Toddler Waking up Too Early - Quincy,MA

Dear Lord that's early! my 8 year old did the same as a toddler and well into her childhood. she finally stopped around age 4 when mommy wasn't waking up with her anymore; I was so exhausted that I couldn't even see straight, it was tough. I tried putting her to bed earlier/later, having a routine, ugh nothing worked. I hope you have better luck.
still at age 8 1/2 she will wake up at 6:30am bright and early! she is just a morning person, she prepares her breakfast and reads a book until I wake up at 7am or 730am.

My 2 year old is usually ready to get up by 5:30 or 6am as well. I am NOT a morning person, but I've learned to be one. I stay home, so it's a little easier, but we just get up at that time and he sees Daddy before he leaves for work that way.

We use the morning for playtime and a lot of reading because he seems most "spongy" at that time. We eat breakfast together, go for a morning walk when it's cool...I've just adjusted. The plus here too is that he naps around 10 or 11 and usually for about 2 hours, so I can get things done or watch tv or nap myself at that time. Again...I don't know if you are home or have to work...?

Just adjust her schedule, add a nap or lengthen a nap, or move bedtime an hour or two. I thought I could get my son to sleep when I wanted to, I finally realized that he had his own preference and I've worked around what's realistic and good for us both. I sacrifice getting up earlier because he wants to, but I get time back when he naps and know that he'll be ready for bed by 8, which again, gives me time...just experiment with your schedule however you can.

I have a 2.5-year-old, and we've been using this clock with some success: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

We set it so that it turns green at 6, and he's beginning to learn that he can't come get us until the clock is green. It doesn't work for him EVERY morning, but it does work most mornings.

The other thing...I'd suggest alternating mornings with your partner. For a loooong time, I was always the one getting up in the middle of the night and at the crack of dawn. Now I stay in bed a little longer a few times a week, and it's made a huge difference.

Geez that's early!!!!! I thought I had it bad.. My son gets up about 6-6:30 and I'm not a morning person either.. He "used" to get up about 7-7:30 but once he went into a big boy bed (about 6 months ago) his wake up time became earlier :0( I've tried to tell him to play in his room until his alarm goes off but he never listens.. He just turned 4. Oh and it NEVER matters how early and/or late I put him down (I tried it both ways) he still gets up at the same time.. the same with naps, whether he naps or not he still gets up at 6ish..Good luck!

We have a friend who's daughter does the same thing--there are a couple things on the market that you can try that might help-seems to have helped them. One is a nightlight that changes colors...so you teach her that she has to stay in bed or her room until it is XXX color, (i'll try and find the web site). You could also try telling her that she can't get out of bed until her clock say: 6-3-0 or something like that...that might work cuz you know kids, she'll probably lay fixated looking at the clock until 6:30! Or maybe even fall asleep.

Also-if she's in a big enough bed, I would go in and sleep with her or let her play-maybe just having you in the room with her would give her the security she wants and she'd play quietly---or maybe not. :)

Try this: http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2007/12/kidsleep.html

Good luck!

does she still nap? when does she go to bed? At three years old they only need 10-12 hrs of sleep total including naps. My son used to wake up early he only needs about 10.5 hrs so I started putting him to bed a little later then I used to and now instead of waking up at 5/530 he is sleeping until 630/7. We also purchased some black out curtains for his room because he sleeps better if its dark.

Hi,

I feel your pain.

My husband's 4 yo daughter looooovves to wake up with the sun, so this being spring in Australia, means about 5:30am!!

She is amazing and will play for about an hour on her own in our room. Maybe have some books and toys nearby for her play with? Bear in mind, the playing noise can sometimes wake you up.

In my case, she has a new baby sister, so I often wake up an hour after just feeding to her playing with her baby sister's feet.
I just explained that it was still way too early to get up and that the kids shows aren't even on tv yet, so you just have to play or read for a little while and we'll get up soon.

Good luck!!

Clocks will be changing soon, it seems just before this happens their sleep habits change too.

