I'm at my wit's end

[DueyCheatemAndHow]

Both our kids are just horrendously overtired. DD (not yet 2) is waking up at 5 every day. She has a quick half hour nap in the morning then up to 2 in the afternoon. I've tried to drop the morning nap but it makes her worse. I would say she rarely has 10 hours at night. She wakes up crying and unhappy

DC is 4 next month. This morning he got up at 4.10.

I'm destroyed. I hate my life.

Could it be the daylight waking them?

Have you tried black out blinds and/or a gro clock? The 2 year old is trickier buy I think for the 4 year old it needs to be a very firm no to getting up before e.g 6am. Even if it means weeks of silent returning them to bed multiple times.

It's awful, but it will passant at some point will be a distant memory.

It is soul destroying, I remember the misery well. It does pass, I promise.

and then returns in phases every now and again, with less crying and more whining!

And then it switches round and it’s about wanting to go to bed at 11pm (MY bedtime is at 10.30pm, so no way is my dd going to bed at 11pm if she wants her bedtime story!)

for us the key to good sleep is just the right amount of exercise in sunshine and fresh air during the day. And a dark and silent room to sleep in.

you’ll get through it, and it will one day be a distant memory but a painful one- I don’t think you ever forget the years of desperate sleep exhaustion.

We have black out blinds and white noise

You have to drop the naps and just suffer through it until she sleeps at night.

Cut out the naps. Stick with it.
All the best.

Ditch afternoon naps for youngest.
what time is her bedtime?

what is your eldest’s routine like and what time does he go to bed?

All of mine still don’t sleep well if they’ve not eaten enough so could they be hungry?
do they have water / milk in the night or sleep through?

you have my every sympathy as two of my three were utterly horrific non sleepers until aged 3 and 4 it nearly broke me!

My 22 month old sleeps only 9 hours at night and a 2 hour nap. I think we need to shorten the nap but I can’t bear to as he is too grumpy. We hAve resorted to a later bedtime, last night he slept 9pm-6am. Annoying to lose the evening but better than a 4am start. Good luck, hope it shifts soon. My 6 year old also has a 8.30pm bedtime and sleeps until 7ish mostly. Early bedtimes have always meant earliest starts here but I know lots say the opposite.

Both sleep through. Bedtime at 7. Don't think either are hungry. I tried a week if going to one nap with littlest but she was just horrendous.

Somehow have to find the strength to parent today

Push bedtime back a bit too? Perhaps try and get them to go to sleep for 8? Might give you an extra hour possibly two in the morning.
When do they last have any food? Do they have some supper or something like milk and a banana before teeth cleaning?
what’s their average routine like in the day?

What do you mean ‘both sleep through’?

I understand what you are going through, is there anyone that can give you a break today to get an hours sleep? Can you go to bed at the same time as them tonight? What time do they go to sleep?

good luck today x

I mean neither of them wake up once they've gone to bed until the morning but their idea of morning is slowly killing me!

I'm going to have to go to bed extra early. I couldn't sleep tip midnight last night so I'm exhausted.

I had to go to bed at 9.30 for months to deal with the early wakening OP. It is totally grim, but does get better eventually.

Sympathies. Mines a bugger for sleep.

We do strict 6.30pm bedtime...grow clock and if its before 6am he can go to toilet as 4 now or play in room but must not come in my bedroom. Taken 6 months of re setting but it works now.. 99% of the time.

I remember this it's awful.

You have to go to bed super early yourself otherwise you can't function

Agree with dropping/reducing naps for younger and just grit your teeth in the day

Things will also improve when it's darker in the morning and when clocks go back

Also been there done that. I would persevere with dropping the nap, yes it'll be painful but for long term gain. I used to go to bed at 9 to cope. Mine still get up early 6ish but they are much older and can look after themselves now.