early rising toddler with newborn sleeping...

[MissyH]

Help. DS1 is 2 and 10 months - DS2 is nearly 3 weeks. Ever since DS2 came home DS1 has been getting up v early (5am )and coming in to us... despite having been brilliant before that (with the help of a star chart) at staying in his own room till "morning time" - when we come to get him up (usually 6.45 when my husband gets up).

The lack of sleep that we are now being subjected to (if DS1 wasn't coming in at 5 then I would go back to sleep after that feed) is beginning to wear thin.

Not quite sure how to handle it save for sending him downstairs to playroom.... but that then means he is KNACKERED by mid morning - with no nap. (need no nap as otherwise he takes ages to go to bed... you can see the vicious circle.)

Any advice welcome!

[CandiCands]

Ooh, good luck and looking forward to hearing the responses and advice from others and I'm expecting baby number two in December and am so afraid of this! x

[Stigaloid]

We are going through this at the moment, but not with DC2 being born yet. We tell DS to go back to his bed and if he doesn't we walk him back, not engaging with him, put him to bed and tell him to get some more sleep and we will see him in the morning. You just have to be constant with him about it all and he will soon get back into the correct message.

Congrats by the way.

[BiscuitStuffer]

I reckon there are 2 options - either do as Stigaloid says, encouraging the sleep thing, or tell him he must stay in his room and read quietly until you come and get him.

[JodieO]

My nearly 6 year old still gets up at the crack of dawn, just the way he is. Everyone's different and his bodyclock gets him up early no matter what. I just get to bed early usually.

[naturopath]

I'm having exactly this problem.. so I await the answers!

[13lucky]

I had a similar issue a short time after my second child was born, so I got one of those sleep training clocks...it's a night garden one (even though she doesn't like night garden anymore she loves the clock!). Basically, the clock face is Iggle Piggle sleeping when it's night time and then at the time you set the alarm it changes to Upsey Daisy. You have to tell your child that they're not allowed to get out of bed until Upsey Daisy comees on. I didn't think it would work, but since the first day of introducing the clock, she hasn't got out of bed once until the alarm has gone off (3 months now). The clock isn't made particularly well in that 1. it is only a 12-hour clock so you can't set the alarm to go off later than 7am if you put your child to bed at 7pm IYSWIM (although you can sneak into their room later and change the clock!!), 2. it is a noisy mechanism when the clock faces changes from night to day so if, by chance, your child is still asleep, it is likely to wake them up, 3. you have to have the night light on the clock on to see whether it is Iggle Piggle (night time) or Upsey Daisy. All those negatives said though, it has saved my life!!!!

[MissyH]

Thanks so much for all the posts. since i last wrote we have had a mixture. We have done what Stigaloid suggests and simply put DS1 back into his room - depending on the time I have turned the light on for him and given him some books.. This morning at 5 he didn't have that option - but did at 6 We are not sure whether we might try a timer switch on his lamp so that at least he can read after a certain time. We may yet try the lamp as suggested by 13lucky.... fingers crossed for everyone

[notyummy]

Rabbit clock. It is fab:

www.johnlewis.com/230232066/Product.aspx?source=13597

No problem with the 12 hour, as it does not work in the same way as the one 13lucky mentioned. Plus, there is no noisy wake up mechamsim, so they can sleep as long as they want (on the rare occasions that our dd is still asleep when the rabbit'wakes up!)

Had it since Xmas, and I can count the number of times on one hand that she has come out of her room if the rabbit is not awake. (She is allowed to come out and use the bathroom quietly, but must go back to room and try to go to slep. If sleep doesn't happen she can look at books.)

[MissyH]

thanks for that notyummy. will try as last resort as have heard good things about it. DH had a good idea of putting the alarm clock in DS1's room - as we have been telling him that when Daddy's alarm goes off is the time to get up. So - he has to wait for the alarm to go off and then it is his job to wake us up (!) We are on day two and so far so good... think he likes the responsibility. We will set the alarm later at the weekends and hope that that works too watch this space!

[dinkystinky]

Same age gap between my boys - and it does get better (DS2 is now 6 months old). DS1 was waking early and coming into our room as he was excited about brother and feeling a little left out too I think (baby sleeps with us but no one sleeps with him kind of thing). Things that helped were the rabbit clock - and explaining he stays in his room until the bunny is awake and when the bunny is awake he can get up, open the curtains, play or come and get us - and redecorating his room and putting lots of toys in there for him to play with (so he didnt want to come get us until he'd played with his toys). He's now back to his usual 6.20 wake up - though DS2 has started with the 5am wakings instead...