22 Month old 5am wake up and naps?

[Liskey]

DD always woken up early but has recently got into a pattern of 5am wake ups - groan (already on clock changing thread!). She usually naps about 11.30 till 13.00 and goes to bed at about 19.00. She always absolutely shattered come nap time and if where out and about will have dozed off in the car about 09.45.

How long ARE naps usually at this age? DH and I are feeling slightly desperate about getting more sleep in the morning - we're already going to bed 21.30 -22.00 as we're so shattered.

Any ideas please on how to crack this?

don't know but DS is the same and exactly the same age. He sleeps from 6ish to 5ish. Naps at around 10.30 for up to an hour and half. I figure that that is just his sleep pattern and I'm working around that, rather than trying to change him. To be honest, given that he's sleeping straight through, I'd far rather that and the early starts, rather than waking through the night and sleeping later.

I would cut down on the length of her daytime sleep (this may be temporary) start waking her after an hour and then keep her up until 7pm old time.

Try shifting her bedtime 5 minutes per night for 4 nights on the trot and then another 5 mins etc.

What do you do when she wakes up?

I would consider giving her some milk in the dark and then putting her back to bed?

It really is down to how much you want to change this pattern rather than try and change it. At 22 months her need for a nap may start waning soon...

Cheers.

Cairntrerrier - I know what you mean about the sleeping through - it is brillant that she doesn't wake up in the night and i do appreicate it.

RandomMess - I've been trying to move her bedtime to a bit later to accomodate the clock change for the last few nights - now up to 19.30.
We try and ignore her talking for a while but tend to get up by about 05.45 and give her a glass of milk and then stay up/play/watch cbeebies. She's is very small for her age so I don't know if she'll want/need a nap for longer?

My smallest was the youngest to give up her nap

Largest (she is 98th centile always has been) definately still needs the most sleep relatively even at 9!

Another action plan could be to give her a much shorter nap but earlier in the day and then keep her going until 7pm new time. Then move her nap back to lunch time. Would need some commitment though.

Liskey DS had a bad night teething a few weeks ago and I'd forgotten the difference it makes when you're up every 2 hours.

PS CBeebies starts at 0600. Just saying [hwink]

RandomMess You can tell she's my only child - and I over worry about her and sleep! (food and everything else!) I don't think she wants to drop the nap as she always seems so tired - but i could be wrong and thats because she's awake so horribly early.

Cairnterrier Yep totally agree with that! DD was up Wed night at 01, 02, noises at 4 and then 05 and up at 05.45 DH and I were very unhappy! [hwink]

I think I could list the cbeebies schedule - until it gets changed. Some stupid American/fake irish cartoon on today! Got a postman pat dvd from the library in case she wakes up inhumanly early tomorrow.

At times like this I'm grateful those days have gone

Just think in the spring 5am will become 6am

LOL - right that is it - where can i sign up for the looking foward to the BST thread?!

DD was up at 04.45 this morning after yelling at odd intervals all night. I'm turning the monitor off at this rate. Kept telling myself this will pass.

I certainly would, I could hear the noises through both shut doors (small house thin doors).

I'm not sure how you're still sane tbh.

Sane? round here no chance! Its a good job DD is gorgeous and cute and I work on Mondays so can slump at my desk with lots of tea.

What about waking to sleep. I think somehow you are going to have to shift her routine.

Let her go to bed at 5/6pm sleep for 45 minutes and then get her up again and put her to bed at 11pm??????????????

Any victim volunteer who would help you go through torture for a week to change her pattern?

Liskey - do you go to her every time she cries out in the night? DS does this too but I don't bother getting up any more unless he's getting really upset and it goes on beyond 5 mins. Usually he's not actually awake but is still dreaming/half awake so if I don't disturb him, he lies down and goes back to sleep.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to tell if he was crying for some other reason but when he was teething, within the first couple of yells, I'd shot out of bed because I just knew something was wrong. I feel really reassured by that now that instinctively even when I'm asleep I can sort out tired/asleep cries from 'I need you now mummy' cries.

No - I leave her for a few minutes to see if she settles herself back down. She yelled last night about 1 but went back to sleep - i woke up despite the monitor now being off.

She then woke up at 05.15 this morning so a slight improvement.

I think our yells last night were at 1 and 4.30. I though the 4.30 one was going to be it for the night but he went back to sleep until 0600! Mind you, he is stuffed full of cold and snot and brought it all back up when he was awake.

Still, not too poorly to have bagels and cake at lunchtime!

How's it going?

Not too bad, thanks! We've turned the monitor off which helps us sleep through the little cry's out. The last 2 days she's woken up at 5.45 which is a great improvement.