How do you cope with early wakers?

[RosinaCopper]

I have also posted this in sleep - and might also put it in chat for the traffic!

I have 27 month old twins. They sleep in seperate cots, but usually end up both in with me (I have a bed in their room) overnight. Youngest dt has woken at 4.30, 4.30, 4.30 and then horror of horrors at 4am this morning. I have been getting up with them at 4.30, as they can open the door of the bedroom and I'm frightenend of them falling down the stairs if they attempt it alone in the dark and in their sleeping bags. This morning I tried putting them back into their cots, and sitting between the cots so that I could touch them both, and just repeating that it was sleep time as it was still night time.

Unfortunately, the younger dt cried and cried, woke up his brother, who joined in, and then I joined them in tears as I am just bloody exhausted and it's so frustrating! Youngest dt kept saying 'No sleep! My go downstairs!'

After an hour of crying, I gave it up as a bad job and switched on the lights and we all went downstairs together. DH has offered to help, but he has a physically and sometimes mentally demanding job, while I am a SAHM at the moment, so I do take the brunt of it. The last two days I have gone back to bed for an hour when DH comes down at 7, which still gives me time (just) to have a shower and take older ds to school.

Any tips very gratefully received, it's really getting me down.

[Handsfulloffun]

Have you tried wake to sleep it has worked for us when on of my two wakes us all up at the crack of dawn.

There is more info on various sleepclinic websites and the baby whisperer forum and also a wake to sleep thread here.

Hope some of this helps and you manage to get some sleep soon.
Sleep deprivation sucks.
Good Luck