Baby waking at 4am!?

[HollyLondoner]

My baby is about to turn one and his sleep has turned pretty rubbish! I think he's teething but he's fighting naps and won't nap in his cot for the last 3 weeks. He was doing 2 X 2hr naps in his cot. Now I have to walk him in the buggy or drive him around.

He's also waking at 3/4am and not going back to sleep. It used to be 6am which was lovely.

I'm going back to work so I need some help and I'm EXHAUSTED!!! 😭

Too much daytime sleep. I’d reduce to one nap if he’s nearly 1. You’ll get higher sleep pressure for the nap itself, and you won’t get so much of his total sleep needs in 24hrs happening during the day

@IRunWithScissors thanks for your message. He was napping really well until recently but now it's maybe 20/30mins in the buggy in the morning and maybe 45 mins in the afternoon. Do you think I just try for one post lunch nap? Do I keep trying him in the cot or is a buggy nap okay? Sorry for the all the questions. One tired mama here!

children don't fight naps. Its an unhelpful phrase because it is so inaccurate. Hes just doesn't need that much sleep, that is all

@combinationpadlock sorry to use the wrong phase. Surely he needs to nap still at his age and being up so early? Maybe one nap would suffice? Or a later bed time....

My 2 year old absolutely fought, and still fights, naps. If he doesn't have one he's an absolute mess by 4pm, so he does need it.

Is he close to walking OP? I found 12 months a rough time for sleep as he was desperate to walk. We went through a 4am phase, it was brutal. Is he going into childcare when you go back to work? I found DS started sleeping better once he could walk and once he was getting tired out from nursery. He's still not a great sleeper though, I have to drive him around to get him to nap (despite falling asleep easily on his own at nursery) and we've been up since 5am.

Agree with above 4 hours of naps is too much for a one year old. Either aim for 2 x 1 hour naps or one 2 hour nap. One would be early to drop to just the one nap but not unheard of.

Both of mine went through a period of waking before 5am between about 12 and 18 months. A lot of my friends had something similar. It's a sleep regression stage

At 1 they can drop to 1 nap after lunch op try that for sure

You need to move with his sleep needs. It's easy to get stuck in a particular pattern, but they change.

He needs one two hour nap around lunchtime. Maybe lunch at 11:30 then nap 12-2. Bed around 6 or 7 depending on his needs.

Thanks all! He's so close to walking so this could be it! He'll be starting nursery next month so I'm hoping this helps to tire him out. We're super busy every day though! He's very high energy.

Thanks for the messages. Will try a 11.30 lunch and nap just after 12 today 😊