Early rises doing my head in

[Kay Kay]

My lo is 2 and a half (tomorrow!) and I feel like I've lost the plot with his sleeping lately.

For over a year he napped brilliantly, from 1 to 3 hours in the afternoon, self settled (with dummy) and still went down at 7.30. I'm not saying he always slept through but he would generally sleep to 6/6.30.

Then in October I noticed he wasn't going down so easy at night and it was taking us up to 9pm to get him to sleep which was very unusual. So we started to drop his nap (which I'm gutted about!) and also binned his dummy at this time. He still gets tired during the day and will sleep in the car if we're out (I wake him up after 20 mins). Since then he goes down easy at night in fact I've brought bedtime forward and sometimes its 6.45 he'll go to sleep.

My problem is he has consistently been waking at stupid o'clock, I mean 5ish for the past few weeks and is wide awake and wanting to go downstairs and get breakfast. It doesn't matter if we put him down later (there's a few times we've been out a bit later at put him down after 8) and he still wakes at the same time!! He stayed at my mums the other day and slept 7.20pm to 7.30am! Wtf! I think it's because he's in the same room as her.

Anyway we've got a gro clock had it a few months now and he doesn't pay it much attention. Me and hubby are taking turns at getting up with him but it's getting me down he's up so early. What else can I try? I just feel he's gone from 3 hour naps and 11-12 hours sleep at night to no nap and about 10 hours at night! Surely that's not enough sleep for his age??

Sorry for the essay! Hope you all had a lovely christmas btw. I've been up since 5.20 so needless to say I don't think I'll be staying up til midnight tonight

 

[tiggy85]

Sounds like he probably still needs more sleep, usually about 12-14hrs I think? Whenever my boys have woken early I've always insisted they stay in bed and given them the choice to go back to sleep or stay in bed playing with teddies in their bed. I would have the grow clock set for 6am (that's the earliest I allow them up) and then if they wake before crying I say it's still nighttime and give them a kiss and leave the room. They may protest for a bit but then usually fall asleep or at least rest for another hour or so.

 

[Kay Kay]

Yes i try that practically every morning. He just either lies on his floor crying or shouting mummy over and over and will get hysterical or he will open his door and come in to our room and just continually say mummy mummy wake up over and over. I really wish it was as simple as saying it's nighttime and leaving the room. He's just wide awake and wants to start the day. I remember the week he turned two he slept til half 8! And I stupidly thought yay this is it. Wrong!!

 

[Applepie]

I think maybe he still needs an afternoon nap? My lo is 3 and still has to have a nap otherwise she wakes at around 5 too!

 

[flisstebbs]

This sounds a bit like where we are. Jess is just the past 2 and is dropping her daytime nap. It's a nightmare as day to day routine varies and we get very little sleep again. Btw new baby is a sleep champ, can't believe the difference. We're just trying to ride it out best we can and roll with it but it is hard. Everyone I speak to with older children remember this nap dropping time as being hard and they all seem to do it at different ages.
No advice but hugs and reassurance you are not the only one going to bed early tonight!!

 

[Rooster30]

Have you tried weaning the groclock? Rather than setting it at 6/7am (whatever you are comfortable with). Maybe just set it at 0510am, close to your sons natural awake time - when he gets up when the sunshine wakes, you fill him praise and then gradually set the clock back by 10 mins as he starts to get hang of it? This is what we did with my son. The clock is now set at 0730am and it's great! Actually he stayed in bed until 0830 yesturday because my husband set the clock for nap mode rather than night - so yes, our son took well to it after a week or two. If he got up before the sunshine we'd send him back to his room and sometimes I'd wait with him.

My son is three and still has a nap during the day and only comes downstairs when sunshine wakes up.

Good luck!

 

[tiggy85]

My method doesn't work all the time and isn't easy! In fact this morning my 9 month old has been awake since 4.40! And he doesn't show any signs of going back to sleep! he has had calpol cuddles signing and a drink but still doesn't want to go back! Luckily like you I didn't make midnight I was asleep by 9.30 as previous morning he was up at 5.30! Wish there was an easy answer!

 

[JD.Deedee]

It seem to help here to keep him up longer.. Our getting up time is between 7 and 9 and his bed time is about 8.30-9 if he goes bed before half 8 I can guarantee it's up before 8 if not 6! I'm fed up too considering he doesn't sleep through and I'm an insomniac who can't sleep before 1.. I have to do the same with napping.. There tends to be a cut off time for what at the latest he can kip without it affecting him going to bed and keeping him awake long enough until bed time! I think it's because they're not ready but they are to drop that last nap in the day!

 

[Holi]

I had a period of rosie waking at 5am and we had to have 1 horrific week were I would go back in to her, tell her it's still sleep time, put some music on and sit with her Til she drifted back off. Not going to lie that week was hard but since then (must be about 3 months ago now) she sleeps 8/8:30-7/7:30am most nights without any night time wake ups! It's been a dream! (I'm totally jinxing myself!!)

