It's half past nine, and DS has JUST gone to sleep. I haven't eaten and I still have to sort the laundry before I can go to bed and cry. Please someone help me get DS's bedtime earlier!
He's always been a pretty rubbish sleeper but at 14 months we night-weaned him and astonishingly he started to sleep through. We had a couple of blissful months of relatively early bedtimes (start routine at 7pm, asleep by 8ish), but over the last few weeks it's been taking him longer and longer to fall asleep after bedtime, and probably stupidly, we've let bedtime creep back and back and now we need help! In all fairness, he does have the top two molars coming through at the moment which I know must be pretty horrible, but this has been going on longer than that!
Afternoon nap at nursery lasts anything from 40 mins to 2hrs, more usually around 1hr 15mins ish. Bedtime routine has been solid for months: back from nursery, tea, playtime - was quiet, now quite energetic as he's a bit of a livewire these days - then In the Night Garden or Clangers (I know TV isn't recommended but it's never been a problem before, should we ditch it?!). Then up to bed (after the programme he runs ahead to the stairs!), sometimes bath, usually PJs, wash, teeth, into bedroom, three books, boob (the only BF he gets; not fed to sleep, has self-settled for a while now), then down to sleep. Or chat, roll around, pretend to drink from his bottle, play with his books in the dark, have a massive tantrum when we try to insist he lies down etc... You get the picture. One of us stays lying next to him till he is asleep. We were doing gradual retreat but even our fairly glacial pace has stalled for now. He sleeps on a mattress on the floor, having soundly rejected a cot months ago.
Room is blacked out with tin foil though some light comes round the door. White noise - rain sounds - plays all night all night and has done for months. He has a lovey. Once down he usually goes all night, maybe with a quick squawk in the early hours. He gets woken at 7.30am if he's not wake already (often is these days). Given the sleeping through and the relatively late rising, I do appreciate this isn't the worst sleeping problem ever - been there, done that, have the chronic sleep deprivation to prove it! - but the complete lack of any time off in the evenings is really getting to us.
What are we missing?! Any suggestions? Friends reckon we should drop the nap - several say theirs stopped napping this young - but I wonder if he's actually overtired? I know I am... Our current plan is to try 'bedtime fading' but I only started this tonight so too early for results, so if anyone else has any ideas... Please, someone have some ideas!