my 6 yr old gets up at 4.30am

[frankeys]

Has anyone any advice for me? My son wakes up between 4. and 5am very morning. He has always been an early riser (like his younger brother) and we finally felt elated when we stopped him coming in our room until 6.30am. But I realise after getting up a few times in the night that he is just getting up and reading/playing whenever he wakes up after going to the loo in the night. I'm worried because he is obviously teaching his body to be awake at that time. After 4am there is no getting him back to sleep. On the whole he isn't too grumpy in the day, but he is tired! He goes to sleep between 7-8pm. We have tried later(for 6 wks) but it makes no difference. Maybe I should just ignore it? I worry about it though, because it just doesn't seem enough sleep, and because I fear he will get in a pattern of never being able to sleep past 4am!!

Any thoughts? I feel really helpless, as you can't make a child sleep if they don't want to!

[needmorecoffee]

if he's playing quitely I'd leave him once you've checked he's not thirsty, wet nappy, cold etc.
It will gradually stop. dd1 used to wake at 4 and stand on the landing shrieking 'is anyone awake'.
she's now 16 and has to be crow barred out of bed.

[coffinsrus]

I've got 2 non sleeping boys too and can't wait for the crow bar-ring days!

a lie in or a night of peace would be heaven

[ohIdoliketobebesidethe]

There have been some great threads on here about a method called "wake to sleep". Basically you rouse them an hour before their normal wake up time so they have to turn over and start a new sleep cycle then they forget to wake at their normal time. It worked for our 18mo but I think it takes longer to work the more ingrained it is. Our 18mo was waking at 5.30am but the sleep deprivation was taking its toll on her as well as us and she was much happier after we did it. Might be worth a try?

[coffinsrus]

mine are 7 and 10 and if I woke them an hour earlier they'd be up then!

[ohIdoliketobebesidethe]

The idea is that they are in a deep sleep an hour before their wake up time. Any less and they would just wake up.

[CarGirl]

My dd started sleeping better etc after having her treated by a neuro developmental therapist, they work on the reflexes - she still had her morro reflex and excess adrenelin at the age of 4. Now she rarely gets up before 6.30 and generally goes to sleep 8.30 latest, often 7.30 and no more broken nights with her - it's bliss.

[mumofangels]

my son used ot do the same and i got a sleep time bunny clock. marvellous, saved my life! you set it like an alarm clock and they put it to sleep when they go to bed and the rule is they can't get up til the bunny wakes up (which is the time you set it for!) obviously they can get up to go to the loo but they can't play or read. i used a sticker chart with my little boy and now I sometimes have to wake him up for school. he had his at 3 and is now nearly 5 and dosen't use it all. (this is mainly coz he's dropped it and it dosen't work properly!) but he dosen't need it anyway. Not sure if 6 is a bit old but you could try with a normal alarm clock or a ben 10 one or whatever he's into??? worked for me!