To put my 3-year-old to bed after 9

[Bnxybee]

He’s never been a good sleeper. We’ve tried putting him to bed at 7 and he’s always woke up about 2 or 3 am wanting to go downstairs and screaming the house down if we don’t let him. He’ll then stay awake until midday when he has a half hour nap. Husband has tried to let him cry it out and it worked for a few months but now he just screams the place down. He doesn’t seem to sleep for longer than 8 hours.

Now I’ve decided to put him to bed between 9 and 10. I can’t function on so little sleep. (I can’t get to sleep before midnight).

AIBU?

I have a just turned 2 year old like this. Won't/can't sleep till nearly 10 and wakes up at 6 or 7. She does at least tend to sleep through now. She still has a 1 hour nap which we can't drop yet as she can't make it through the day. Hoping she will be able drop it soon and will add it to the night sleep. No idea why she needs so little sleep, she's always been an under sleeper! Probably not very helpful but it's nice to hear about other undersleepers when I have friends with 2 year olds who sleep 12 hours at night and still nap!

The being wired is possibly a sign of too little sleep though. Can you try and drop the map and try an earlier bedtime. And sorry if it’s stating the obvious but are you rigid about bedtime? So tv/devices off at least an hour before bed. Preferably a bath or shower (though I know energy bills/ skin conditions may impact). Into low lit room for stories and black put blinds. And just being completely anal about the routine for at least a month. If he is ND, he may need way more help to wind down and get the right sleep associations.

Wired always means overtired for my kids, but it may not be the same for yours.

I genuinely think your issue is the nap. My DS is two and a half and if he had an hour's nap in the day he wouldn't be going to bed until gone 9pm. My DS does sometimes get crabby at tea time but he powers on through and gets a second wind until bedtime at 7. He is definitely harder work to settle if he's napped though and more prone to night wakings.