Ideal sleep schedule for 2.5 year old

[DahliaRose]

Can anyone give me a sleep schedule that works for 2.5 year old?

Main issues are recent night waking, only settling when he is brought into our bed and then earlyish waking (6am) in addition to inconsistent naps.

His usual schedule was 6.30-7am wake up

12.30 nap for 1.5-2 hours

7 o'clock bed asleep by 8pm

Recently he's been having days of no naps then he is shattered at bed time- he can go 2-3 days without a nap then have a 2 hour nap.m again.

We are still doing 7pm bedtime (earlier if he hasn't had a nap)

The past 2 weeks he's been waking at various times 10pm, midnight, 3am crying and will only settle if he is brought into our bed.

We don't get a recent sleep with him in with us as he kicks and jumps around and then is awake at 6am or before.

My little one is off a similar age and has almost the same schedule as you.

Only difference is I have started shortening the nap to 45 mins- 1 hour as they just don't need it anymore!

Good luck!

Thanks so much @ewaw1

He used to nap every day consistently 1.5-2 hours but recently it can be 2-3 or no nap then back to 2 hours.

My main issue at the moment is the night waking and only settling if I take him into bed with us.

I don't mind going in to settle him but as soon as I put him down or he's drifted off he wakes up again.

I also don't mind letting him cry a bit before going in but he isn't stopping.

How to I keep him out of our bed.

Today for example he had his nap 12.30-2.30 and settled no problem and I plan for a 7pm bed as normal. However he will likely wake up during the night again.

I’d try and get him to nap every day but cap it to 45 minutes. Should hopefully bridge the gap between overtired and not tired enough, which it sounds like you’re swinging between at the moment.

@FlounderingFruitcake I think I will try cutting his nap.

When he comes into our bed though he falls straight asleep 🤷🏼‍♀️

So he is clearly tired.

Hi @DahliaRose

Looking at your little one’s age and assuming that he only just now started coming into your bed this is what I would advise:

1. First get clear on a night response when he wakes up. You want to feel comfortable and confident how to support him in the middle of the night when you all are tired. This is a key as you want to keep the routine consistent and have one approach to respond. Often, when exhausted, we are prone to inconsistent responses and that maintains a sleep problem. Hope that makes sense.
2. Explain to your little one what is going to happen- you need to let him know what is going to happen before putting it into action. In an age appropriate language explain what is going to happen when he wakes at night so the change in your response will not be a surprise to him.
3. Ensure he knows what is needed from him- the consistency of following through is essential in order to avoid confusion for your little one and feel safe. Speak about what we do at night and what happens in the morning, the difference between night and day. I advise my clients to buy a simple sleep-wake clock

In terms of what the night response should look like, I can’t advise on that as I always carry in-depth assessments on your current set up, little one’s personality, parenting style etc. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to children’s sleep so I would feel unprofessional to give you a full answer but what I would suggest is to look at the root of this challenge, has it happened before or just recently, what is your response to night waking. Once you discover the root of this, plan how to respond and follow through consistently. Be patient as often the first 2 night are more challenging but with the right approach you should see the difference within few days-week.

Thank you for this @ewaw1

Funnily enough he slept all night in his own bed last night but I will try these strategies if it continues.

I think it's definitely over tiredness

@DahliaRose
that’s a great news! x

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