pm and he's like a baby possessed running around like crazy, up and down and in and out of bed constantly. Taking him until 8ish to get to sleep.
I know we altered the clocks but I've been getting him up earlier to compensate.

I'm getting really irritated by it now !

Maybe it’s a little too early for him, try push bed time back a bit?

I had this around the same age. It was hideous, you have my full sympathy.

Nothing fixed it other than time. My routine was to have him start off in his co sleeper cot though and block him in with a bed guard. Eventually he did start sleeping again after a month or so. Shortened the nap time to a max of 2 hours as well.

Is he ready to drop a nap, or perhaps limit nap time? Clocks going forward doesn't help though.

He cut down to 1 nap a day 2 months ago, he was having 2 hours but the last couple of days I've shortened them to an hour but still no difference, he's running around like a crazy child currently :(

I’d second trying to push bedtime back an hour. Does he still nap? I co slept with my daughter until she turned 2 and we have phases of playing silly buggers at bed time when she’s either over tired or not tired enough. I find that keeping the routine exactly the same helps - so for us bath then PJs then three stories then I put classical lullabies on and lie next to her until she falls asleep. If she gets up and runs around I just put her back down saying time to go to sleep. I was feeding to sleep until 21 months though.

Did you gradually change bedtime or just all in one go? Could you start bedtime routine at 7 and bring it earlier by 10 mins a night? I would have expected if it was the clock change he would have adjusted by now though. Is ther room much lighter and he is noticing that?

We have the same with our 15 month old! Cut out his afternoon nap too. No advice- it is a phase. My eldest did this too for about 6 months and now he's settled down. It is so tough. Just keep consistent bedtime routines. Do you use white noise?

I usually feed to sleep too.
We have a light projector that plays soft tunes which normally starts off the snuggle sleep time but he just keeps getting up.

I could put his bedtime routine back an hour but selfishly I really enjoy a couple of hours in the evening to myself. I'm normally in bed by 9pm myself!

It's a phase, a bloody annoying one! Try calpol in case it's teeth. You get molars around now. Also it could be developmental. One tip I heard about bedtime is if you have spent around 15 mins doing things that usually help then get to sleep and they aren't heading in that direction, stop trying, come out of the bedroom before you get angry and give them access to something that will wear their brain out a bit. So not TV or toys that Flash lights and play sounds, but toys/items that help them figure out spatial stuff. That might mean climbing or walking around. Or might be things like stacking cups, balls and pots to put in and out of, stacking or sorting type games/toys, etc. Books maybe, but better to give them something they can try and work out.

I also found there is a growth spurt around this age so they are massively hungry. Something like baby porridge or rice pudding as a supper can be useful as well.

I usually find after about 20-40 mins of the 'brain' playing they are ready to try bed again. Sometimes if you pretend to fall asleep in bed they will copy you.

And make sure that actual dinner isn't too late. I found with both of mine they need to have dinner early enough, otherwise they are too tired to eat but then too hungry to sleep.

On the dinner front- we have switched our main meal to lunchtime so our children are not too tired. They est much better then and for dinner they have something light like eggs or cereal

Is he getting enough exercise and fresh air? It is difficult with lockdown. But if you have the opportunity to go out at all and his walking is stable enough, do it. Get a set of reins so you can control where he walks if you're worried about people/traffic. If he's been used to soft play and swimming and so on and now is stuck in the house most of the time that might be causing the excess energy at night time as well.

Definitely not getting enough exercise. He's only just started toddling but I wouldn't feel comfortable with him walking out as he wants to touch everything.

Being stuck at home isn't stimulating him enough :(

Touching things outside isn't likely to be a risk, especially since the things toddlers want to touch aren't the same things adults are touching. I would go as it's really important for them to get some fresh air and sunlight.

We do go for a daily walk but he's been in the buggy. He stumbles quite a lot so I'm worried about that too. Not sure I dare risk him touching the pavement at the mo ! Sounds ridiculous I know! 🙁

The clock change and the lockdown has screwed with my baby's sleep top (similar age). A lot of friends are having sleep issues. It can't be a coincidence. Hope it passes soon xx

It's rubbish and I feel very guilty for loosing my patience and getting stressed with it.

I'm normally a home bird but I can't wait for all this to be over so we can leave the house again!

Reins can help you catch him if he trips too, but I know what you mean. DS1 wasn't walking until 16 months and DS2 wasn't very stable at 15 months either. Maybe if you can find a grassy area or some woods, or even just put an all-in-one on him so he sort of "bounces" :) The pavement honestly isn't going to be a problem except for grazed knees, which I would totally understand wanting to avoid in the first place.

How many hours are between the end of nap time and when they should be falling asleep ?

Mine needs 5 to 5 1/2 hours between waking from nap and bedtime, if mine is awake for 6 or longer they tend to get a bit hyper and then take longer to sleep, this kept happening and in the end I made bedtime earlier and it's been really easy to get her to sleep recently

He wakes up at 6am, naps at 1-2pm then (used to ) falls asleep at 7pm

We moved to part-time cosleeping a little before that age, mostly because he moves around so much when he’s asleep. He goes to sleep in his cot and comes into our bed if he wakes up in the night. Just in case that’s something you hadn’t considered.

Both of mine stopped naps at 12/13 months, and had better nights. Turns out my Mum stopped my naps at the same age for the same reason!

The thought of him not napping in the day terrifies me, I need that nap more than anything!!! He's a million miles an hour all day!

I remember the terror of DS giving up his naps because it was my only free time! But actually, once he (and I) got used to it, it did help everything. He's almost 3 now and he's asleep most nights by 6.30 leaving evenings for myself and dp.

With the clocks changing though, I have found that it's best to stagger the change by bringing it forward maybe 10 minutes a night. It's so light outside for children's bed time right now that it just confuses them I think.

Forgot to mention with dropping naps. I found that DS would alternate mapping days. For example, if he had no nap then it was early to bed and then followed an early morning. That meant he would need a nap the next day meaning late to bed... Late rise, no nap.. And so on.
I had to just go with it I'm afraid! The one thing I have learned so far is that everything is just a stage.