2.5 year old sleep routine help

[ammmmmo]

I have an almost 2.5 year old who has never slept well. The past 4 months have been horrendous and I feel like it’s now worse than ever. He goes to bed at 7, takes approx 30 mins to fall asleep with us with him, will then wake and come in our room at about 1am and 4am, both times we walk him back to his bed, then he wakes for the day at 5am.

He naps for about an hour at 12:30, he wouldn’t survive the day without it. This nap has already been cut down from 2 to 1 hours.

I am exhausted. I am also 4 months pregnant and entirely terrified at this continuing through to us having a baby.

Nothing helps. We’ve tried so many things. I’m just in despair now.

Have you tried dropping the nap? I know you say he won't survive, but mine didn't sleep through until they stopped napping in the day (at 3 years old). I wish I'd dropped it sooner although at the time I'd have said it wouldn't work.

Or at least reduce to every other day/every third day.

I know what you said about the nap, but honestly, our dd refused to go to bed and was awake half the night before we dropped the nap. We had a month or so of having to rely on peppa pig to get us through the 3pm slump but it was worth it for the blissful, mythical 12 hours overnight sleep. She hated nap time anyway unless she was at nursery (refused and fought at home but apparently went to sleep straight away at nursery)

@Daisymae55 @EverybodyWantsTo this is interesting to hear.. The trouble is that if I drive anywhere in the car around midday, he will fall asleep in seconds. So on this basis to me it feels like he still needs sleep. I seem to recall a few days at the childminder where he hasn’t slept, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference, but that was a good few months ago.

On the days where he naps in the car, what happens when you stop driving.

Does he just wake up and is fine?
Does he wake up crying?
Does he sleep better that night and not wake?
Does he sleep worse that night?

Maybe letting him sleep in the car is enough but it depends how he reacts afterwards.

I agree that if DC is falling asleep so easily then they need the rest. Have you tried leaving him to cry for a bit when he wakes in the night?

My 3 year old still falls asleep if we drive anywhere at midday. It's useful if we're doing a bigger day trip and he's going to bed later than usual. Means he's had a good nap in the car to keep him going. But any other time he doesn't nap and hasn't since 2 and a half.

Falling asleep in the car isn't an indication they still need to nap.

My son sleeps 6-6/7

My almost 2.5 year old is the same. I actually think he sleeps really well now. I had to give him a bottle to get him back to sleep until he was over 1 and a half, so the fact that I don't need to do that anymore is amazing for me. I guess it's about expectation.

I lie with him until he falls asleep and then during the night he comes to our bed and sleeps the rest of the night with us, until the morning.

Well, I say us- but a lot of the time I sleep separately to my H because it's just more comfortable to accommodate for my 2.5 year old.

Why don't you try letting him just sleep with you when he comes to your bed ?

I know it's not for everyone but it's really helped us.

Also with my older child, I stopped her naps at just over 2 and a half because she was taking forever to go to sleep.

She's almost 5 and she still falls asleep in the car at random times. It's just kids I think, it doesn't mean he's not ready to drop his nap.