Drop nap to fix early waking?

[PerditaMacleod]

I'm at my wits end and don't know what to do here! DS was just 2 last month and for a couple of weeks now he has been waking earlier and earlier - It used to be around 6:30, has been 6 recently, and 5 this morning 😭.
He usually still naps at nursery for 30 mins - 1 hour but at home on the weekends he is not having it at all. So I'm wondering if he needs to drop the nap entirely and if it will fix the early waking. On the days where he doesn't nap at all he's not a total mess, he just seems a bit young to drop it. Also he's very stubborn and wilful so if we drop the nap and it doesn't make any difference to the mornings I don't think we would be able to reinstate it!
We have tried to just leave him in the mornings but he starts shouting at the top of his voice as soon as he's awake, waking up DD4 and I'm sure the poor neighbours as well...
I did read that there's a 2 year sleep regression and thinking maybe it's that and we should persevere. Would be great to hear about others' experiences.

DD was 2y2m when she dropped it. Worked like a charm, went straight back to a more civilised time.

I could’ve written your post! I’m wondering the same thing about my DS, he’s 2.5. I just can’t seem to get him thru the day without being grumpy if he doesn’t nap.

He was usually a 6.30 riser but it’s just been getting earlier and earlier. Today was 5.15. I’m holding hope that in 2 weeks 5.15 will be 6.15 with the clock change

In the meantime I’m coping by going to bed at 9pm and hoping it passes!

Same, @Nattalie18, 9pm bedtime for me! Although annoyingly doing that I've now programmed myself to wake up between 5-6, so on the very rare occasion that neither child wakes up early, I'm awake anyway 😠

Living in hope for the clock change!!

My DD is 2.4 and is has pretty much stopped napping now. She might nod off for 15 mins here and there if we are out in the car or pram but that's it. It's helped massively with bedtime as she's shattered by 6:30 whereas before she would be really hard work to get to sleep so I'm loving having my evenings back. She does still wake early though. She was singing twinkle twinkle little star to herself at 5:40 this morning but didn't start shouting me until 6 when the sun came up on her grow clock. She is going to bed earlier though and I'm a early riser anyway so suits me fine. Have you thought about trying a grow clock?

I'd say definitely worth trying to drop them, especially if he doesn't seem to want them most days anyway. If he still obviously needed them and was tired in the day then I probably wouldn't.

@devildeepbluesea that's encouraging!

@Littlepoppet1 don't even talk to me about gro clocks, DD has one and she makes a mockery of the whole thing, takes no notice whatsoever 😡. I've been threatening to throw the stupid thing out of the window (the clock, not DD 😁). I had thought about it for DS but not sure if he would get it yet.

@PerditaMacleod I'd say put the gro clock away but try again. Took DD a couple of his before she took heed of it.

@devildeepbluesea yep, tried that a couple of times over the last couple of years, no dice 😁 I live in hope!

@PerditaMacleod ah okay! DD doesn't fully understand but she enjoys saying goodnight to the sun and hello to the stars at bedtime and it has definitely helped her understand the difference between day and night. Sometimes she waits for the sun to come up before shouting me, other times she just ignores it and shouts me anyway
Might be worth introducing it to your DS, even if he doesn't fully understand the concept yet. Understand why you wouldn't want to though if your DD didn't take to it!

I had a different issue but similar re nursery. She wouldn't go to bed at night if she had a nap. Would never nap with me but would at nursery and it was usually around an hour. I had to say to them 30mins max and eventually said try not to let her nap at all. It did help and she wld go to bed fine.

Hope it helps with the crazy early mornings! Maybe bed time could be moved on a bit too if it's already quite early.

I'm up at 5.30 every day (unavoidable, DH wakes the house when he gets up for work). You can try dropping the nap if you like- if he's not ready you'll soon know!