Early Rising

Hi. One thing you might want to try is an alarm clock. We set the alarm for 7:00 and our foster daughter new that when the alarm went off she could get out of bed. We also used the guide that if the sun wasn't up it wasn't time to get up yet. We also had a small bin next to the bed for those times when she really couldn't go back to sleep. It had a few books and a couple special toys to occupy her while she laid in bed. She was a little older (4), so she was easier to reason with. Good luck!

Wow - I am dealing with the same thing with My 2 year old!
His bedtime has always been 8pm - and he would usually sleep until at least 7:30 - 8:00 am.
The last month or so, he has been waking up at 5:00 am!
He also has many nights of waking up at 1:30 am and NOT wanting to go back to sleep in his bed! I would put him in bed with me and he was so restless, he kicks his legs and tosses and turns and I have NO idea what is going on with him. he doesnt appear to be "sick" - no fever or anything.

Any advice??

Honestly, it sounds like it's from the time change. My duaghter is four and has slept 12 hours a night since the day I brought her home from the hospital, but since this time change she is up about an hour earlier than normal, some days 2 hours. I tried pushing bedtime back by 15 mins and then by 30 mins, but she still gets up early and then it just causes her to be cranky the next day. If his bedtime was 8:00 before then you should try and get him into bed and asleep atleast by 7:30. Try putting him to bed earlier and see if it helps. Also, I wouldn't take away his naps yet, he still needs them for probably atleast another year or you will have a cranky boy on your hands all the time. He could just be changing his sleep pattern too, they decrease in the amount of hours they sleep as they get older, so that could just be it. Also, the clock thing that some of the other women mentioned is a great idea and works well. Put a clock in his room and tell him if he wakes up early he needs to play quietly in his room untilthe big hand is on the 7 or 8 or whatever time you need. Also, think about a digital clock if he knows his numbers.

My twins are 2 years old last month. They both go down at 8pm, they go right to sleep, no problems. One sleeps til 7:00-8:00am the next morning, never wakes up. But the other is a restless sleeper. The slightest noise will wake him. He'll crawl into bed with me at 1:30am, or 3:30am. If he lays right down and goes to sleep, I'll let him stay a while. But he kicks alot and rolls around, so I usually take him back to his bed. But by 6:00am, he's up again. If I give him a bottle of milk, he'll lay down with it, suck it down real quick and sleep for another hour or so. But his brother can smell the milk I guess, because he'll demand a bottle of his own even though he was sound asleep!

I have a friend who bought a little alarm with a pleasant ring. She would set it for what time she was ready to get up--I think 7:00 am. Then it didn't matter what time he woke up. He was just expected to play quietly in his room or look at books until the alarm went off. Then he could come wake up mommy. I thought that was a neat idea and her little girl seemed to really like the quiet-alone time before the day began.