22 month old -5.30 wakes

[niceandspicey]

After any suggestions that might help with a run of very early starts from our 22 month old.

She's been up for the last week at 5.30am. Will not entertain going back to bed. Bedtime is 7.30/45. Nap time in day is 12.30/1 ish for approx 2 hours. By the time nap time comes she is exhausted and can barely keep her eyes open - so I don't think it's that she needs to drop the nap.

It's like she's forgotten how to roll over and go back to sleep when she wakes early.

We are currently staying with in laws. If we were in our own home, I'd go in, put her back in bed and let her cry. I don't really think that's an option at the moment... any other suggestions as to what might work?

I don't think she's poorly/ teething- think she's just developed a new habit.

Any positive suggestions for how to nip this in the bud would be really welcome. Thank you.

Feel your pain! We have had this a few times.

We left her to play in the cot during the day so she could get used to the idea that she could stay in the cot without being asleep. We also bought a cot toy/ white noise projection thing from Argos (will try link) that she fiddles about with in the morning and then often will go back to sleep. Tried putting toys in but she would throw them out so the cot toys are a life saver.

Hope it improves for you!

It's not really that early. My 15 month old gets up at 4. Just get up.

www.argos.co.uk/product/4835178

Wasn't this one but similar concept

I would go back to two naps for a whike, to get through this.

I think not sleeping well in the early mornings is linked to being over tired due to not enough daytime sleep. For comparison my toddler wakes 7-7.30am and needs to be aslerp by 12pm. She is sometimes tired by 11am. If she was getting up 2h earlier than this, I would expect her to need a nap by 9-10am.

I would try a morning nap 9am and wake baby at 9.45. Then move afternoon nap to be around 1.30-2pm.

Agree she needs an earlier morning nap. Try putting her back around 9am then you can sleep too. I wouldn't wake her, just let her sleep as long as she needs.

Thank you for your replies.
Currently out for a walk to get her off for morning nap.
Fate- if I go back to two naps a day, how long should I make the morning one?
Thank you

Ah sorry Fate- just reread your response.
45 mins for morning nap- got it. Will see how this goes.
Thank you for your support

Asleep 10.10- 10.55
So adjust afternoon nap until when, do you think?
Thank you

That was a fairly late morning nap, it wants to be earlier so that it doesn't push the afternoon nap to late.

What time did you go for in the end?

My DD used to sleep until 11am and could go down again at 1pm. She was uber routines though and liked her sleep. I would expect a 2-3pm nap would work better.

Thanks fate- yes a later than I would've liked morning nAp.
She had 45 mins from 10.10- 10.55.
Trying to get her off now for a second nap (was hoping for 2-3.30 but likely to be 2.45-4).
She used to nap from 12/12.30- 3.30/4 religiously so hoping to get back to that, and not overly worried about her napping until 4pm in terms of interfering with bedtime.
So, carry on doing this until her wake ups in a morning get later and I can get her back on a 12ish nap?

Is the room blacked out or is the light waking her?

Thanks for suggestion about the light, bit buT I really don't think that's it... it's only been in the last week that this has happened.

Afternoon nap was a disaster - walked for an hour and three quarters, then a half hour drive - no bloody nap!!!

Have been plying her with snacks, and preparing for a 6.30 bedtime. Start again tomorrow with an earlier first nap.
Arrrgh

We're having similar with DS (18m). Was always the baby who slept through til 7.30 and now is up at 5.30 on average.

We've also seen him drop from two regular naps to days where it's only one. He mixes it up all the time and is hard to predict, but goes down at 7ish and is back up early each morning.

I don't have any answers - we're in the same situation - but I just wanted to give you some solidarity!

It does help to know I'm not alone- thank you

So this morning we had a 5am wake.
A 9-11.10 nap (I just left her to sleep it out).
I know I need to try for an afternoon nap but can't work out what time... I'm thinking 1.30/2...
I also can't help thinking it won't work like yesterday but have to try!

Handbags- I think that was the age the DD dropped from two to one naps. It was messy for a while and v frustrating but it did eventually lead to one big long afternoon nap -3 or 4 hours each day, which I really liked!

After a big morning nap like that I would probably try for a shorter power nap late afternoon. Say 3-3.30pm ish, waking after about 45 mins.

Thanks Fate.
Am feeling really puddled by it all.
Appreciate your help

So we did 45 mins yesterday afternoon, then a normal bedtime.
Get up this morning was 6.40 which feels amazing.... but I'd love to get back to 7/7.30.
So am thinking a long nap at11.30/12 today??
What do you think?

Or maybe a short morning nap at 9 and a longer one about 2.
Actually that's what I'm going to go for ...

Naps at 9am to 9.45am then 2pm to 3.30/4pm is a fairly typical 2-nap day routine. With an 8/8.30pm bedtime. That should shift your morning wake up.

22 months is very late to be having 2 nap days. It might be that she only needs a temporary return to 2 naps for a week or two, to overcome this phase. Then I would aim to get her back to 1 nap days.

At this initial change to 1-nap days (my daughter was transitioning from 2 to 1 nap days between 20-22 months) we got some uber long 11am-3/3.30pm naps initially. They settled to a 12-3pm nap with a 7.30/8pm - 7/7.30am night.

Thanks Fate.
How do you know all this stuff?
Yesterday we had a day out and I spent forever driving/ pushing pram to get naps in which simply didn't happen
Totally not like her.
Anyway have realised maybe the days of her napping when we're out and about have gone- with everything being far too interesting now!
Have plan today round a big nap sleep so fingers crossed.
Thank you again

So this week I've gotten her back into one nap - she's exhausted by 11am and has done 2/2.5/3 hours on different days. But we are still up at 6. I know this is better than 5 but it's still not enough... I can tell from her behaviour she's not getting enough sleep. I can't see me moving the nap back to 12/1 until she's up later but she's too tired to go down any later at the moment. Is it a matter of consistency until I see a change? Thank you for your help

So a few weeks on and these wakes are continuing.
We have had a few 6ams but largely 5/5.30am now.
Since my original post I have tried to make sure DD naps either twice (ideally) or once due to her refusing naps/ poo-ing at the wrong time/ not napping in pram.
Last night I thought we start to gradually move bedtime back to 8pm, so I'll continue with that.
I just feel like her napping and sleep is out of control and can't work out what else to do to get it back in line.
Appreciate this could be a regression/ developmental as she's very chatty at the moment.
Wondering if anyone can think of anything else i might try?
One thing is on my mind- should I be absolutely insisting on her having 2 naps (do CC for insistence to make it happen) or has it messed things up the fact that the day time nap number varies?
Thank you for your help

At this age I wouldn't insist on 2 naps, it was just a temporary thing to get over exhaustion. The aim at nearly 2 would definitely be 1-nap days. It's just that in order to get a consistantly later 8pm bedtime, your lunchtime nap wants to be later, rather than earlier.

Ok... that's great
That helps
Thanks x