Sleep has always been a struggle in our home. My kids just don't need a lot of it. I have heard tons of well meaning advice, and we have tried countless things. My kids fall asleep wonderfully, they wake up easily and happily. The older ones rarely wake through the night, Alex still wakes 50% of the time to eat.
As Alex has gotten older, his body tries to combine his two daily naps into one. Some days this works, other days it is still very apparent he needs two naps. Almost over night, his little body was telling me I need longer "awake" stretches. He was falling asleep at 8:30 beautifully, however he was waking up at 3:30-4:30 in the morning, wide awake ready to play. This was exhausting!!
After trying several different ideas on how to get him to quit waking up wanting to play. I paused and remembered when his older siblings did this. They weren't confused, or being naughty. Their little bodies were just fully rested after 8-9 hours of sleep and they are still like this today. So, the following morning when Alex woke at 7 am, I kept him awake longer. Yes, he did get cranky the first couple days. I moved his nap from 10 am to 11-11:30 am. Then his evening nap from 3pm to 4:30-5pm. He still naps two times a day for an average of 2 hours a time, but he goes to bed a bit later and is back to sleeping beautifully.
For the first two, I struggled with insecurities about my children's sleep. everyone else made it seem so easy. My kids were very sensitive to physical activities and a rainy day inside would effect what time they would fall asleep. I felt like a bad mom, like I was doing something wrong. I stressed myself out, my husband and my kids. Trying so hard to make them fit a mold of what I thought was normal. Of what everyone else was trying to convince me was normal.
Now, I don't care. Not every kid sleeps the same way. Not every kid needs the same amount of sleep. My kids need very little. We have found what works for us, for the whole family to get the sleep they need to be healthy and happy.
For the parents of a child who needs very little sleep, it can be tiring and frustrating. Remember you are not alone.
It's frustrating when people assume that they know what your child, every child, needs. There are so many self-proclaimed sleep experts, but with sleep as with anything, every child is different and it sounds like you have yours figured out. So glad you got some relief from the middle of the night parties!
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