Please help! Early rising toddler and DC2 due any day!

[Pontouf]

I am 39+2 with DC2. DS (2.4yo) has always been an early riser, usually awake between 6 and half past. This wasn't really an issue as he was happy to stay in his bed and play/chat/sing to himself till we went in to get him up.

However, in the past few weeks he has started to wake up at 5am, get out of bed and come into our bedroom. We have tried shutting his bedroom door but he just bangs on it and cries so we go to him. He Seems very distressed and requests milk. We have been just getting him up and taking him downstairs (so the other parent can sleep) but with the baby due any minute I really don't think we can cope with this on top of being up every few hours during the night with a newborn. Would be really grateful if anyone had any tips on how to get him to stay in his room?

We have decided that 6.30 is a reasonable time to get up but before that is just inhuman. What can we do for that 90 minutes? I was wondering about getting him a light he can turn on himself so he can look at books or play? And maybe getting one of those alarm clocks that tell him when to get up? Has anyone had any success with these?

[Flisspaps]

Can you not put a stairgate up on his door?

We had one for DD, and she was very good at staying in her room. If she ever woke up before 6.00am, we told her it was still night time and put her back to bed. We've now taken the gate down, but if she gets in with us before 6.00am, back to bed she goes.

[Samvet]

Ha ha I am 38 plus 6 and my 2.6 yr old is an early riser, usually 5.45. The gro clock helps as he knows to stay in bed until he sees the sun at 6.15. Before then he chats and dozes. He totally gets the concept. It doesn't make him wake later but at least he is in bed. Stair gate on door too.

[BearsLikeMarmalade]

Definitely try a groclock. DS had one from 2 and it took a week or so but he got it in the end. You might need to experiment with the time you set the sun to rise though - don't make him wait too long initially or he'll get really fed up (so setting it near the time he's waking up then gradually moving it).

When DS was 2 he also had a stairgate over his door, mainly for safety reasons (doesn't need it now at 3.6) so you could also try that (nicer than shutting him in). Perhaps an extra snack before bed as well in case he's waking from hunger?

If you already have an early riser it is hard once your new baby comes, as you can't just sleep later if they do. We have a 6 week old DD and DS comes trotting in at 6.30am every morning trying to wake his sister and play with her. Bloody hard to rouse myself if DD decided to feed at 5am as I've only just got back off to sleep. The sleep deprivation is less of a shock second time around though and I just go to bed earlier.

HTH