Can I just have some support before I totally lose my shit

[thinkingcapon]

This thread has been done to death
I'm bored of my own chat but don't have anyone to share this with in real life
My 2.5 year old has become a fucking ridiculously early riser
This am was 3.08......awake for the day from then
The day before was 0418
I've tried EVERYTHING from 3 different sleep consultants , all of them have totally differing opinions!!!
Please someone tell me I can get through this x

Have you moved him into a toddler bed yet? Sorry don't want to sound dickish as I know it hasn't been that long since you asked about it.

I've not no

I'm so exhausted that I can't handle changing it but maybe it'd help?!

I've read your posts but not all the replies
You made me laugh if that's any minor consolation!

"I do have a groclock but I'm sure he wouldn't understand this yet......"
Please try the gro clock - it might work, it might not, but you've got nothing to lose!
At 2.5 he's definitely old enough to understand. My DS understood the gro clock at 18 months, it fixed the early wakings and saved our sanity. I know it doesn't necessarily work for everyone but I was amazed at how well it worked for us. And DS was a terrible sleeper for a long time.

Namechange30 glad to have made someone laugh! Can't rem when I last did as so immersed in this mindfuck!

We are on week 3 of the groclock......🖕🏻😡

Oh I see! Hmm i wonder if there might be a medical issue as PPs suggested. How helpful is your GP?

Does your DS nap during the day? If so what time?

(Sorry if it's already been discussed but I don't think it has...)

Mine always was an early riser with some phases being extremely early. We could not find anything wrong or that might trigger his behaviour. We found trying to fight it so tiring, stressful and unproductive that we ended up accepting our fate making sure we went to bed early so we got enough sleep. He finally grew out of it. I suppose if you are not tired you can't force yourself to go back to sleep and he was too young/scared to play on his own. Sorry - that's not helpful...

Hi! We had this with our son. The only thing that worked was one of us (we alternated nights) literally lying on his bedroom floor until he fell back to sleep. It was horrendous but worked after about 4 days. Hope you find a solution soon - I almost lost my mind!!

Right at the moment you need some sleep. Partner,family,friends and hopefully the night nanny soon. You need to rest and tecover because by the sounds of it,you're past running on empty.. the whole car is dead.

My partner is bloody amazing. I'd have walked ages ago if it weren't for him

I'm asleep by 8pm every night. Only way I can keep my head above water

Thanks , really, it's keeping me going knowing there's a lifeline on here

I did have a visit from a health visitor "to help" this week. Could've stabbed her

I'm not being dismissive but there's nothing on here I've not done. I now feel that I could be a sleep consultant (just not on my own kid!)

The only thing I've not done are -

Kept him up later
Given him no nap
Changed his bed to bigger bed

For all of you who have got through this and then had another I fucking salute you!

OP what do his naps look like? 3am is literally the middle of the night, there's no way surely he's going through from 3am to a 6.30pm bedtime? When does he nap?

Mine was because my neighbour's shared a taxi with a guy he brought it back at stupid o clock disturbed ds every single time it tapered off when he got a new taxi

He naps for an hour or so around 1130/12

He used to sleep for a good 2 hours but was awake between 2-3 hours a night happily chatting/playing/singing so we reduced his naps to help combat this!

I had similar, except my DD would then fall back asleep at about 5.30am after being awake since 3am thus buggering up her whole sleep cycle. I dropped the nap. It was earlier than 2.5, quite a bit earlier. But I’d noted that it was taking her longer to fall asleep for the nap as well.

That doesn't seem like a lot of sleep for him in a 24 hour period. Could you maybe try dropping the nap and bringing his bedtime earlier, then slowly pushing it back? I do think sleep is something they just need to get the hang of and they all do eventually (my DD has never been ran early riser but she didn't sleep through the night until she was 2.5) but I wonder if he is chronically overtired?

Just re-read your OP and realised he's 2.5. I'd definitely lose the nap! You will have a few weeks of hell and possibly 4pm bedtimes, but you can gradually push that back.

Moreginplease I think dropping the nap is a good shout but I physically have no way of getting him through 15 hours plus without him falling asleep

I disagree about dropping the nap. I would push it later.

I am SO sorry for you going through this. I still remember it with DS2. He's now 10 and still wakes at about 5:45 (just seems to be his natural body clock) but at least these days he is in his own bed and doesn't need my attention!

For him, it did get better at about 2.5 - he started sleeping past 5,and eventually closer to 6. He regularly made it past 6 once he started school.

Keep going, and keep getting yourself to bed early. As soon as he is anywhere near old enough, get him to play independently in his room in the early morning. And put the breakfast cereal and milk in a very accessible cupboard - mine was getting himself an early breakfast from 3 yrs ish (helped that he has a brother 20 months older).

My son does go to bed fairly early too - he just seems to have a very strong natural setting of early to bed early to rise and NOTHING we have tried changes it. He will fall asleep on the dot of 8 in the middle of a loud family party at new year, and wake before 6 in the silent darkness the morning after a ten mile hike.

4pm bedtimes!!! No way?!seriously?!

I’ve got a nearly 5 year old who wakes between 4:30 and 5:30 every morning. We have tried everything. Multiple times. We are currently in a cycle of trying a later bedtime but we have tried earlier bedtimes too. She can amuse herself with books etc for approx 20 mins after waking (and fully understands the gro clock) but beyond that starts to get bored and wakes other kids if we don’t take her downstairs. She’s had multiple beds (none made any difference), always had double or triple layer blackouts. We’ve been through too hot/too cold/too quiet/too noisy type scenarios. My gut says she’s just a person who doesn’t need much sleep and has a very powerful ingrained body clock 😖😩
It’s shit. You have all my sympathy. At the moment I have a 2 year old with a cough waking her at 3ish, a baby waking at 3:30 and then my eldest awake for the day shortly afterwards

Ps I lost my shit a fair few times over it too

If you want to phase out the nap and he gets up at 3am then he's not realistically going to last until 6pm without you wanting to gouge your own eyes out. You'll need to push it back gradually.

Try and get a gp appointment. Not sure what area of the country you are in but there is a fantastic sleep team at Southampton hospital www.uhs.nhs.uk/OurServices/Childhealth/Childrenssleepdisorderservice/Childrenssleepdisorderservice.aspx

possibly 4pm bedtimes,

That could very possibly mean 12-1 amwakeups. I had that with dd , she finally crashed at about 6 am and even then only slept until 10. Zombie doesn't even begin to cover it.