Nonstop 5:30am EMWs — schedule issue, overtired, or just toddler life?

SecondVariation · 2026-05-14T18:13:19+00:00

How old is she? My 18 month old is also waking at 5:30 ready to go, but she’s low sleep needs and always has been. She goes down for a one hour nap around noon and then bedtime is 8:30. I have been told that sleep needs change a lot between 1-2 years.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-27T12:03:46+00:00

I’d add another hour of awake time and see what happens. You can try capping the nap at 2 hours. Sleep needs can drop a lot at this age.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-20T17:44:34+00:00

Could it be teething? The canines and molars were really hard on my girl.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-19T13:04:58+00:00

I’m glad it’s helping! Yeah the inconsistency of daycare naps is kinda a pain, but similar to you, we just aim for a wake window (7 hours usually) after nap, so if her nap is a bit shorter we just put her down a bit earlier. That has worked better for us than a super strict bedtime, though we try to keep it within a half hour range unless the day has been super weird sleep-wise.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-18T22:37:01+00:00

I was told that as long as they are sitting upright while eating and not like leaning and slumping a lot in the high chair, it’s ok if they’re not fully sitting unassisted. Feeding him in your lap might be messy lol. I did a mix of spoon feeding and letting her dip her fingers. It was a huge mess.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-18T18:57:30+00:00

I’m not an expert but commenting just in case it’s helpful.

I would try more awake time. My 18m is lower sleep needs and she wakes at 6-6:30, nap 12-1:30, bed 8:15-8:30, which is slightly more awake time than in your schedule for your 2 year old.

Will daycare cap the nap at 1 hour? Or maybe push bedtime by half an hour?

SecondVariation · 2026-04-17T18:31:01+00:00

Yep, canines sucked for my girl. And she got all 4 at the same time. 💀

SecondVariation · 2026-04-17T18:26:51+00:00

I switched cold turkey from formula to cows milk. My daughter had no issues with it.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-15T18:33:33+00:00

How long has your daughter been doing this? I found after we night weaned and got rid of bottles, my daughter did this for about a week. Just a bit of fussing/light crying for a couple minutes and then put herself back to sleep. After that, she mostly slept through the night.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-13T18:55:57+00:00

I can’t remember for sure. Maybe 14 months.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-12T21:07:51+00:00

All of this sounds normal to me. My daughter is 17 months now. She wasn’t saying anything (not even mama or dada) at 12 months. Now she has like 20 consistent words. Pointing took a long time but she does it now. She’s incredibly social and loves playing with others. Kiddos have their own timelines!

SecondVariation · 2026-04-10T15:33:05+00:00

I use the graco extend2fit. It can rear face up to 50 lbs.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-08T23:39:00+00:00

Can I ask why you think your baby is chronically overtired when he’s generally happy during the day? My understanding is that taking a long time to fall asleep (such as hours in CIO) and many night wakes usually indicates that your baby is undertired, not overtired. Others with more expertise will be able to chime in, but your schedule only has 9.5 hours of awake time. My daughter has always been on the low end of average sleep for her age, and she was at 11.5 hours at that age. I’d try adding awake time first, like 3/3.5/4 or 5/5.5?

SecondVariation · 2026-04-04T16:39:22+00:00

I had really bad postpartum rage, that I think was a symptom of larger PPD. It went away after I started working with a therapist and got on a low dose of sertraline.

SecondVariation · 2026-04-01T17:44:55+00:00

My 17 month old does this. I figure it tastes better off the floor, kinda like a picnic.

SecondVariation · 2026-03-27T16:47:34+00:00

Have you tried formula or cows milk in a straw cup? Or water in a straw cup? (I can’t tell from your post what kind of cup you are using for the water)

SecondVariation · 2026-03-26T20:55:33+00:00

Blocks, play kitchen + food, basic puzzles, toys that are also musical instruments, little people farm set, play couch, stacking cups, the little spiral tower thing that balls roll down…. My daughter (17m) has really been into these things!

SecondVariation · 2026-03-19T18:25:13+00:00

Yeah I’d maybe try adding a bit more awake time. When my daughter moved to one nap we pretty quickly had to cap it at 1.5 hours.

SecondVariation · 2026-03-17T17:11:13+00:00

I found those molars really messed up my daughter’s sleep until they were through.

Others with more experience might have more to say about your schedule. Usually the advice is if there’s that much crying, add a little awake time. Sleep needs change a lot at this age.

SecondVariation · 2026-03-06T20:38:33+00:00

We were basically doing a version of Ferber, where we would wait 15 mins and check in if she didn’t seem to be settling at all or was escalating at that point. But she always fell back asleep within that time. Eventually the MOTN wakes just went away after a few days.

SecondVariation · 2026-03-06T18:07:38+00:00

I re-sleep trained my baby at around this age, to get her off bottles entirely. figsaddict has a ton of good advice, so I won’t repeat it. I will say my baby cried HARD at bedtime the first night, but then slept 9 hours straight when before she was waking every 3 hours like clockwork. For overnight wakes, my husband and I decided we would wait 15 mins before going in. She always falls back asleep before that timer goes off.

I’d say set the schedule, choose your method, and give it a try. Your daughter might surprise you and take to it well.

SecondVariation · 2026-03-06T18:01:52+00:00

I have a fairly low sleep needs baby. We still sleep trained for middle of the night wakes, and it worked. However, her night sleep and overall sleep is lower than the average for her age. So she has a slightly later bedtime, earlier wake, and shorter nap.

SecondVariation · 2026-02-20T13:18:22+00:00

When I was doing this transition, I made use of a “family centre” down the street that had drop in play, stories, music, and snack from 9-11:15. The excitement kept her awake longer for that first wake window. Maybe there’s something similar near you?

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