Oh god, DS is never going to sleep!

[Thistledew]

DS, age 3.5, has only recently dropped his last lunchtime nap. He also hasn't been sleeping particularly well and has been waking at night and waking early. So perhaps it was inevitable that after having an epic tantrum this afternoon he fell into a deep sleep at 4.30pm. I tried to wake him after about 45 mins but he just rolled over and went back to sleep. We then tried to wake him at 6pm but he just grumbled and refused to wake properly. At 7pm, DH transferred him from the sofa into his bed. He slept until about 8.15pm and we were hopeful he might be down for the night. Unfortunately, he then woke up needing a wee and hungry.

He is now wide awake.

Any suggestions as to how we might get him back to sleep before midnight? Or do we just need intravenous coffee to stay awake for as long as he keeps going?

I think you’re in for a long night op! Have you a trampoline to tire him out ?!

No trampoline unfortunately. I don't know if a run around the garden with a torch will help or just get him buzzing on adrenaline.

Watching videos won't help. We tried that once on holiday when he had an extra long daytime nap and then couldn't sleep. At 2am he was still awake and only finally went to sleep after having a tantrum when I switched the screen off.

What’s his normal bedtime routine? Any chance of giving him a fairly long bath, doing stories and getting him into his bed and tricking his system into bedtime?! (I say hopefully!)

We are giving it our best shot. He's not the best anyway at switching off at bedtime.

I don't think either DH or I can manage hours of stories. We have a newborn as well so are ready for bed ourselves right now!

Could one of you get in bed with him for snuggles and a story. Hopefully he'll drop off because whichever of you if with him falls asleep?
Hopefully suggestion as it worked once for dh and I, hasn't since

Avoid screens (unless he's already sleepy and it will lull him into a state where he's more susceptible to sleep) and any toys that play music, flash lights etc.

Instead give him sensory type play. Not messy play at this time of night, and avoid anything light related too, and anything that makes noise you find annoying, but anything he can roll, push, pull, stick together, take apart, different textures, different sizes. A puzzle he has to manipulate the pieces, books with textured pages, etc. That apparently helps tire out their brains in a way that induces sleep.

We used to stick our toddler in a pushchair and pound the streets. The cool air and the dark (she was wrapped up in a blanket) meant she slept.

Pro tip: take an extra happy and a drink for yourself.

I used to stick on a pair of headphones and listen to Adele.

No advice, just sympathy - the teatime danger nap is the worst... How my heart would sink when I found DS2 snoring on the landing at 5pm. Would he lie quietly in bed listening to CBeebies radio or an audiobook? (I can't remember if this ever worked for me!)

Mine finally slept when she started year 1, just over 5. We still get a few nights disturbed once a month or so, but she's generally a good sleeper now. I found a banana before bed helped the most until we hit the magic age

Also I know it feels awful right now but it will be ok. He will sleep eventually and you may feel crap tomorrow but it’ll all right itself after that. Tis but a blip

Oh no, although if you would have woken him he would have probably got overtired which is just as bad, if not worse! Hopefully as he hadn't had a full night sleep he will eventually be tired again...

We are trying the normal routine of bath time, stories and listening to dinosaur tunes playlist on Spotify. I'm not sure that either DH or I can stay up much beyond an hour. We might try letting him have a small amount of Lego to fiddle with by himself if he doesn't subsist by then.

He's too big for the buggy unfortunately, and car rides are hit and miss when it comes to him dropping off (although I think we could justify a drive for the sole purpose of getting him to sleep as an 'essential journey'!)

In honesty OP, if he won't settle I would admit defeat for one night and take a duvet down and pop hey duggee on and give him some milk. Not ideal I know, but it might give you a chance to relax (optimistically) and I am sure he will be tired eventually.

Or any other programme!

Oh my heavens, I’m way beyond all of this now but I have a healthy back catalogue of late-afternoon-naps-nighttime-punishments just like yours, OP. I can feel your plight!
“Admit defeat” is sage advice. Do what you have to do, just get through it and start afresh tomorrow. It is indeed just a blip.

Also this just reminds me of watching Yo Gabba Gabba at silly o’clock with my then toddler! That’s an insane show to be watching in the wee hours (to be fair, it doesn’t even run anymore). It’s always really trippy and a little soul destroying watching kids programmes at 3am. Hopefully you’ll be done by midnight.

What time did he sleep op?!!!

It was about midnight. I had to leave DH to it as I managed to get my 2 week old down at about 11pm and couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. It nearly broke DH when he thought he had got him to sleep at about 11.30pm, only for about 20 minutes later there to be a cry of "Dada, where are you? More stories please!"
Just persistence and several chapters of a book did it in the end. I hope we do better at getting baby DD to settle herself!