If I put rosie to bed at 6:45 she would be up at 5:45! I think expecting them to sleep a solid 12hrs+ is quiet a lot! Personally if
It was me I would allow a 1hr nap during day and put him down at 7:30 to see if that helps to wake up at a more reasonable time!

Good luck! Lack of sleep is a b*tch!!! X

 

[Lauren84]

I fear I'm getting to this point with my son, also 2, he's been so good at going to bed, even after taking the side off his cot, he'd go down after a story no problem.the last couple of weeks he's been getting out of bed 5/6 times. He does have a nap for about an hour at about 1.30/2 and goes to bed at 7, he still seems tired and ready for bed, but we're batting it at the moment so wondering if we need to drop the nap?!

Sorry i have no suggestions Kay xx

 

[Becky1]

We are the same, i could have written your post. I find that now Josh gets up earlier the more he needs a nap but won't have one unless he nods off in the car. So we are caught up in a cycle. Hubby now goes and gets in bed with him to try and get him to nod back off - doesn't usually work tho!! x

 

[T84]

My lo is slightly younger but I still find with her that sleep breeds sleep. What about trying to keep the nap and see if that makes a difference?

 

[Lauren84]

So I stopped Noah from having a nap yesterday, not intentionally but he just didn't drop off, went to bed fine but he was up at 5.30 which he hasn't done for months, I was sure he'd nap today but didn't, was exhausted by the time bed time came and dropped off immediately, wonder what time he'll be up though?! ����

 

[Kay Kay]

Thanks for your replies ladies. Yes I agree he still needs a nap but like you becky we are caught in a trap because he will only sleep in the car (or buggy if we're out a long walk, doesn't happen much at the mo cos of the constant rain here). This is since we got rid of his dummy a few months ago. It's all down to the timing of the nap though, I reckon it needs to be before 1pm or it will be a nightmare getting him down at night.

Yesterday he napped in the car for 35 mins at 12 o'clock, then went down at 7.30 last night and woke at 6.30 this morning. So not bad. I'll take 6.30 over 5.30 any day!

 

[Kay Kay]

So I stopped Noah from having a nap yesterday, not intentionally but he just didn't drop off, went to bed fine but he was up at 5.30 which he hasn't done for months, I was sure he'd nap today but didn't, was exhausted by the time bed time came and dropped off immediately, wonder what time he'll be up though?! ����

This sounds very familiar Lauren, that's the cycle Matthew has been getting in to. What time did Noah wake this morning? X

 

[JD.Deedee]

Now I'm dead too! He's been waking up at 7 which isn't that bad if he'd leave me to sleep between 12 to 7 ish but no I get woken up at least twice!! I wish we could go back to a minimum getting up time at about 8 ish!

 

[Bellarina]

Kaykay iv got exactly the same with jake...he's gotten that he won't have a nap unless in pushchair or car...and if it's after 1pm he takes forever to fall asleep at night. If he doesn't have a nap,he's out like a light at 7 in bed but tends to wake earlier then. Xx

 

[Goat]

My daughter was doing this around this time last year and I discovered it was because she would kick her covers off at around 4.30am and wake from being cold but once she was up there was no getting her back down. I bought some really fleecy and warm pj's from next and she instantly started sleeping till 7.30/8. This year she's almost 3 and can cover herseld back up so doesn't have that problem anymore.
She stopped her afternoon naps at 2yrs 8 months and since then is usually asleep at 7pm and now wakes at 7.30am. For a couple of months before that I would get her to lie on the sofa and watch bambi and she'd have a 45 min kip.
Don't know of any of that could be helpful to you but I hope he starts sleeping longer. 5 am starts suck!x

 

[Lauren84]

So I stopped Noah from having a nap yesterday, not intentionally but he just didn't drop off, went to bed fine but he was up at 5.30 which he hasn't done for months, I was sure he'd nap today but didn't, was exhausted by the time bed time came and dropped off immediately, wonder what time he'll be up though?! ����

This sounds very familiar Lauren, that's the cycle Matthew has been getting in to. What time did Noah wake this morning? X

So for some reason that night he woke at 2.30am and decided it was playtime 😩😴 it took a good hour or so to get him back off then he was up at 7.

Last night however, he had a 2 hour nap from 1-3 went to bed at 7 and got 6.45. Goodness knows what we'll get tonight! How's Matthew been? X

 

[Kiagirl]

My LO actually has her nap in a morning. She is just turning 2 1/2 . She goes to bed about 6.30pm as she is so tired she asks for a blanket to watch peppa so she has 1 peppa on the couch and goes to bed. She wakes anywhere between 6 and 6.30 tho her gro clock is set for 6.30 so although will shout and tell me she's awake, will happily play in her room until the sun comes out and I get up at 6.30 anyway. We usually walk the dog in a morning and she walks or do jobs like hoovering which she helps with. She has a snack about 10 and then has a nap and is usually down for an hour but can be up to 3. I have found the later she goes to bed the earlier she gets up. She doesn't nap at the childminders tho - way too much going on!