Toddler Early Riser

[Sperrja]

Please can anyone help?
My son is 26 months old. He’s always been an early riser but in the last 10 months it’s gone from 6.30am to 4am. I’ve tried later bedtimes, earlier bedtimes, shorter naps, longer naps, food before bed. Nothing seems to work in face it’s just getting worse. I’ve bought a GroClock in desperation and have set it to 5.10am. This morning he woke at 4.15am normally I would keep going in to settle him until 5.10 and the ‘sun comes up’ however this morning I left him crying for an hour which was really hard. Trouble is after the ‘sun comes up” I get him out the cot and put him in bed with me for an hour as it’s still too early to get up.
I’m sure he’s getting mixed signals from me as he’s not allowed out of cot till 5.10 but then told to be quiet whilst mummy sleeps!
He has 1 nap in the afternoon after lunch for at least an hour sometimes more. By this time he’s exhausted.
Bedtime is 7pm sometimes 6.30pm if he’s really tired. I have no trouble putting him to bed.
I’m willing to try anything!!

[heyduggeeallday]

No help I'm afraid but I feel your pain! My son is almost 2 and his day starts at 4:30 am with just a 15-30 min day nap and bedtime at 9pm!!! He isn't whiny in the day at all, actually very much the opposite! Very wild and crazy

[TuddlesAndSisses]

I'm in the same boat! Adjusting naptimes and bedtimes haven't helped at all. Place marking for any wise advice

[5moreminutes]

How's his language?

Allmine have been early risers, but somewhere between 2 and 2.5 (depends on the child but my 3 have all been ready within that 6 month window) they've had good enough language skills to talk about when daytime starts, and to use an ordinary basic clock and explain where the hands have to be before they are allowed to get up. Until 6am they had to stay in bed or play quietly in their room.

We tried a groclock with the eldest but she just reset it - an ordinary clock worked better. They don't have to be able to tell the time, just recognise where the hands have to be - you can put marks or tape on the clock if you want, but you'd be surprised how easily they get it.

[FATEdestiny]

What time is naptime?

Will he sleep in both the pushchair and cot?

Have you tried thing a to get him to extend his nap and sleep longer?

Does he have a comforter and/or dummy?

What happens to get him from awake to asleep at bedtime and naptime?

Has he always been difficult with sleep or is this new?

Is he toilet trained?

[Sperrja]

FateDestiny

What time is naptime? Straight after lunch 12:30

Will he sleep in both the pushchair and cot? He's never napped in cot either in buggy or on my bed

Have you tried thing a to get him to extend his nap and sleep longer? I don't know I could extend his nap...he wakes when he's ready I never wake him

Does he have a comforter and/or dummy? No

What happens to get him from awake to asleep at bedtime and naptime? We put him to bed with a mobile on, we usually mill around upstairs for a while until he's sleep. At nap times he has a bottle of milk.

Has he always been difficult with sleep or is this new? He's always been an early riser but its got worse and it seems the more we try the earlier it gets. 6am wake up would be a dream!

Is he toilet trained? No

He's not walking yet either. He's hyper mobile and in need of physio.

[FATEdestiny]

Do you keep walking him while he sleeps in the pushchair, or is he stationary? Movement might help him stay asleep longer.

I comforter toy of some kind may (or may not) help. A blankie or lovely kind of thing to snuggle up to. Takes some exaggerated awwws and ohhhhs from you to establish it.

If he's just having an hour or so lunchtime nap I would tey to push it later. Then he'll be less over tired by bedtime. My 2 year old wakes at lunchtime no earlier than 3pm, it can often be 4pm. She has a 7.30-8pm bedtime. She would be exhausted come bedtime if she'd been awake since 2pm or earlier.