Struggling so much with naps and sleep

[Openthegate]

I’m starting to feel as if I have a newborn again.

For almost a year DS (two next month) has gone to sleep himself without any problems. All of a sudden it’s become a nightmare. He refuses to nap which means he’s exhausted but rather than become sleepy and sloth like he gets more and more manic with tiredness. When I put him in his cot he just keeps kicking and shouting.

He had a broken night last night and only went to sleep at gone 830 (despite being put down at half seven) then woke at half six and has been awake ever since. I put him to bed about fifteen minutes ago and he’s still shouting.

I don’t know what to do - feel rubbish.

I'd work on the nap first. Will he nap in the car/pushchair or in bed with you?

Only in the car and if you’ve been driving for a while without much stop/starting. It’s so difficult. Yet he sleeps fine at nursery!

Yet he sleeps fine at nursery!

Ok so could he not be tired enough at home to nap? Is he getting plenty of exercise like the park or swimming?

Yes, I take him out every day. This morning he went to the park and then for a walk by a river.

His routine has been a bit out though as he was quite poorly on Friday and was sick and had a fever. He had a bad night Friday night and then slept until 8 Saturday morning (unheard of!) then napped 1:30-3, which is probably a bit late but he was still unwell. He refused any dinner Saturday evening and took ages to go to sleep. Then had another bad night (not quite as bad, but broken) and then up at 630. I tried to get him down at 12 but no go and he just wouldn’t sleep.

I wonder if he might be dropping the nap but the. He wouldn’t sleep at nursery?

I don't think he's dropping his nap. It just sounds like he's a bit poorly and needs to get back into his rhythm

Hope so but it’s just so difficult getting him to sleep in his cot. He will nod off in the car and I can sometimes transfer him but it’s surprisingly stressful! I never used to have to even think about it - just into his cot with a kiss but now I’m tearing my hair out

Two things that massively helped us with toddlers sleep being a bit funny were:

• groclock, to address the early morning wake ups
• Sticker chart, to address the issue of staying in bed quietly

also being consistent and sometimes being stern. If DD is shouting at bedtime one of us will go in and quite sternly tell her to be quiet, we love her but nighttime is for sleeping. That works too!

I wouldn't worry about naps in cot just do car or buggy. Night time sleep is most important bed at 7pm.

Can you do quiet hour in the cot? He doesn't have to sleep but he has to rest and he can play with his teddies etc. for one hour. Not sure if the GroClock does naps but that could be useful so he knows how long the hour is. Hopefully by removing the pressure to sleep, he will relax enough to get back into his napping routine again?

Thanks. He isn’t two yet, he wouldn’t understand a sticker chart. And the problem with the car is that it can work out pretty expensive - it’s fine if you have to go somewhere anyway and time it to fit with a nap but if you don’t and are just going for a drive purely for naps it’s difficult.

He hasn’t slept in the pushchair for nearly a year now, we don’t use it a lot.

I have seen quiet time suggested a lot on here, the problem is he goes absolutely mental if he’s in his cot and is not sleeping.

And night time sleep is awful as you can probably tell from the time stamp - has been waking up constantly since about 1. I’m not even sure if he’s slept at all between then and now.