Desperate - 2 year old sleep disaster

[Screamer1]

We have know idea what to do. DS 2.5 has always been an early riser. Wakes at 5.30 on the dot. Quite often we can give him the dummy and he'll go back off for another hour. He used to go off to sleep with absolutely no problem when he went down at 7pm just a bit of chatting to himself.

In the last two weeks he now becomes hysterical if we leave the room after putting him down, so we've been staying with him but he takes 45 minutes to go to sleep.

He also now wakes at 5am hysterical unless dh goes and sits next to him. Even then he doesn't go back to sleep.

We've tried to cut his nap to no more than one hour, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Plus he's absolutely beside himself with tiredness by 1pm.

We've tried gro clock - no difference

I don't know how if it's fear of the dark? When we're in there with him he is just happily chatting away.

Does anyone have any suggestion? We're on our knees with a no sleeping baby and really need to try and sort this!

Thank you!

Does he sleep through from 7pm - 5am? If so, that's not a no sleeping baby! You've just got an early rising toddler.

I'd stay with him to calm the hysteria. We've just come through a similar phase with DD (also 2.5). We even had to cuddle her to sleep for a few nights which has never happened before. And she needed reassurance in the night too as she was waking up screaming. She's gone back to normal now. So I'd say give him the reassurance he needs for now. I think he's too young to understand a gro clock personally. Good luck!

My 2.3 year old ds is a terrible sleeper. Wakes several times a night and usually ends up in our bed.
We were struggling to get him to sleep some nights it was close to 8.30 before he'd go to sleep so where possible I try and cut out his nap completely. This helps and he's asleep by 7.10 latest as he's so tired. He doesn't stay asleep the whole night but he's better than he was.

Some days he does fall asleep and I let him
Nap but I'm prepared for a rough bed time when that happens.

Sorry I wasn't clear! I ALSO have a no sleeping baby as well as the toddler, but she's not my concern right now!

Oh yes and I agree with the pp, you've an early riser, not a non sleeper! You might just need to get yourself to bed earlier to cope with it. Apparently they get better with time but that could be a good while off yet school age

Oh sorry x-post! Mine are that age gap too, toddler and baby is tough so go easy on yourself.

Your toddler just wakes early....

Although you mentioned not wanting to be left alone and you have a new baby. At this age I think they become aware that you're off to do something else plus develop a fear of the dark etc.
With my early riser, it was usually they're too cold by about 3am and slowly wake up so by 5am they can't go back to sleep. Or they're teething molars, or the birds are tweeting. Basically a million reasons and hard to work out which.

I would let him nap still and accept the early starts. You could try completely blacking out the room, popping an extra blanket over at about 10pm or sleeping in the room with him.

This too shall pass.

I think the problem because it's making putting them down in my own impossible. I can't feed my baby whilst I sit in his room with him because she won't feed to sleep, she then gets overtired and hysterical too.

Oh that's tough, i wish I could remember what I did when my two were that age. Do you have to do bedtime on your own very often?

Quite often yes. Dp does late shift, its tough!

Can you try getting the baby down first (if the older one will sit and watch some tv downstairs). And then you're freed up to sit with DS if he needs? I think I used to just carry/feed DD while settling DS at that age.

No advice but sympathy, my toddler rises firmly at 5.30 every morning regardless or naps or what time he goes to bed. He was awake for 3.5 hours last night (molars, he usually sleeps through) and he still woke at 5.30

OF naps

Thanks everyone. I was hoping there might be some magical trick that might work but I guess we'll just have to grit our teeth...and mainline coffee.