Losing my mind with nearly two year olds sleep

[Sweetpearandblackberry]

He wakes before 5 every day, often 430. It’s awful for both of us, and he’s now refusing to nap as well. By the time I eventually get him to nap it’s pushing one o clock.

I wake him at two thirty at the latest and he’s in bed by 7. Where am I going wrong?

I'd drop the nap personally. See if that helps - first few days will probably be hell but maybe no worse than what you're currently dealing with! I've had 3 none sleepers so you have my every sympathy

There any way you could push his sleep back at night? DS is a nightowl and won't go to sleep until about 10pm some nights. He wakes up at about 7.30-8am and has a long nap mid morning. If he went to sleep at 7pm he would probably be waking up similar times to 4.30.

What happens when he wakes up that early? Is he 'rewarded' in any way such as cartoons or early breakfast or coming into your bed?

7 bedtime is what’s doing it. Push him back to 8 to get the get up time to more reasonable hour and then gradually cut down his nap when you see either bedtime/getting up going iffy again. Mine dropped nap entirely before 2 (although on the early side of nap dropping!)

Try to not cap his nap one day, then see where his natural bedtime falls with a longer nap. My daughter naps as long as she needs (from 1:30-3 or 4) then asleep at 8. She wakes at 7. That's just us but could be worth a try.

so difficult to know if it's down to over or under tiredness isn't it?! at the moment our 2yo is napping from 2-4 and going to bed at 8 and sleeping til 630. maybe if he's fighting nap now push it back to later and put him to bed later. but who knows frankly- it could be the opposite is needed and he needs to drop the nap!

Definitely showing signs to drop the nap all together. With my son, I still benefit from a bit of quiet time though, so he sits in his room and watches a film for an hour and a half. Or maybe he’ll use the tablet. So I would drop the nap and do quiet time instead.