Getting 21 month old out of 5:30 naptime/bedtime routine

[roses25]

I'm in need of some good suggestions.  Now on the weekends I haven't even had any luck with getting Aiden, my 21 month old son, out of this late nap routine.   He falls asleep around 5:30 & is out for the night until between 5:30 & 7 AM.  I tried lunch and a relaxing, quiet book reading time after lunch.  However, Aiden was still going strong.  It doesn't cause Aiden to not sleep at night, but it causes me to get very little time with Aiden after work on week days.  I think on week days he's waiting for me to get home to take his nap, very similar to him refusing a bottle while I was at work when he was little.  He also cares less if he has ate supper before going out for the night.  He's next to impossible to wake.  I can wake him, but he cries & just goes right back to sleep.  Yesterday I got home around 2 and he didn't fall asleep until 6:30 PM.  Today it was 5:30 PM.

Carolyn

[thedenverduo]

Does he take any other naps during the day?  If not, I would just try to treat him going down at 5:30 more like a nap than an early bedtime, and then try to make that nap earlier and earlier until it is where you want it.

Maybe try letting him go to sleep at 5:30 and then wake him up at 6:30 for a bath or something exciting, and then put him back down at 7 or 730 or whenever you want his bedtime to be.  Then the next day put him down at 5:15 and wake him up at 6:15, then 5:00 and 6:00 and so on until that nap really breaks from bedtime. 

It will probably take awhile for him to switch, but if it means more mama time I am sure it is worth it!

[blessed.mommy]

Originally Posted by thedenverduo 

Does he take any other naps during the day?  If not, I would just try to treat him going down at 5:30 more like a nap than an early bedtime, and then try to make that nap earlier and earlier until it is where you want it.

Maybe try letting him go to sleep at 5:30 and then wake him up at 6:30 for a bath or something exciting, and then put him back down at 7 or 730 or whenever you want his bedtime to be.  Then the next day put him down at 5:15 and wake him up at 6:15, then 5:00 and 6:00 and so on until that nap really breaks from bedtime. 

It will probably take awhile for him to switch, but if it means more mama time I am sure it is worth it!

I agree. This is how we moved our children's bed time up because DH was getting home and having only 2 hours with the boys. It took about a week of moving the time in 15 minute intervals.