Hi S.
My three year old goes through phases of this so I can feel your pain LOL
A late start for him is 7am.He has always been an early riser.
When he wakes at 4.30am I tell him to use the toilet and let him into the bed with us and try not to pay too much attention to him.We just turn around and go off to sleep praying that he will follow lol.
At the weekend,for two mths now, at 7am I bring him down stairs,give him breakfast and blanket,turn on tv. I leave the sitting room door open plus my bedroom and we snooze for another hour
Also I find that I need to go to bed at a reasonable time.I find this helps to keep me strong and my emotions at bay from the lack of sleep.
Once a month I plan it where I can have a half a day to myself and I just sleep.
As mothers of older children keep telling me that this phase passes. It gets easier as each year passes and sleep returns for us Mommys(they better not be lying)lol
Keep strong and have early nights
B.

Hi S.,
I just want to tell you that you are not alone, I have the same problem. My son has been waking up between 4:30 and 5:30 in the morning every single day since he turned 3 in July, his bedtime is 8:00 p.m. We tried no naps, bedtime earlier, bedtime later, blackout curtains, music, toys and a drink in the room and nothing worked so far. He wakes up and runs into my room hopping into my bed ready to start his day and play. I heard that it was a phase some children go through around that age. I'm an early riser but I'm not ready to play at that hour. lol So I hope that for both of our sake's that this phase ends soon. Good luck and hang in there.
Bernie

You are not alone.

My kids both do this. One is 3, the other is 14 months. Occasionally they will sleep until 6:15, but usually they are up much earlier. The hard part is they wake each other up, even when not sleeping in the same room.

It also goes in cycles. But the cycle is never "sleep til 8". Around here it does not matter when they go to bed and it does not matter if/when they nap. (If the three year old naps, forget it, we up til 10 o 10:30 at night AND awake at 5). Our day is so long that the night time routine helps a lot because it lets me know the end of the day is in sight.

Some things that have made it worse: making morning fun time. On really brutal mornings I will turn on the TV to kiddie stuff, but for the most part, I try not to, so they don't expect morning to be like that each day. I used to give snacks thinking, oh! they must be hungry, but that usually backfires too.

Stuff that makes it a little better: getting naps for me, even if they don't nap, keeping breakfast at a set time, so it is not feeling like I am just the food and snack getter at 5 in the morning, working to help them sleep through the night. (the 14 month old does not yet). Night wakings are harder for me than waking up early, and neither is very easy, if that makes sense. (I am not a morning person and my body has never adjusted to this schedule). So for me it has been important to get my daughter to sleep on her own. They are so active though that if they are both in the bed, they don't sleep anyway, no matter what time it is. Another thing that helps is telling my daughter it is early and not time to start the day yet, to let her know that it is early and not time to start the day yet. It sounds cruel and I would love to be the mom doing crafts at 6, but I just can't. No matter when they get up, breakfast is at 7, dressing is after that, and then the day starts. Period. It is a struggle and hard, but I found when I was not "mommy on the spot" with the wakings, as in would you like juice? a snack? here, let me do _____for you, at yes 4:30 or 5 in the morning, I was better able to handle the cycles. If they are really hungry I offer crackers, but for a while there I was making food early or starting our day super early, and it was not working well.

Good luck. As you can see, you are not alone.

Some sugestions -- at three, she should be old enough to understand that unless it's an emergency, she should stay in her room until a certain time... you can set a clock radio or something that will go off at that time -- if the music is playing, she can come get you. "Stay in your room until it's light out" worked for us in the winter, but beware of keeping that system into the summer when dawn is at 4:30. If she's getting hungry, you could leave a snack for her in her room at night that she can eat by herself.

Also, I know that on particularly tough weeks, my husband and I go to bed right after the kids are all in bed. Yes, it's a little embarrassing to go to sleep at 9, but even if the kids wake you up at 4:30, that's almost 8 hours of sleep.

This phase does get better. Just hang in there and if you can't change her behavior, change your bedtime so that you get enough sleep.