Yalllow! Sleep question

yalllow

Hi ladies, don't expect you to remember me - I lurked big time with my first son! We've since had another

Wanted to ask you experienced ladies about our almost 3 year old's sleep. My son has been waking soooo early (4:30 at the earliest). He comes into our bed and wants to play. Sure, we check and make sure he's not wet, etc. however it's an everyday thing now. Grabs his blankets and comes to our room. We will redirect him but if he stays in there it'll only be for another hour. 

Are you having similar issues? If so what have you attributed to it? What have been your interventions?

Ricola

We don't have this issue, but does DS2 sleep in your room? Could it be jealousy? 

yalllow

DS2 does not. You could be absolutely right. However, DS1 ignored the new baby for a long time ((probably hoping he'd go away)). Maybe now that he sees baby isn't going anywhere - he's jealous. Guess we will just try to redirect him to his bedroom until it's later in the morning... well at least to almost sunrise.    

Hey @Ricola - I just noticed you and I had babies the same months  

Ricola

Only 3 days apart, too, Julie was born the 17th! :-) 

I hope you can solve the sleep issues soon. Not much worse than not enough sleep! 

Jen4033

Anything change with his day naps?

DS1 isn't getting up as early as yours, but he has started getting up at 630-7am instead of his older 8-830am. His going to bed time hadn't changed, but he started doing this a month or 2 ago. Ironically... during the week it is IMPOSSIBLE to get that kid up & moving when I come to get him at 6am. However, on the weekends he has no issue waking us up at 6:30. <sigh>

Or has anything changed in the house you might not realize? (ie water softener kicking on at same time every night, or neighbor leaving for work waking him? etc?)

Just thinking out loud.

yalllow

good thoughts @Jen4033... I'm wondering aloud too...  I think he is having worse naps during the day. He used to be good for a three hour nap - but now my husband says he's lucky if it's an hour to two.  I'm wondering if it has to do with the dark. As if he's waking from a deep sleep to light for a moment realizes it is dark - and becomes scared. I'm going to try a night light and see if this helps him.

Jen4033

We're starting to deal with a little 'scared of the dark' stuff here too. I've been debating a night light, but it seems he'll go in stretches of being scared here & there, & then not have any issues for a little while again. I've rather sympathetic to it all because I, as a child, had an extreme case of being 'scared of the dark.' I remember how I felt. I was terrified & frozen in my bed at night. Just terrible to say the least. I hope my boys never know that level of being scared.  (Now it has to be as dark as possible, otherwise I can't sleep LOL)

I know as babies, if they don't get good sleep during the day, it can also impact the night sleep.. I'd assume that could still be held true at their ages now, but I guess I'm not sure. As babies, I recently was reading how some parents think keeping the kiddos up will make them sleep more at night, but it can have a reverse affect. That was my train of thought on the day naps. Maybe if he can improve on those, you can see how that affects his night time sleep.

Hope you get things smoothed out! 

MesmrEwe

DS is "Low Sleep Need"...  Best thing you can do is show that that time of night is sleepy time and not play time (i.e. put your game face on).  For us, DS now just climbs in to bed with us and snuggles right in, otherwise he wants to watch "Baby First" which we put on super low and he tends to go back to sleep.  I know cosleeping isn't ideal, but something had to give because 2-3 hours per night tops for this exhausted Mom wasn't cutting it.  I also keep reminding myself that this phase will soon pass and he won't be snuggling in and all grown up...