to tell my 5 year old he can't stay up late after all?

[poachedeggs]

DS is 5 and started school last month. Since then he's been waking up at 5am and is subsequently tired. He's got a Bunny clock and knows not to get up before it. He's been getting better slowly.

This morning I was woken at 5am by him playing loudly with his train set. He's complaining of prickly eyes and has been in tears twice already.

AIBU to tell him he can't stay up to watch DVD tonight as he's been promised?

Clutching at straws but is he going through a growth spurt and quite ravenous and waking up hungry?

Dd2 used to do this.

We got a CD player and some story CD's and she could put on a cd and her night light (she hates sleeping in the dark) but she wasn't allowed to get out of bed until 7am, we found she would go back to sleep while listening.

Cant you just put the DVD on earlier and he can go to sleep earlier?

Also have you had his tonsils or adenoids checked for size? Very big ones (or either) and hugely effect sleeping. Does he mouth breath?

Maybe trying to get him to talk about school (in a fun way) would air any worries he has so that you could reassure him of stuff.

My ds started school last week and after lying in until after 8am all through the holidays has started getting up much earlier. I thought he'd be desperate for a lie in this weekend as clearly exhausted but has been up super early despite not going to bed until later. He's also been up in the night a few times this week. He's grumpy and stroppy-sure sign he hasn't had enough sleep.

On the surface he seems to have settled in well at school, but he asks me every day if he's going to school or not, and got upset last night as I said we'd do baking today and he thought he'd be at school and miss it! Not any help to you at all, but just to say you're not the only one. I'm hoping once he gets into more of a routine and understands what's going on his sleep will settle down again.

Why don't you put him to bed earlier?

It sounds like he is overstimulated. Tiring children out when they are already tired will produce the behaviour you describe. Keep after school low key and calm and start doing bedtime earlier than usual - bring it forward by 15 mins each night, have a calming and relaxed routine.

We used to do half an hour each night lying on our bed snuggled up reading or talking about our day. When they went into their own rooms it was just to sleep. Lots of children wake early. My two were 5:30 risers for many years but, by making bedtime earlier, we made sure they had enough sleep.

Sadly you can't stop them waking early so you will just have to make a plan with him that he has to stick to if he wakes (ie reading or something else quiet) only.

Firstly, thanks for all your posts :)

I have tried everything from early nights (lights out at 6pm) to late nights to no avail. He started school 4 weeks ago. This started then - before this he slept from 7ish to 6.30ish.

His sister shares a room with him, unavoidably. She rises early and this is a contributing factor I think. But it didn't bother him before starting school.

He goes to bed like a dream - story, lights out, asleep within minutes usually.

He's already had aadenotonsillectomy! He has a cold which started two weeks ago and is taking forever to go. As usual this means coughing lots, he gets asthma treatment for this but it doesn't seem to make much difference.

I think the overtired theory is most likely. He is pretty active and has never been good at switching off. It breaks my heart to see him so tearful. We had a brilliant, relaxed, active illness-free summer and to be back to this miserable tiredness so soon is rubbish. If I could afford to HE I'd seriously consider it.