During the day, especially after school, he falls asleep on the couch and sleeps soundly, but at night… it’s a different story. He lies down, tosses and turns, gets up, says he’s not sleepy, wants water, that his bed is itchy, any excuse not to fall asleep. I know his afternoon nap is affecting him, but when I see him so tired, it’s hard to wake him. I’ve tried keeping him active, giving him lighter snacks, making dinner earlier, but he’s still the same. How do I break this vicious cycle without ending up exhausted and grumpy?
my kid was the same at that age. He’d conk out in the car or on the couch at 4 pm and then be bouncing off the walls at 9. It was a nightmare. What finally helped us was setting a super strict no naps after 3 pm rule and doing a really active wind-down routine, like bath, books, and a little baby massage sounds fancy but it’s just lotion lol. It took a week or so, but it worked. Hope you find something that helps!
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this is us right now. How do you even wake them up when they’re just out? I feel like when I try, my little one just gets cranky and it makes the rest of the evening a disaster. Do you let him wake up naturally or do you wake him after a certain amount of time?
I totally get this! What helped us was making sure the afternoon nap wasn’t a deep, full, on sleep. If my daughter dozed off, I’d wake her after 15, 20 mins max, just enough to take the edge off. And then, I started shifting bedtime earlier in small increments like 10, 15 min earlier every few days so she wasn’t overtired by bedtime. Over time, the nap just phased out. Maybe try setting a timer for wake-up if he falls asleep?
Been there, done that, my oldest is 7 now, and I remember this struggle so well. What worked for us was a super predictable bedtime routine. Like, exact same steps every single night. I also cut down screen time in the afternoon and switched to quiet activities like puzzles after school so he wasn’t getting overstimulated. It takes time, but being consistent is key. You’ll get through it, I promise!
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So, sleep cycles at this age are tricky because they’re transitioning away from naps but still get overtired fast. When kids are overtired, they actually have a harder time falling asleep at night which sounds backwards but is so real.
A couple of things that might help:
Cap the nap If he falls asleep, wake him after 20, 30 mins. It’s just a power nap to prevent exhaustion.
Earlier bedtime Sounds counterintuitive, but moving bedtime earlier like 30 mins can prevent overtired meltdowns.
Lots of sunlight and movement in the afternoon : This helps regulate melatonin.
Low, stimulation wind, down : No screens, dim lights, quiet activities. Make bedtime as predictable as possible.
It’s hard, but you’ll find what works! Just be super consistent.
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This phase is so tough but it will get better! My little one went through this exact thing, and it felt like it would never end. But once we made a no, nap rule after 3 pm and stuck to a predictable bedtime routine, it really did improve. Hang in there, you’ve got this!