Does later bedtime help later rising?

[Beachpebble]

I'm interested to know what people have found. I have a (just) three year old who wakes before 6.00. He goes to sleep at 7pm and hasn't napped since he was two.
I know 5.30/6.00am is nothing to complain about (I've been there with a four am waker with my eldest) but still wanted to know what people thought about later bedtimes helping later risings. Would it have an effect? He's always tired by 7 and goes to sleep easily which is why I've stuck with his bedtime around then. TIA

[Bambooshoots14]

No effect here I'm afraid

[LittlePoot]

We didn't quite do it on purpose, but ours (now 4) goes to sleep at 8 and wakes up at 7. I reckon it's worth a try - although you'll have a few tired days probably as he adjusts. Maybe try 10/15 minutes a day and extend it over a week to minimise the pain?

[fattymcfatfat]

my DS has gone to bed at 8 from the age of two and always wakes by half 5. he's now 6 and still gets up by half 5.

[Lj8893]

Dd recently has been going to sleep late, 9-10pm . She still wakes up at the same time as she would when she's asleep at 7pm so I don't think it makes a difference.

[Every1KnowsJeffHesUsuallyACunt]

It makes no difference here unfortunately. Mine can go to bed at 6 and get up at 7 or, like last night, the older 2 went to bed at 8:15 and they were still awake by 7.

[steppemum]

all of mine have always had a much stronger wake up instinct than a need to sleep longer!

ds is 12 and this summer holiday for the first time in his life he is having a lie in in the mornings!

I think the wake up time is pretty ingrained. (and is different for all 3 of mine). They do wake earlier in summer due to light.

But having said that, 7 am is get up time in our house, and since they were very tiny we have put them back in their cot/bed with a toy or book and said it isn't morning yet.
The result has been that they all stay quietly in their room playing till 7. Youngest is now 7, and she wakes at 6, but I don't see her till 7.

[cookiedoughyum]

Same situation as you OP but i've tried later bedtime & it had no effect. We did only give it a week though so who knows (i'm doubtful it would change anything!)

[snowgirl1]

It definitely makes a difference with our DD. If she goes to sleep earlier, she wakes up earlier.

[Beachpebble]

Thanks everyone. Interesting to read. I have tried later occasionally but never for more than a few days so maybe will try for a week or so. Might just need to be resigned to early mornings though!

[greatbigwho]

My daughter is 21m, and if she goes to bed early she wakes early, but if she goes to bed late she generally wakes at the same time but is in a foul mood all day, before she crashes really early and then wakes up early the next day.

We try and stick to a regular bedtime ;-)

[Changedup]

I'm interested in this too. My 3.5 year old dd has had a few later nights over this past wk and seems to be still waking at her normal time if not slightly earlier!!!

[imwithspud]

DD1 went through a phase of waking between 5-6am, no matter what time we put her to bed she'd wake at that time. We bought a Gro Clock a couple of months ago, set it for 7am, read the little story that comes with it and the change was instant. She started sleeping till somewhere between 6-7 and always waits for the sun to appear on her clock before coming into our room.

[addictedtosugar]

No effect here. Just a tired, grumpy child the next day

[beardsrock]

Meh. Sometimes it works. Last week I was working later, put DS to bed at 8pm and he slept till 8am.

If he goes to bed at 7pm he's usually awake by 6.30am.

Pattern seems to be 12 hours chez nous.

Worth a try!

[Bishboshbash]

It works for us but weirdly there is a sweet spot of about 8/8.30 if he goes to bed earlier than that he will be up at 5.30, if he goes to bed at 9 he will be up at 5.30?! No idea why! So I doesn't always work as he is still napping some days so bed times vary but if I get the bedtime right he will sleep until 7. Definitely get a grow clock though, I refuse to get up at 5.30 anymore so now I tell ds its not morning yet, hand him a couple of books and go back to sleep until 6. Planning on gradually moving wake up time later over the next few months!

[Toffeelatteplease]

Nope never worked for my 4.30-5o'clocker.

I had to shift 2 hours+ to make occasionally half hour difference in the morning.

And she was significantly grumpier .

Thankfully now she's older she makes it through to 5.20

[TerrifiedMothertobe]

I really believe it's child dependant. My eldest, almost 4, has always been an early riser, 5am was the norm for a while. He still naps, and if he doesn't nap he falls part by 4pm and wakes earlier the next morning. 6-630 is now much more normal, but we get the occasional 4 or 5 am if he is excited about something, like a day out or a party.

My youngest, 20 months, takes ages to settle at night, but depending on how tired he is he wakes between 7 and 8, he also still naps but can cope if he doesn't or if he has a very short one.

They both go to bed at 7. Later bedtime makes eldest worse and youngest no difference, still wakes at same time.

Go figure...!!

[Daffydil]

Worth a try, but it didn't work for us.

[Passmethecrisps]

I can go against the grain and say that it does make a difference to my dd normally.

She likes her sleep and generally sleeps anything between 12-14 hours. What makes more of a difference is a few very busy days then she crashes.

Her natural wake time is about 8:30 but during the week she is woken at 7 so she is knackered by the weekend. I leave her to sleep as much as she likes at the weekend.

She is also in the hinterland between napping and not napping. Weekend = no nap. Week day = encouraging a smaller nap.

[Mrscog]

Made no difference to ours - if anything it made him wake earlier and more grumpy.

[ecuse]

No difference for the 9 month old. The 4yo will sleep in a but if she's very late to bed (like, 10pm+)

[IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes]

nope has made zero difference to my 4year old unlike his sister who would sleep 12hrs solid.

[Buttercup27]

Nope just end up with a tired grumpy child the next day.

[slightlyconfused85]

None in my experience. I have had a lot of success with a groclock after a month or so of persistance however. Don't know whether she is asleep or not but she doesn't surface before 6.45 when her sun comes up or she gets a very short shrift. She is 2.10