Yall. I’m struggling. My 2.5 year old’s sleep is horrific right now. I know a lot of it can be chalked up to development, molars, and just being two… but I’d like to make sure all my bases are covered from my end.
I own a childcare program and we need to be there at 9am weekdays. I’m able to leave work to give her a nap in our bed, which works about 2/3 of the time.
My daughter and I sleep alone together, dad sleeps downstairs.
My ideal sleep schedule for her is 8-8 with a 1.5 hour nap mid day. THIS IS NOT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
In a perfect world:
We start bedtime routine at 7 with a bath, followed by pjs and a little snack, her night time milk, brush teeth, go upstairs to our room, and fill up the humidifier. I have a “sunset” light that dims over the course of 30 min while we read books or “talk about fings today” where I just list our activities through the day or ask her questions about what we did. It’s lovely and sweet.
She’s typically asleep by the time the light turns off.
HOWEVER. This last 4 weeks she falls asleep and 4-6 hours later wakes up. I change her diaper, give her some water, and then she barrel rolls half asleep in my arms, lightly scratching my skin til it feels like nails on a chalkboard, or kicking me square in the face or stomach for 2-4 HOURS. She’s not upset, not even really awake, she just can’t fall fully back asleep. Then she falls deeply asleep from 7-850 and I have to wake her up to go to work.
The last three nights for example:
Asleep at 930-10pm
Up 3-7 am rolling and squirming
Deeply asleep 7-850
Nap 130-245
The later sleep gives us later nap which gives us later bedtime. So we look for sleep cues before starting the routine because even with a 7pm routine and the sunset light, she’s up til 10. I can manage all that, but WTF is going on from 3-7am?? I’d be fine getting up earlier if she was getting solid sleep, even if she woke up, got a diaper, and went back down.
What can I be doing differently?
I own a childcare program and we need to be there at 9am weekdays. I’m able to leave work to give her a nap in our bed, which works about 2/3 of the time.
My daughter and I sleep alone together, dad sleeps downstairs.
My ideal sleep schedule for her is 8-8 with a 1.5 hour nap mid day. THIS IS NOT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
In a perfect world:
We start bedtime routine at 7 with a bath, followed by pjs and a little snack, her night time milk, brush teeth, go upstairs to our room, and fill up the humidifier. I have a “sunset” light that dims over the course of 30 min while we read books or “talk about fings today” where I just list our activities through the day or ask her questions about what we did. It’s lovely and sweet.
She’s typically asleep by the time the light turns off.
HOWEVER. This last 4 weeks she falls asleep and 4-6 hours later wakes up. I change her diaper, give her some water, and then she barrel rolls half asleep in my arms, lightly scratching my skin til it feels like nails on a chalkboard, or kicking me square in the face or stomach for 2-4 HOURS. She’s not upset, not even really awake, she just can’t fall fully back asleep. Then she falls deeply asleep from 7-850 and I have to wake her up to go to work.
The last three nights for example:
Asleep at 930-10pm
Up 3-7 am rolling and squirming
Deeply asleep 7-850
Nap 130-245
The later sleep gives us later nap which gives us later bedtime. So we look for sleep cues before starting the routine because even with a 7pm routine and the sunset light, she’s up til 10. I can manage all that, but WTF is going on from 3-7am?? I’d be fine getting up earlier if she was getting solid sleep, even if she woke up, got a diaper, and went back down.
What can I be doing differently?
my girl dropped hers at that age. When she didn’t nap she’d go to bed at 7 instead of 8 and she’d fall asleep instantly and sleep improved greatly
Good luck!