Looking for Suggestions on How to Get My 2.7 Year Old to Sleep past 4:30Am

Both my kids stopped naps at 2. But when 5 o'clock rolled around or if they were not active in the afternoon it was difficult because they'd sometimes fall asleep then. So I had to keep them active then put them to bed earlier in the evening.

i wouldnt drop the nap. i would cut the afternoon nap to no more than 2 hrs and then put him to bed at maybe 7:30 and see if he sleeps later. the earlier my daughter goes to bed - the later she sleeps in the morning...weird right?

is maybe his diaper full? and that is why he is up and cant go back to sleep?

You can try dropping the nap and see if it works for you. If you do drop the nap, you may need to put him to bed earlier. Does he fall asleep right away during his nap? If not, it's a sign that he may not need it. Experiment now, before the baby comes, but keep the habit of a quiet hour, where he must play quietly in his room or read books, something to allow you a break, as you will have an active toddler and a newborn soon.

Updated

Kids this age aren't usually ready to drop the nap. When he gets up a 4, give him an earlier nap that day, and then an earlier bedtime (say around 7:30). Hopefully, this will get his clock back on track.

We have been going through a similar situation- 5ish wakings, resisting bed time which is 7:30 but really 8 by the time the routine is done. My 2.11 yr old was napping two hrs too. A lot of moms said drop the nap but I didn't think this was the way to go since he napped for a good length so I thought he still needed it! And our second son is due this week too.
So I shortened his nap by a half hr and moved up bedtime 15 minutes, just to give us a headstart on the chaos that ensues...the past few days he's been sleeping a bit later! And falling asleep a little earlier at night (no jinx!) Getting him out during the day is helpful but I know that will be tough when the new baby is here...
Also, last spring we bought this monkey alarm clock online- Momo. This was right after daylight savings sprung ahead because he was getting up super early again. It wasn't to wake him at a certain time, it was to tell him when Momo woke up, that's when it was ok to call for mommy and daddy. Because he would scream scream scream. We'd give him some books and he'd call for us when Momo woke up (his eyes open and there are jungle sounds.) Of course if he was sick or something we'd go in there regardless of the time.
We still have him in a crib- only because I thought he had already been through enough change this year- took away his binky, potty training, pre-school and the new baby coming. I am hoping to move him to a bed in the spring. But I wouldn't go back if you already have him in a bd (esp. since you are prob. using it for your new baby.)
Good luck with this and your new arrival!

If he's sleeping that long at nap time, he still needs it. Did he go from waking at 5:30 to 4:30 when the clocks changed? If so, you could try keeping him up an hour late for a few days (will be rough) just to get him back on schedule. There is also a clock made for little kids that has a red light until it is time to get out of bed and then a green light - sorry I don't know what it is called.
D.

Try shortening the afternoon nap to 1 hour (or 1.5 hours max) and bring the bedtime up earlier (because he will be cranky earlier!). Also, we got an alarm clock (from Amazon) that has a picture of a sleeping bunny (lit up at night) and "awake" bunny (which switches on at a certain time you set). We set it for 6:30am, and after a few weeks of talking about it to our 3-year old, she now knows that she is not supposed to get up until the bunny "wakes up". It has not completely solved our nighttime problems, but it has helped a lot, especially with a newborn at home! Good luck!

Might be time to drop the nap MAYBE 1 or 2 days per week. Or like Alli suggested--limit it to 1.5 to 2 hrs only.
Black out shades?
Is there a noise at that time waking him? (car starting or furnace, etc)
White noise might help, as might an earlier bedtime. Sleep begets sleep. Good luck!

With my son I had to try all kinds of sleep combinations before I finally came up with one that worked. What ended up working best for us was no naps and making bed time earlier. I found that the earlier he goes to bed the later he sleeps. So he is in bed by 7:30 every night and up between 7:00 and 8:00 every morning.

This might not work for you, but this is what most people suggested to me and it worked. Most people said, "Sleep begets sleep", meaning, not enough sleep (or going to bed late) can actually make them sleep less (or wake up early). I know you give him a nap, so he gets his correct hours of sleep, but then the problem (at least with my son) is that the nap keeps him from falling asleep at bedtime. I would at least try a shorter nap, maybe an hour, instead of 2 1/2 hours.

As far as him not being ready to drop a nap at this age goes, my doctor told me that not all kids need (or benefit) from naps. It's really just about getting the right number of hours of sleep. Both of my kids dropped naps by age 2, they just weren't working for them.

My son is 2 yrs. 10 mos, and at about 2 and 1/2 he went through that early rising phase! It is a hard transition when they need less sleep all together, but really still need the nap in the middle of the day. We started my decreasing my son's naps to 1 and 1/2 hours and wouldn't let him sleep past 3:30, so if he took a late nap, it might be even shorter. We found that even with a long nap he would go to bed easily at night, but get up really early. Now he doesn't actually take a nap everyday... in fact he actually naps only 2-3 times per week now, but we always put him in his room for an hour for "rest time" even if he doesn't fall asleep. Now that he isn't napping much his nights are longer (in bed between 7:30 and 8:00 depending on if he naps, and wakes up between 6:15 and 7:00). My suggestion would be not to drop the nap abruptly, but make it shorter. Eventually, his body will ajust and he will sleep better at night... then he will wean himself from the nap when he gets better night time rest (but try to keep some down time in the middle of the day- my daughter watchs a movie when my son rests/naps- occasionally my son will join her when nap is just not in the cards). I would also suggest when you shorten his nap, to actually put him in bed just a little earlier...sometimes sleep begets sleep. However, I found that at this age my son gets about approximately 11 hours of sleep in 24 hours... mostly nighttime sleep now, but will nap occasionally when he needs it- so I keep the midday routine the same as much as possible.

Good Luck

I think that's a Long nap, I'd wake him up after 1 1/2 hours. How dark is it in his room in the AM? make sure you have room darkening shades if he gets morning light at 4:30.

If he's quiet and stays in his room, who cares? We got our first child a digital clock and at that age could learn the number 7. She couldn't get up until 7. She was quiet, we slept, no problem.

I have been experimenting with dropping naps for the last 6 months. I find that even though my 33 month old son does get cranky on some days he sleeps much deeper and longer without a nap. If I let him have a nap and sleep however long he wants he doesnt go to bed unil 11 at night. If I wake him up after an hour then he is in a bad mood for a while and still wont go to bed until about 10. So you can try dropping the nap or, it sounds like he is being a good boy so you can just accept that he gets up early and plays quietly.

Oh I sooooo feel your pain! I just went thru this last year when my son was 2.5 and I was due any day with my daughter. We had just moved him into a big boy bed and he was waking up anytime before 4-5 a.m.! I was so exhausted!

I think it's just a phase and that you have to kind of stick it out. The phase lasted about a month or 2 and then he went back to sleeping until 7 a.m. again. I don't know why toddlers do this, but they seem to just go thru these phases when the early bird catches the worm!

I would definitely try and cut the nap in half. I wouldn't take it away completely- unless you think he can handle it. Maybe wake him after an hour or so. If you think he can go all day with no nap, then try putting him down at 6:30-7:00 and see how long he sleeps.

Good luck!!! Nothing is worse than being so pregnant and having those little devils wake up before the sun.

Lynsey