Dropping the nap! 😭

[Psynonym]

3.5yr old ds has, until v recently, still needed a nap around mid day.

He's a pretty full on kid. Very physically capable, gets loads of exercise and is curious and interested in everything. His body and his brain are always going like the clappers.

In the last few weeks bedtimes have become awful and it occured to me that maybe he just wasn't tired enough having had a nap. So for about 4 days he had no nap. He verged on over tired (aka manic!) but with calm and patience bed times have been SO much better. He's obviously knackered amd actually eager to go to sleep at 7.30pm.

BUT since we've dropped the nap he has been waking up earlier and earlier each day. Now we're back to 5am wakings which we haven't had since he was a baby and frankly I cannot handle!

So he's getting less sleep over all (losing an hour + in the day but gaining half an hour at bedtime) and still waking earlier. He's becoming more fractious and difficult. He's obviously over tired.

My hunch is that being underslept makes him wake earlier. Perverse but seems true. And I'm the same. Only if I'm vaguely well rested can I sleep beyond 7am (on the rare opportunities I get). So it makes sense to me.

But what the hell do we do? I can't see the wood for the trees and think I must be missing something obvious. I'd be inclined to let him have his nap and a later bed time, but he'll be in full time school in September with no chance to nap and I hoped to have him in a good routine ready for that. And, selfishly, I really like having an evening! I'm run ragged all day and go to bed fairly early. If he's up til 8/8.30 I have pretty much 0 'down time' once I've tidied up, done some work, got bags ready for the next day etc.

Sorry for the super long post!

How long was the nap before you dropped it?

Have you tried an earlier bedtime?

Naps were at least an hour. Usually 1.5, sometimes as much as two!

Feasably I don't know how much earlier bed time could be. I'm adamant that we all eat together most nights, so that means dinner at 6. Then play/stories until bedtime. 7.30 feels about right for me at nearly 4. How much earlier would you suggest?

Just 7pm until he gets used to not having the nap?

Then gradually get later

I wouldn’t get any later. When we dropped the nap I put my DD to bed at 6.45 every evening. Overtiredness is usually the culprit for those 5am wakes

Yeah try bringing his bedtime forward & try to give him a 20 min snooze through the day? For example, would he fall asleep with a walk in pram or drive in the car? He will be cranky as anything when he wakes up from this but it could help with the overtiredness. I've just gone through this with my 2.5 year old. He now sleeps 7-7 again & every 3-4 days has a little snooze on the sofa during his afternoon "chill"

I would reintroduce the nap but make it a very short one, 30 minutes max.

Consistent bedtime and maybe a gro clock for the early wakings (so he has to have quiet time and can't get up properly until "sunrise").

I would reintroduce nap too (for a short stint), or have quiet time, so bed with curtains closed and books. This is what I've been doing with my nearly 3yo who was showing signs of dropping a nap. She would then knod off while looking at books. She's now stopped this and only naps in the car, although bedtimes have suddenly got fractious with tears and afternoons a struggle, so I'm wondering if she's not quite ready yet. My first was 4 when she stopped napping!