My little one has started a new/strange sleep routine. He's been going down around 7:30 since he was a little bity, but since the time change we have been keeping him up until about 8 or 8:30. Our routine is very good and he goes down with no problem. When I was working I would have to wake him up at 6:30 in the am to get ready. I was recently laid off so now I'm home and since then our mornings have just not been the same.
He will usually get up at 5:30 or 6 and then not go back to sleep. (Lately he's been waking in the middle of the night screaming..but he'll eventually go back down) Once he's up he seems fine but then at 10am he's exhasuted so he'll fall asleep, sleep through lunch and then wake up at around 1. He'll be good until about 5 and then he turns into a bear.
Basically, I'm tring to find a routine that will get him enough sleep at night and then a good routine for meals and the one nap he usually takes. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.
Sounds similar to my 15 month old, here is our schedule:
he wakes up 5:45,breakfast at 6:30, snack at 9:30 goes down for a nap from about 10:30-1pm, then
I give him lunch, a snack or bottle at 3pm, dinner at 5:30, in bed at 7pm.
Of course these times are approximate, but all within 30min. try and keep a schedule for about 14 days, then he will get used to it.Good luck
sleep stuff is so hard, I feel for you! and at a time when there's the added stress of being laid off, it can really be a struggle.
here's my suggestion for a 15-month-old (based on having 3 boys, one of whom was a TERRIBLE sleeper, and having read pretty much all of the sleep books from Weissbluth to Pantley...): 8 or 8:30 is too late for him to be going to bed, he's getting over-tired and that's why he's getting up earlier in the morning. I know, I know, it's counter-intuitive, and it's one of the ironies of parenthood: at some point, going to bed later means getting up earlier and getting even less sleep. So, over the next week or so, move his bedtime earlier by 15-20 min every couple of days.
in addition, for now, go ahead and put him down for a nap at 9 or 9:30am, but make sure he's up by 10:30, 11 at the latest. you'll only be re-introducing the morning nap for a few weeks, but it'll help you catch him up on his sleep. then, do something fun and active until noon or 12:30, lunch at 12:30, and back in the crib at 1:30 for his afternoon nap, which hopefully will last a couple of hours (don't lose heart if it takes some time for this nap to start to stretch out). ultimately, he should have dinner at 5:30 if you can swing it, then start bedtime routine at 6:15 (bath, changing, music, dim lights, stories, song, in bed w/ lights out) and in bed at 7 (adjust the dinner-to-bed schedule accordingly as you adjust the bedtime itself over the next week or so, so in the beginning you'll be doing dinner closer to 7 to match his 8:30 bedtime, and you'll drop it back 15-20 min every couple of days just like you're dropping bedtime back). As he starts to make up his sleep deficit, he'll start to sleep later in the morning, and eventually he'll be waking up between 6 and 7, at which time you can slowly eliminate the morning nap by keeping him active during that time, give him a snack at 10 or 10:30, more activity, lunch at 11:30 and move the afternoon nap earlier for a time while he adjusts (so instead of putting him down at 9 and 1:30, you'll put him down at noon and slowly move it later until he's napping from 1-3).
I know this sounds very scheduled, but the reality is, you need to watch your kid and stay flexible; this should be used as a guideline, not as strict doctrine.
I know it's a lot to process, but you'll get this under control and by the time he's 18 mos you'll be feeling much better about things!
good luck!
he sounds overtired. try putting him to bed earlier. I have found that if I put my kids down too late, they are up in the night and very early, but if I put them to bed earlier they sleep later. Strange, but sleep begets sleep. also, morning nap should be about 1 1/2 hours after he gets up for the day, so if he does wake up at 6, put him down around 730-8 for his am nap. Let him sleep for about 2 hrs (no more than that) then second nap would be after lunch. good luck.
My son went through the same phase at about that age. I think it's related to some of their growth/development schedule. I would nurse him and put him down again and he would go back to sleep for another hour, and get up around his usual wake up time of 6:30 or 7. He is back to usually sleeping all the way through the night (rather than getting up at 5 or 5:30) and he's 19 mos now. Good luck!
All best,
A.
I find that if I feed my young kids dinner at 5 PM it helps keep them happy and helps with bedtime schedules. Or at least a sit-down snack, if you need them to have a dinner with Daddy when he gets home.
maybe hes used to getting up in the morning and going to childcare and running around with friends to tire him out. now that he doesnt have that he isnt as tired for a nap so he stays up making him a grump before bed time. try wearing him out during the day.
When my first child was about 4 months old, and we were feeling sleep deprived and confused about scheduling, a good friend recommended Dr. Weissbluth's book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," and that has been our sleep "bible" for both of our children. They're both well-rested and on a good schedule, and best of all, my husband and I have a sane sleep life. I recommend this book to everyone I know who's struggling with sleep schedules. Good luck!
Night terrors are very common at that age. I know a lot of boys that have gone threw them around 15 months. The best thing is to let him cry and go back to sleep. But with nap I would try to push his nap so he isnt a bear by 5 for you. Each day make it 30 min later until you get to a perfect time for you and him. Which by 15 months is normally 12:00. Try feeding him lunch at 11:30 and a good way to keep your little one up is to get them out and moving. Hope things get better soon
