2.5yr old keeps waking up too early!

[Junibug]

Looking for some tips or advice on how to stop my 2.5yr old little girl from waking up so blinking early. She's always been a pretty good sleeper - starting sleeping through at 3 months old and we've not really had any major problems since. She's in nursery 3 days a week, still has a 2 he nap a day, and her bedtime is about 7.15pm.

The last few weeks she has been waking up at any time between 4.30am and 6am (usually she would go through to about 6.30am). Always crying out, screaming for us, getting herself in a right state and generally having a meltdown. We've tried bringing her into our bed (mistake!), leaving the light in so she can play with toys in her cot, cutting the daytime nap down, being really firm with her, being really 'understanding' with her etc etc. Occasionally she will go back to sleep for another 30-40mins but only after much consoling and then myself and DH are wide awake by that time!

I also have a 14 month old - he sleeps like a log but is getting woken up by her screaming and I can't think it's very conducive for him either!

Anyone have any words of wisdom? Maybe it's just a phase, but waking up at about 5/5.30am every morning is starting to take its toll on Mummy and Daddy... 😳

Thanks in advance x

[KateF1107]

My daughter was doing this when she was 3 years old. We used a Gro clock and a reward system. We set the clock to 6am and gave her a star when she stayed in bed till her clock said so. Then moved the clock to 6.15am, 6.30am, 6.45am and 7am. She now stays in bed every morning till 7am and has done for a year now!

[lancslass17]

Not saying it will work but we just go in and say darling it's still nighttime lie down and go back to sleep. Especially if it's dark he usually does (if daddy goes in, if I go in well that's a different story).

[minnie465]

That's a lot of sleep. 2 hr nap combined with 7:15 bedtime. As soon as DS dropped his nap he went to bed at 7:30 and sleeps through until approx 8am. Before that we were struggling to get him down. He'd lie awake for ages and then he'd be up super early. Try to decrease the nap at least