When did your DC sleep later?

[OnSilverStars]

My DS has never slept late. Always an early riser. He's 4.5 and he's always up by 6, usually before. I know that's not mega early but still, he's so tired all day.l and so am I.

My 2 year old used to get up about that time too, now she's a bit older she sleeps until about 7 or a bit later. It's great.

Did your DC eventually start sleeping later? How old were they. It's driving me mad

AIBU to expect DC1 to sleep until 7????

My seven year old is an early riser, but he will now sensibly play in his room etc until 7am.

You can't force someone to sleep Especially in the morning. You need to do what you can to faciliate and incentivise better sleep, but ultimately it can't be forced or, in my opinion trained. Some kids are just early risers - my two are.

DD8 started sleeping longer (7ish vs 5:30-6) about a year ago. DS is 5 and has in the last year gone from pretty consistently around 5-5:30 to 6-6:30 now.

We put them to bed earlish to make sure they get enough sleep (we have found later bedtimes do not = later mornings), and they are allowed to go watch TV downstairs at the weekends so we can doze a bit longer.

But why are you letting him out of his room in the morning? That's the real issue. He wakes, you go in, you tell him in no uncertain terms to stay in his room, quietly, until 7am. Every single time he comes out he gets out straight back in. Ad nauseum. Exactly how you would if you were trying to get him to go to bed properly.

Ultimately you can't force him to sleep, but you can make sure you keep in his room and quiet.

If choosing a TV programme isn't working as an incentive, then I would maybe go to something a bit stricter - no TV at all the following day, for example.

Yes maybe putting him back in his room each time is the answer. When DS2 was a baby we couldn't deal with the kick off (back when he was 2/3) and gave in to him getting up as we didn't want him to wake her, or she was already up anyway so I thought what's the point and let him get up too. I guess we've formed bad habits.

My youngest is 30 and still gets up at 6 sorry, although he isn't any bother 😂

My twins were never early risers thankfully. They slept until 7:30-8am from tiny and this continued until around age 8. From 8 they would lay in on weekends until around 9 and still do at almost 10.

Mine (3 and 5) sleep from around 7-6.30. The smaller one chances 6 sometime but is matched firmly back to bed. One morning they both slept till after 8 which was bliss! They have to get up at 6.30 on nursery days so we just have to suck it up on weekends I suppose.

My son was an early riser - if he made it to 6 it was a good day! Sorry to say he's 18 now and still gets up at 6!
Some kids are early risers and you need to figure out how they can occupy themselves for a bit.

We didn't make it a punishment as such. We said if you wake up and the time starts with 6 then you can look at a book or play with XYZ in your room until there's a 7. I always make sure there's a drink in the room.

Umm it's a little different when you have more than one but I would say the old / trustworthy 'enough' to go downstairs and eat cereal watch cartoons came several years before the sleeping in later than parents phase.

Imo you sound too soft, if you have set clear boundaries, ie you cant come out of your room until x time, then when he does it what do you do? It sounds like you just get up, so are giving him exactly what he wants

As an early rising child who has turned into an early rising adult, it would be horrible to be imprisoned in your room. He isn't doing this to be naughty, he genuinely can't help it. I would definately agree to start the morning at 6. Us larks' brains work really well first thing, so it is a great time to do reading/ simple maths with him. Why not take turns with your partner if you have one ?

It's not about punishment though is it? It's about learning to be considerate of the rest of the family. He isn't being "imprisoned" he's being asked to stop disrupting everyone else's sleep! You may be happy to get up early and do maths, but most people would rather sleep, and that is not at all unreasonable.

He is 4, 4 year olds are not known for their consideration. OP would do much better embracing her child's natural inclination (up to a point as I say 6am is perfectly reasonable, 4am is not) than teaching a 4 year old that he has to stay in his room for up to 2 hours after waking.

If a parent beings him downstairs not everyone's sleep is disrupted stop being so melodramatic.

That sounds really late?

My nearly four year old wakes up at 5 sometimes earlier and always has. He is asleep by 7 though so he’s getting at least 10 hours of sleep. Earlier or late bed time made no difference. You might want to make the bed time earlier as it may not help how early he wakes but he will be getting more sleep overall. It’s a killer I know… I am permanently moody as it’s exhausting! NOTHING we have tried has worked :-(

Both my DC's were 4am babies and toddlers, so I did 5 years of 4am....we stretched out to half 5 even 6 ish by 4/5 years of age, then it stuck there! However, they are teens now and they wont get up. You cant bloody win!!

To those who say 'try putting them to bed later', or 'you need a routine, thats what works for us..' or actually, any advice at all....really???? Do you not think we've tried all that??? You think we like being up at 4am???

As it happens I used to get my owm mum up at shit oclock apparently, so what comes around goes around! 😂

Yup lots of evidence it is genetic.
Interestingly afternoon exercise outdoors may promote an earlier sleep phase.

For a start 6am really isn’t particularly early. I’d say that’s a normal wake time for our society. Also, punishing a child for being awake and wanting to get up is madness. Removing a game for wanting to get up is a completely unconnected consequence as well, no wonder it’s not having an impact. Chronotypes are largely genetic and not easily changed.
Could you and DH alternate mornings so you both get a bit of lie in some days and get up a bit earlier others?

A later sleep phase.
Something on the genetics
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/research-news/3106/

Interesting comments!

My little one (23 months) is an early riser and I definitely agree that going to bed later does not help! He's also terrible in the heat, like myself and DH, so I think he had 7 hours last night, if that makes you feel better OP! However, it's usually about 10 and he does nap still.

At what age did people start using the Gro clock? I'm very excited for this 😂.

How is he with eating OP?

Reason I ask is that all of our NCT are early risers, whereas our DS has been an 8am man since about 2.5. He even had a phase of sleeping in until 9, we were late for nursery every day for 2 months! Some times he will wake up before 7, but you're talking maybe twice a month and usually with other factors (needing a poo being the main one).

Suffice to say the other NCT parents hate us, but we've noticed that our son is a very good eater, polishes off his 3 meals a day without any drama, often has a banana before bed too.

Whereas the other kids hardly eat anything at all, despite their parents best efforts. The early risers very much 'pick' at their food, I've never seen one of them polish off a full plate and they even turn down offers of a treat, which our son has never done! As a result I have a (very half-baked) theory that there's some connection between food intake and sleep length at this age?

Just past 2, but DD is v bright with very good communication skills and comprehension, it didn't work for most of our friends' kids til 3+, so don't stress if it doesn't click straight away.

No, that's why you have to teach him consideration. It's parenting! We've taught our 2yr old to play quietly til the clock wakes up, it's absolutely possible for a child who's nearly in school!

Thanks @MolliciousIntent.

I think he'd love it - and so will we! 🙈