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14 month old nightmare at bedtime

6 replies

WalkingOnSonshine · 04/03/2022 21:26

My 14 month old recently has become a nightmare at bedtime. He dropped to one nap quite consistently about 6 weeks ago, sleeping 12-2 and then bedtime for 7.

In the last two weeks, bedtime has been getting later and later. Bedtime took 80 mins tonight, and eventually his dad came in as he was not upset but just bouncing around his cot. I can’t deal with the lack of evenings - I literally have an hour to tidy up, shower and talk to my husband before I’m ready for bed myself.

Nursery have tried two naps and he just is not having any of it. He woke up at 2pm yesterday having gone down at 1pm and was up 3 times in the night.

Wake up is typically 7.15am, nap 12-2 and I would love bedtime to be 7.15-7.30.

Him sleeping through is a totally separate issue - he typically does 3 hours in his cot & then he co-sleeps with one of us. There is absolutely no putting him back down in the cot after 11pm.

I don’t know whether to:

Embrace the 8-8.30pm bedtime and forgo my evenings.
Keep one nap but move it forward to the morning (which will impact his nursery routine)
Try putting him down to sleep earlier (6.30/6.45pm if we can) but would mean probably not eating with him.
Try him again on 2 naps, knowing he probably wouldn’t play ball at nursery.
Another scenario that my sleep deprived self hasn’t thought of!

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SuperSocks · 04/03/2022 21:31

Awww, I'm sorry, it sounds tough! Is he not seeming tired at bedtime, or is he getting tired in the evening and then the adrenaline kicks in and he becomes wired?

What time do you pick him up from nursery? Is he going every day?

welcometothecircus · 04/03/2022 21:44

Could be be overtired come bedtime and so a bit wired? I'd probably try bringing bedtime forward for a few nights and seeing if it helps any. DD was a nightmare when she dropped to one nap so I sympathise!

WalkingOnSonshine · 04/03/2022 21:50

He’s never really had sleepy cues! Even as a newborn, I can count on both hands the amount of times I’ve seen him yawn or rub his eyes for example. We had to get very strict around wake windows back then.

Typically we get him home for 5.45-6pm, eat with him and then bedtime routine started about 7pm. He has quite bad eczema so we only bath him a couple of times a week, when we start that at about 6.40.

He’s at nursery four days, a day off mid week at home with me where I put him to sleep earlier but he might go down at 7.55pm instead!

He’s an absolutely dream kid in all ways except sleep! I might try earlier bedtimes and take him up at 6.30pm this weekend to see how he gets on.

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ChittyBang1987 · 05/03/2022 06:22

Maybe lo has longer wake windows? I read somewhere that once on one nap they can stay awake 6 hours or so. Tbh my lo can stay awake 5 hours before bed as long as she's had good naps and she's 1 year old.

WalkingOnSonshine · 07/03/2022 13:36

We tried slightly earlier naps plus earlier bedtime routines this weekend, and he was asleep between 7 & 7.30.

Still waking up hysterical after 3 hours though, and wake up is getting earlier.

Think we are going to keep on with the earlier bedtimes & see how we go.

I have a theory that it’s somehow linked to the clocks changing soon - everyone I know says that their child’s sleep has gone haywire recently!

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Laura2211 · 08/03/2022 06:19

I had this problem with DD1. No matter how she napped in the day, bedtime was a real battle! I just accepted the late bedtime as I was wasting so much time trying to force her to sleep at 7 when she clearly wasn’t ready. She dropped her nap shortly after turning 2 & I finally got my 7pm bedtime, complete bliss!
Up to you but for me it saved more time and stress just letting her stay up later.

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