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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to NOT want to wake up EVERY morning at 5am!

18 replies

Nip · 26/10/2007 08:40

Why oh why oh why has my DS started doing this??? And the clocks change tomorrow night so it'll be 4am .

He is wide awake and just screaming mummy or daddy. We have tried leaving him for 5 mins, then going back and quietening him down, again and again - but it doesnt work. In the end we resort to him coming into our bed where he will sit and watch TV. Ggggrrrr

He is 18 mo btw!

OP posts:

Scoobi6 · 26/10/2007 08:46

I sympathise

I work full time and go to bed at 9pm. I have no life. But the snuggly tickly playing around in our bed from 5-6 in the mornings IS kind of fun

casbie · 26/10/2007 08:56

we don't watch TV, but the little ones are quite welcome to jump in our bed. if we're not sleeping, at least we are having a snuggle instead!

hellyberry · 26/10/2007 08:59

Us too. I was in tears this am, as dp helpfully asked if I was going to 'fix it'. Yup, OK, I'll just go and press the stay quiet for another hour and a half button, why didn't I think of that. God help us this clock change weekend, one and all.

Going to buy a bunny clock, ASAP, see if there is any hope of training him to be quiet until the ears pop up. Am also going to shorten his pm nap by half an hour today.

Olihan · 26/10/2007 09:01

You're reasonable not to want to but you are going to have to for a while . If it's any consolation, my dcs go through phases of doing this then revert to a more sociable 6/6:30 again for no apparent reason. Just go to bed a bit earlier til it passes!

Original poster

Nip · 30/10/2007 08:29

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

DS is now waking at 3.45 - and is wide awake.

I dont know what to do?? I have asked nursery to reduce his nap to one hour... but i have no idea if this will work. DH and i are at our wits end....

OP posts:

LoveAngel · 30/10/2007 08:36

I don't think reducing the nap will make a stroke of diference, to be honest. I know it's not what you want to hear, but a lot of young children just do wake up increibly early (my son woke at 5am until he was about 18 mths old, then it was 6am until very recently - he is nearly 3 and sleeps 1-2 hrs in the day and 12 hours at night now, 7pm-7am-ish). 3.45 is excessive though! It sounds like he has got himself into a bad pattern which needs to be broken. What happens when he wakes up? Breaking the pattern of what you do when he wakes can help sometimes. Also, has anything changed in his routine recently - new house, starting at nursery or something? Sometimes these things can really upset their sleep. Good luck xx

Original poster

Nip · 30/10/2007 08:47

When he woke up this morning, we went in, 'sshhh, shhh'd' him (as we've always done) then left the room. He'll then go off for about 10 mins, we then repeated this for about 1.5 hours.
At about 5 he was stood up screaming 'mummmeee or dadddeee' so i picked him up, calmed him down, and he then dozed in my arms. I sat with him for 10-15 mins then tried to put him down, but he immediately woke up.
I sometimes stand out of sight and he'll slowly drift off but as i go to leave the room and the god-damn floor boards squeak, he'll wake up and we start again.

In the end this morning we bought him into our bed but he mainly just sat hitting DH, pulling my hair and generally fidgeting until 6ish when we turned the TV on for him.

I have made every effort since day one NOT to change any part of the routine, he ALWAYS goes to bed at 8pm, same routine when we put him to bed, same routine if he wakes in the night, same everything. We havent changed anything that i'm aware of.

I suppose maybe it could be teeth or a cold on its way, but it just feels like it been going on much longer than usual and its really taking it out of us.

