18month waking earlier and earlier - please help

[orangefish]

For the first 14months of her life, She was such a bad sleeper. Woke most hours of the night.

At 14months, I took wheat out of her diet and she became a different little girl she also started sleeping!!!! music to my ears!!!! x

up until just recently, she'd happily have between 2.5 - 3 hours of day time sleep. roughly the same length nap both morning and afternoon.
She'd go to bed around 6.30pm (not sure exactly what time she'd fall asleep as i put her to bed awake) and then get up around 6am.

just recently she's been having the same day time sleep, but waking earlier. between 4.30 - 5.30 I could cry. Thought i'd got somewhere with her sleep! (plus we have a new arrival early next year,so was nice to get her sleeping before hand)

I've tried cutting her daytime naps, but that just makes her cranky and still get up at the same time each morning.. so over all, she has less and less sleep.

Plus the slightly later she goes to bed, the worse the night is and also will get up earlier

Not sure what to do.

She has a good diet now that she's off of the wheat - tests show she has an intolerance to it

she transfered into a big girls bed a few months ago really really well... but doesn't get out of bed unless I go in to get her
Thanks for listening x

 

[SaskySprite]

6:30pm does seem very early to be going to bed. Could you not train her to go to bed later and get up later? IE try and do a few nights of going to be at 7:30pm instead.

Plus the mornings will start getting darker so if she wakes up then you can tell her its still the night, go back to sleep. Or ignore her and she may go back to sleep on her own?

 

[orangefish]

sometimes I still hear her talking at gone 7, 7.30ish.... she'll happily lay in bed until she drops off, so she does go to sleep later than 6.30.

 

[billy2mm]

my youngest normally gets up about 7 when my alarm goes off but recently he has been getting up at 6. he did this for a few weeks a few months ago and i just get up, give him back his dummy and teddy, tuck him in and put the music back on and go back to bed. he gets left in bed till its time to get up. i refuse flat out to start getting up earlier and earlier with him when there is no need to. he soon gets the idea after a few days of being ignored!

 

[orangefish]

My daughter will just scream and cry if I did that... and because i'm so tired, I give in. I know I shouldn't but it's what I do at the time

Hoping to drop one of her day time naps to see if that helps at all.. We'll see

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

The days getting shorter might help!

My Lo wakes anything fro 5:30 - 7:30 with no pattern.

Will she snuggle in bed with you when she wakes? Cos sometimes when joshua wakes at 5:30 i just bring him in bed and even if he doesn't sleep he will lie next to me with his dummy and be quiet. where as if i leave him in his own room he kicks up a fuss

 

[pootle33]

My daughter will just scream and cry if I did that... and because i'm so tired, I give in. I know I shouldn't but it's what I do at the time

Hoping to drop one of her day time naps to see if that helps at all.. We'll see

I hope you dont mind me saying but she's quite old to have more than one nap during the day. Just from observing my niece and nephew and my LO who is 10 months...they generally reduce to one sleep before or around 12 months. LO has dropped his morning sleep just in the last week. 1.5-2 hours after lunch should be long enough during the day............but i know they are all different.

 

[rosie272]

I think dropping a daytime nap helps but I did love the old days when there was 2 long naps morning and afternoon, Charlie usually just naps 1.5 hours after lunch now and he is sleeping a bit longer in the mornings (6.30am after a few weeks of 5.30am) but this has only been for a couple of weeks and it could all change again tomorrow, soI won't get my hopes up As someone else has already said maybe try nudge bedtime towards 7.30pm and hope you get the extra hour in the morning! Good luck

 

[Laura--x]

Yeah she shouldnt really be having 2 naps a day, have u tried dropping the morning nap? Maisie goes to bed at 7pm.. wakes between 7.30-8.00pm and has a daytime nap around 12.30pm-2ish x

 

[orangefish]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. I've had 16months of really bad sleep with her and have always found that she sleeps better at night through having good day time sleep. So for the last couple of months that she's been sleeping better at night, I daren't mess about with her daytime sleep.


However - the last week has been different. But I agree. Her body is now telling me that she needs less daytime sleep now.

Last night was a good night Put to bed at 6.30pm and she woke in a lovely mood at 6.15am this morning. I was sooooo happy.
She refused her afternoon nap yesterday. But sometimes if she does that, she's then over tired at bed and it becomes a nightmare - so from today, I will move her morning nap later.

Fingers crossed it'll be for more than one night!

Thanks again

ps- my daughter is still really tiny and even though she's 18months, she's in 6-9m clothes. I still think she's my tiny baby (she's my first too, so don't have any other experience) I need to let her grow up, haha xxxx

 

[rosie272]

Aw thats brilliant you's had a good night - hope it continues for ya