Why does 21mo wake at sparrow's fart & how can I stop it?

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

Dd2 is in a deeply unpleasant stage of waking around 5am. She is drowsy & sometimes if I bring her in bed with me & boob her she will go back down again - yesterday she woke at 4.45, & at 5.45 she fell asleep again till 8. Then she napped from 12.30 - 2, went to bed at 7.30.

What's causing it?! It's hell. I've been waiting for it to pass but it has been going on for longer than a month now. I am starting to wonder if she doesn't need her nap anymore...?

My 21 mo is a nightmare at the moment, he was improving too.
Dropping naps may make her overtired and worse.
Could you get her up earlier than 8am and hope she naps earlier, this is my plan to hopefully give him more of a routine.
Not much help as I'm the same, getting no more than 5 hours a night.

Cutting the nap worked for me at that age. DD cut out her nap at 2 (!) so sometimes holding on to it just isn't the answer.Of course, she may become overtired and worse but there's no harm in testing the theory, is there? You'll just be knackered either way...

If we manage 5:45am with DD (27months) we're happy! She still has an afternoon sleep but I'm thinking of dropping it as I'm going slightly mad. She also wakes at least once in the night as well . . . Watching this thread with interest

Nooo, I don't want to cut the nap! When would I have a nice cup of tea if she didn't nap?! Although I do have to say that she did skip her nap the other day when my mum was looking after her, & she did sleep in the following morning till 6.15. Hmmm. Maybe I should cut her nap first.

This morning she woke at 5am & I tried re settling her without the boob (which is what I do at nighttime) & she did seem drowsier & more likely to settle. Didn't quite manage it though.

Hi all, ermm, well, , my DD
isn't up till 7 or 8, , but I've read with interest lots of people having success on here with that 'wake to sleep' thing ...do a search...loads of people found it worked. My DD wakes loads in the night though and Ive not had more than 4 hours sleep in a row since she was a newborn . Good luck

My ds (5) wakes at stupid o'clock and WILL NOT go back to sleep. He goes to bed at 7.30, but regardless of what time he goes to bed he always wakes early. I dread the summer as we leave his bedroom window open and the birds wake him.

I am waiting for him to become a student. Perhaps at 20 he will sleep longer?