2yo waking multiple times a night

[CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove]

For the past couple weeks, DS 2yo has been taking longer to get down at night, waking up multiple times a night, and waking for the day around 5/5:30am.

He's in a toddler bed, so means with each wake up he's coming into our room. Most of the time he's not crying or upset, just comes and stands at the side of our bed. Occasionally he cries, but not usually. We'll then take him back into his bed and have to resettle him. But this is happening 2-4/5 times a night.

He naps for around 1.5hrs and goes to bed at 6:45 every day. He LOVES his naps, but wondering if we need to shorten them to get him sleeping at night?

I would say he goes to bed/ sleep very early hence the early waking. Ours goes to sleep at 8/08:15pm but in bed by 07:30, 15 minutes stories and then it just takes him some time to settle. He wakes at around 7am and has a 1.5h nap from 13:00 - 14:30.

I have no advice on the night wakings in itself. Does he settle by himself when he goes to sleep at night and for naps?

Is he just 2 or nearly 3?

We're having similar problems with our nearly 3yo. I think in reality he needs to massively cut or even soon drop his afternoon nap to help with the early waking and night wakings. DS also LOVES his naps though. It's tough!

Also that is quite an early bedtime, DS only goes down at 6/6.30 if he doesn't nap. I'd say 7.30 is more usual if he does have a nap. Still wakes at 5ish though, so maybe if you shift your bedtime you may get a better wake up time.

@saywhatwhatnow He's just 2yo (2y/2mo).

Interesting you both say that's an early bedtime, I only have a couple friends with DC his age, but they all have bedtime about 630/645. Though my DS is the only one who's terrible at overnight sleep...

I have a similar issue with my 2YO (2year, 2months also)

He goes up at about 7.30, takes ages to settle (screaming, shouting. If I don't go in he starts telling me he needs a wee, and because he's potty trained and dry at night I go in as I don't want him wetting the bed! If I bring him back downstairs he's out in minutes on the sofa. If I make his bedtime later it's the same thing.

Then multiple wakings at night and the day starts between 5.30-6. I don't let him have longer than 90 min nap (sometimes I only let him have an hour) if he doesn't have it he's a grumpy sod!

I remember this phase with my now 6 year old. It's painful and knackering but eventually he'll grow out of it. I just hope it's soon as I'm so tired!!

Also agree bed is very early, at this age they often only need about 12-13 hours a day sleep so if he is getting 1.5 hours at lunchtime then he is probably fine on under 11 hours at night so by 5.30am he’s had enough.

I’d say try cutting the nap to max of 1 hour and also pushing bedtime later.

@CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove if he settles by himself in the evening & Day time nap to sleep, I have no advice re night wakings. If he doesn't, it makes sense that at the end of a sleep cycle he'd need you again to fall back to sleep.

Thanks for the replies...will try pushing bedtime back and see what that does.

@cheesebubble He settles himself to sleep at bedtime and naps. Don't know if it's just the novelty of realising he can get out of his bed in the middle of the night

Would he stay asleep if you brought him into bed with you at the first wake-up? If my 2yo wakes she then goes right through in our bed, and is likely to sleep later in the morning too.

@CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove I have no clue what to do then, ours is 2y2m but I'm 36 weeks pregnant so the cot/ bed transition will have to wait. I wonder how this is going to go for us ......

@cheesebubble we moved DS to the toddler bed early January (again, because his sleep was atrocious and think the cot stresses him out). After about a week he settled really well and hilariously wouldn't get out of bed unless we called him. So not sure if it literally is just he's realised he can get out on his own and it's a bit of a novelty

@burritofan

Would he stay asleep if you brought him into bed with you at the first wake-up? If my 2yo wakes she then goes right through in our bed, and is likely to sleep later in the morning too.

Sometimes. Or sometimes he decides he wants to play / kick / pick our nose...

I would try later bedtime - maybe 7.45/8. Or cut down or even cut out the nap.

My DS stopped having a nap around then. It was hard work as if he napped he wouldn't go to bed til 10.30ish. My childminder sometimes used to let him nap. It was tiring as he wouldn't even do quiet time & didn't like watching TV. So it was full on all day.

I think 6.45 is too early & it's fine if they sleep through but makes no sense if they're up and down in the night.

My DD happens until almost 3 & would do 12 hrs at night. DS only ever needed 11 hours - so would tend to go to bed slightly later.

I can't see him making it till 8, even by 6/630 he's often asking bed, or at least the start of bedtime routine, after a full day of nursery. But maybe it's extending the pre-bedtime wind down

@CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove what time does he come home from nursery? Mine eats at 5pm, we pick him up at 5:30pm, home by 05:45/6pm. He gets to play with us until 06:45, 15 minutes TV time, bath time at 7, in bed by about 07:30, reading, milk, teeth and sleep.

What's your routine?

My 2y3m old doesn’t sleep at night if he naps in the day at all.
If he doesn’t nap he sleeps 8pm-7am ish. If he sleeps for even 10 mins in the day he is up and down like a yo-yo all night.
I’d try cutting his nap short.

@cheesebubble We're home about 5:30, then play for a bit, (every other day we do bath 6-6:30), wind down with CBeebies / teeth / pjs till 6:45, up to bed for a story and sleep.

Normally, he'd be asleep between 6:45/7pm. Some days he still is, some days he's crying or even coming to the stair gate till 7:30 or 8 at a push. But no matter what he's still up 2-5 times in the night. Again, usually goes back pretty easily but sometimes really fights it

@CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove it all sounds perfectly reasonable, the waking time I can understand but overall, he doesn't sleep too much I would say. You sound like you're doing a brill job, maybe just a phase and got to ride it out? Sounds exhausting though - sending hugs xx

@cheesebubble He was with my MIL today and slept for almost 2hrs, waking at 3:40pm! Terrified to know what that's going to mean tonight. Though definitely will be a late bedtime!

@CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove oh dear my worst nightmare, I always say: wake between 02:15 &02:30 because only god knows how long he'd sleep otherwise (loves to nap)! My MIL has him on a Friday.

I actually like that he still naps well though, it gives everyone a break and has for the past 2 years and 3 months 😅

Just see how it goes though, he might end up sleeping though 😂😂

Oh I know - I need his nap time as much as he does! 😂

@CoffeeandCakeEqualsLove how did it go? X

@cheesebubble Not too bad actually! We also moved the stair gate to his door, which helped.

Finally went down about 8:45. Up once at 3am - but went back really quick. Up at 5 - went to the gate, shook it, got back in bed, shouted for us once, laid down and went back to sleep till 6:45 😂

We've told nursery a shorter nap today, so hopefully we can carry on but with a more normal bedtime x