OP posts:

NatLex · 24/10/2008 13:06

Hi ladies
My son was waking up early for quite a while and a few weeks back I decided enough is enough. So this is what I did, grabed the bull by the horns so to speak. I just got back from holiday, so had more energy, before I was so exausted I just let it carry on.
So:
I cut out his morning nap and reduced his pm nap to an hour/an hour and a half at the very most
He goes to bed abour 7pm
I used controlled crying for 2 nights only. First night when he woke up at 5.30am as usual, I went to him and then left him, he cried and cried and didn't go back to sleep.
The second night I decided NOT to show my face and left him to cry. It only took 5-10mins at the most and it NEVER happened again.
He now wakes up about 6.30 or nearer 7am without waking up at night.
I had a feeling that sleeping too much in the day was causing a problem and 2/2.5 hours in the day is way too long I think.
TRY it and see if it works for you. It was such a difference to my life after just 2 nights.
My son is 15 months.
Dreading the clocks changing though, as not sure how that is going to effect everything again. Shame, just when it sorted itself out, oh well, might have to resort to some sort of training again :O)
Hugs to you all. I understand how you feel, but trust me, DO something about it, you don't have to live through hell. Try things, if nothing works, then give up, but not before trying.
x

misshardbroom · 24/10/2008 13:11

Big big sympathy - had this with each of them in turn and it's monstrous.

You know that song that they play on continuous spool on CBeebies from 5.30am - 6am with footage of presenters capering about :
'Well it's so much fun, and we're ready to play / With a wiggle and a giggle on CBeebies day'...

over and over and over again while you try to get your eyes to stay in your head.

Fair play to those who had success with controlled crying methods etc., we tried really hard but didn't get anywhere.

Think long & hard about the bunny clock. DD cracked it within about 3 nights that if she twiddled the thing around on the back the ears would pop up and then (she figured) she could get up whenever she wanted.

It's a killer. They grow out of it. Hang on in there.

JodieO · 24/10/2008 13:20

My ds1 is 5 next week and still wakes around 5am most days, sigh.

pianna · 24/10/2008 14:26

What can I say, I too am going through a similar problem. My 14mth old wakes at 5 every day. We have tried giving him a pillow, tweeked the heating and water timers so they come on later, he has 1hr 30 sleep during the day. Am considering what to do next, I need more sleep to function at work does anyone have any suggestions? Am contumplating controlled crying (as it is the weekend, ignoring him in the hope he gets the message that we are not awake, getting a duvet.............HELP

ScottishMummy · 24/10/2008 14:33

my lo wakens 5am daily excruciating.wide awake like a jumping bean running into our room

we work ft so it is a killer really

at weekend we all lie in bed and watch dvd.

pianna · 24/10/2008 14:37

My trouble is he wakes at 5, occasionally happy and full of life but more often is tired, miserable, whimpering and clingy!!! He must be as exhausted as I feel after our 4.50 start today! Any suggestions anyone???

Yanda · 24/10/2008 19:10

Another 5am waker here, she is 2.4 and has always done this, she has never ever slept past 6.30am even when she was ill. ANd she doesn't sleep through either. Or do getting in bed with mummy and daddy.

beansontoast · 24/10/2008 19:21

do not show your face at three forty five!

..leave him to cry/go back to sleep...after a couple of nights he may just stir,cry out roll over and drop off again.

dont turn the television on!

CoteDAzur · 25/10/2008 06:08

I'm with beans. DD used to do this when she was a baby. We ignored her and she went to sleep. Then she started waking up at 8:30 AM or so

Their habits are not set in stone. If you don't like it, change it!

compo · 25/10/2008 07:19

lol this thread was started in October 2007 so the roblem is hopefully sorted

NatLex · 27/10/2008 07:09

yes, ignore them, don'y go to them, don't show your face, don't get them up even if they are awake until your chosen reasonable time. In a couple of nights they might wake for a minute, but would go back to sleep or they would learn to play/chat to themselves until you come. The message you need to give them is that it is too early to get up.
With a change of clocks (such a pain, ahhhh) the son went backwards again, i hope it will sort itself out in a couple of days. Today, 5.15am (which is an old 6.15am), cried and cried, quieted down, cried some more, but not too hysterical, chatted to himself, slept for 10mins, chatted again and when I got there at 6.30am, he was quite happy and ready to go. I think I learnt today that even if he genuinely doesn't want to sleep anymore, he should get the message that it is still too early to get out of bed and he needs to play and stay there till I come he today, he chatted and sang and stuff with himself rather than screaming. It is a new thing.
how is everyone else got on with the clocks changing?

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