AIBU to ask how to implement the Groclock for max success

[milkyman]

Dispairing of my 2.5 ds's 5am wake up. Have bought a gro clock as desparate! How is it best to introduce it? My ds is still in a cot.

Hmm

They seem to work for a lot of people, but DS just says his is broken if he wakes up before it shows the sun

Hope it works for you

You need to be consistent with it, we bought it for dd just after her 3rd birthday. It took over a week to get her to stay in her room, and 6 months to be quiet, but now it's great

2.5 might be a bit too young. Think we used them from about 3.5. Talk about how lucky he is to have his own clock in his room. Then talk a lot about how the blue moon means asleep time and the yellow sun means awake time. Does he know his colours. Don't set it for too late. If it's 5am waking I would prob set for 6am to start with. If he resettles at 5am then he may sleep past 6am anyway. If he stays in bed until the sun whether intentionally or unintentionally give him a sticker or treat.

We used it with success from around 2.5 although I think by then our son had moved to a 6 or 6:30 wake up rather than 5. We started by setting at 6:30 and then moved on to 7 in less than a week. So far it has worked perfectly for us. He has just turned 3 and only ever gets up before the clock turns "lellow" if he's done a poo (still in nappies at night) and not always then. We didn't do anything special, just said if he woke up when the clock was blue he had to wait until it was yellow before calling for mummy and daddy. He was in his toddler bed when we first used it, though, and could get up on his little chair and turn the light on to play if he wanted. May be harder if your son is still in a cot as he won't have as many play options and could get bored if he wakes early.

Be strict. My husband thought I was bonkers when I insisted my DD returned to bed, despite it only being a few mins before sunshine. IMO they don't understand the difference between 5 mins and 2 hours. I only had to return her to bed about 3 or 4 times and she got it. I might try it with my DS2.6 soon... He's waking at all hours at the mo for no obvious reason!

It might be a little young, but it doesn't hurt to try.

I'd say it took 1-2 weeks before it really started working for us. You have to be strict and consistent during that time - go in, put them back to bed, explain there's no sun, then leave. Ditto with any playing with it and turning it on themselves, that was a strict no for us. Set it at a very reasonable time to start with, maybe even 5.15, and once he seems to have got it you can change the times a little every day and slowly move to a more reasonable wake up time.

We started with it set to the time they were already getting up and explained they couldn't get up until the sun came up on the clock and praised them for doing it. Then gradually made the waking up time later until it got to a reasonable time. Worked perfectly for us and 5 year old still won't get out of bed until the sun is up on her clock.

It's a gradual game!!

If 5am is his normal wake up then set the clock for 5.10am initially!

I know that feels bonkers but if he wakes at his normal time, then you only have 10 minutes of "the sun isn't up yet, wait in your bed" until it appears and then you do a massive congratulations!!! (Even though you are still seething that it's 5.10am)

But then every couple of days put the clock back another 5 minutes!

It's far too high an expectation for him to go from 5am to even 6am in one night. That will feel like a lifetime and he won't believe/trust the clock will ever turn to sun!!

If you go slowly it can really work!

We only ever got to 6.35 with my girl, any later and it was just too long but now she consistently wakes at that time rather then before 6am so I'm happy! Also there are mornings she sleeps past the sun and so when she wakes it's already on and that's like a huge bonus for us both!