I have a 13-month-old little boy and we've recently changed his nap schedule so he is only taking one nap per day. The transition was fairly smooth and he's now taking up to 3 hour naps, from about 11:45 to 2:45. We put him to bed around 7:00 and generally sleeps through the night without trouble. However, he wakes at 5:00 or earlier almost every day. We've been following Dr. Weissbluth's book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," so we have picked 6am as an acceptable wake up time. We let him fuss it out, not going in unless he needs a quick diaper check or something, but so far, no dice on him waking up later on his own. We tried moving his bedtime back a bit, but that didn't seem to make a difference in the wake up time. We thought transitioning to one nap would be the answer, so don't know what else to try. Is three hours too long for a nap? Sometimes we have to wake him after three hours, but I don't think letting him sleep longer during the day will help. Any success with establishing a later wake up time?
Thanks to all who suggested giving him some books when he wakes at 5. I really didn't think this would work, but I gave him a sippy with water and a stack of board books and he keeps himself occupied for that last hour now. I'm not sure if he's falling back to sleep or just flipping though the books, but it's dead silent in there for a long stretch of time. We do have all the windows tinfoiled to keep it dark, so when he calls to us at 5, I uncover the monitor, which has a bright light on it that we usually keep covered. This gives him some light to read by, but not so much that he thinks it's time to really wake up. Anyway, not sure how long this will last, but this is a solution that's working for all of us right now. Thanks, mamas!
Hi, I have twin boys about the same age. are wake up time is between 6:30 and 7 am. I have one who 3 or 4 times a week wakes up around 5. I just learned a new trick and it is working great! Before I go to bed I place a sippy cup with water in his crib and a non-noisy toy. I think he plays with it for a few minutes then goes back to sleep. It seems to be working. Good luck!
I consulted with a sleep expert and she told me that if you have a child waking up between 3-5am (at that age), it's because they went to bed too late.
I would put your little one down 'earlier'. Believe it or not, the earlier they go to bed, the longer they will sleep. My 13 month old sleeps from 6p-6a and my 2 1/2 year old sleeps from 7p-7a. Right now my 13 month old naps from 9:00-11:00 and then from 2-3. And she usually goes to bed between 5:30p and 6:00p. If she dropped her second nap, she would definitely be going to bed by 6:00pm (or earlier). Davis said that 2nd naps will usually drop around 15 months - although I know all babies are different because my son dropped his second at 14 months). I am just sharing with you what I learned (and I consulted w/her on both my babies). All I know too is that the older they get, they STILL need a lot of sleep (because they are more active).
Go to www.3daysleep.com and you can get Davis' sleep DVD - it's cheap and the BEST investment you will ever make!! :)
Good luck!
Hi! I use that book as well(still using it for my 3 year old). Try only letting him have a 2 hour nap. With any luck that should solve the problem. With our daughter she only had one nap at this age and went to bed at 7(still does) and would sleep until 630-7.
Message me if you would like to talk about this some more.
GL!
When my daughter started waking before 5am we tried several things, too. She only takes about a 2 hour nap midday, and I had tried moving bedtime up to 7-7:30, but she would wake so darn early! So we pushed bedtime back again to 8-8:30 and she's sleeping till 6:30-7:30 again. Granted, she doesn't sleep through the night (never has), so we wake a few times to nurse. But at least we are not up before dawn anymore! I think it's a matter of trial and error to see what works best for your baby...and then don't expect it to stick. We seem to change patterns every few months. :)
Here is a useful link:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-chil...
I think, that you need to go according to the child, not a clock.
There is no perfect "formula" for having a child sleep according to how we as adults want.
There is a whole marketing of books, for sleep solutions.
Your son seems to sleep REAL well. Believe me. The only so called "problem" is that he wakes early.
For me and based on the 2 kids I have and how they were when babies... both my kids at that age were STILL taking 2 naps. Morning and afternoon. Not because I 'made' them, but because they intrinsically NEEDED it. Then, they went to bed BY 8:00 at the very latest. Then they both woke the next morning, on average, between 6:30-7:00am.
This was according to THEIR own rhythm... and I observed them and gauged them according to their needs and having a "routine" for naps and sleep daily.
I am not familiar with that book. But "choosing" what time to make a baby or child wake up, does not make sense to me.... unless they are school-aged and therefore have to wake up early for school. Sorry. AND, each child is different. So... there is no boiler-plate template that will fit all babies or kids.
Again, your baby is sleeping REAL well. Sometimes, if we mess with them too much and alter their own natural rhythm... we can make it worse.
Have you ever known a "morning person" or a "NON-morning person?" Some people just ALWAYS wake up bright and perky and early in the morning. Some don't and sleep in ALL morning and are super grumpy if woken up earlier than they are ready for. Well... same for a baby.
ALL my kids lives... they have ALWAYS woken up at the SAME time-frame... NO matter when they went to bed or no matter what their morning/afternoon nap schedule was, no matter what. SAME for all my friends who has more than 1 kid.
Maybe I am just dense... but I would have left him the way he was... and with 2 naps... and then let him/you gradually transition to other nap times as he gets older naturally. BASED on his needs and developmental rhythms. Not ALL kids, "have to" have only 1 nap at this age. My kids, "needed" 2 naps a day at that age up until at least 2-2.5 years old. I knew when they were tired and did not force it. Then when they wake, they wake.
Or maybe, this book method is better and I just don't get it... being dense.
Anytime my kids woke early, especially at growth-spurt periods, I would let them hang-out in their crib until they "called" for me. If they were awake, they were awake. BUT, my kids would often just play in their cribs by themselves and just hang out. So, that is fine too.
But also, at each developmental change and age-set... sleep patterns changes or goes through phases. So, even if a certain method works... it might not be the same all the time... because a child is always changing and their developmental patterns are too.
I am sure, that if I asked my Mom what time I went to bed and woke up in the morning as a baby.... it is NOT the same as I am now.
all the best,
Susan
Hi, A.. My hubby and I also did the Weissbluth plan for our son. He goes to bed at 7 and wakes at 7. His nap used to be 2+ hours, but after some time he began waking early in the am. Basically, now they don't need as much sleep during the day as previous. You can tell by the earlier wake time. Try waking him after a 2 hour nap for a week or so, then reduce it to 1.5 hours (if still waking too early in the am). That is usually about how long they need during the day, with 11-12 hours at night. It worked with our little one who is the same age.
Hope this helps!
Oh A., how I can relate. When my son was your son's age, he went to bed very early, got up very early and slept 2-3 hours every afternoon. My son is now 10 and still sleeps 10 1/2 to 11 hours every night, but he now rarely wakes up before 6:30am. He is a high energy kid, who does not run on low or medium speed ever... He runs on high every waking hour, so he's very tired and God bless him, he sleeps great. When he was little, I found that allowing him to have a couple toys in bed with him to play with in the early morning hours was helpful along with an alarm clock set for the hour I would find acceptable as a wake up time helped him to understand when Mommy would be in to get him. I would also suggest darkout blinds or curtains to keep the light from his room. This might fake him out. It didn't mine, but I have heard other parents rave about their success. Good luck, A.!
Personally, I would enjoy the 3 hour nap. I am also a follower of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. My son is 17 months old and he is just starting to wake up at 6. He goes to sleep at 7 and naps for 2 to 2 1/2 hrs during the day. It has taken a little over 2 months of having him stay in the crib and fussing to finally get him to sleep until 6. It hasn't been easy, but it is so nice to finally having him wake up at a decent hour. (He used to wake up at 5) Not everything is perfect, it's a work in progress, but it is finally working.
