Ah, sleep issues. Suggestions, please!!!

winery

My 3 year old is EXHAUSTED.

He REFUSES to nap.  He'll stay in his room for quiet time for a half hour/45 minutes or so, but it doesn't make a difference.

By 3 pm, he's a sobbing, hysterical, tantrum throwing, MEAN little boy.

Because he's rubbing his eyeballs out of his head by 4:30, he's been willingly going to bed by 6:30-7.

That's so incredibly early, but he's absolutely out.  He's also up by 6 am, which is great that he's getting nearly12 hours of sleep at night; you can't ask for more than that, but then again, by 1 pm, he's a little cranky and by 3, he's a nightmare. 

What should we do?  Put him to bed later so he'll hopefully nap? 

 

Jamaica_Bride

I was *just* thinking about you! Smooch! Hi!

I.do.feel.your.pain!

If I was in your shoes I would leave him for quiet time longer- it takes L that long to settle down sometimes. We have blackout curtains (as you know) and we do allow him to read a few books in bed.

Oh and we treat nap time much like bed time- quiet time 30 min before, read a book (which is the one he will take to bed) a snack and marching upstairs.I tell him he needs to rest so he can grow up to be a man.

We have also used sticker charts for staying in bed. Hell, I am NOT above bribery,

 

stacynikki

I have the opposite problem. DS naps okay but doesn't sleep at night and wakes up at 5 am. I am about to lose my mind. Sorry you're dealing with sleep issues too!

amanda&rob

We changed dd sleep schedule and it seems to be working better.  We start the bedtime process by 8:45 and are done by 9:15 or so.  She has been sleeping until around 8.  No nap during the day (but she was a rare napper). I know that is late, but it seems to be what works for her right now. Maybe you could try pushing bedtime back til 8.  Or even changing it 1/2 hour at a time.

During the day for "nap" time could you maybe snuggle and watch tv with him?  I do that and dd at least has some relaxing time.  "Quiet time" in her room=15 min of getting out every.single.thing then coming out bc she is done in there.  

Sorry.  Sleep issues suck!  Especially when they act like they need to go to sleep but won't!  

goodheartedmommy

It sounds like he's getting close to being ready to drop naps, but he's not there yet. When Ethan and Bella dropped naps, we dealt with some crankiness, but not like that. What you're describing happened about 3 months before they were ready to give up naps. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot you can do. You can bribe, threaten, etc, but can't force them to go to sleep. I'd just keep trying, and keep him in his room a little longer than those 45 minutes. Bedtime may be messed up for now, but I bet things will change a lot.

FWIW, mine get a lot more than 12 hours most days--if they're in bed on time. If they go to bed at 7, they sleep until 8:30 or 9. I figure they get the same amount of sleep as if they napped. But mine have always been big sleepers, so maybe that's not the norm, IDK.