To dread winter with my toddler?

[Summermeadowflowers]

Since DS started sleeping through, which was around 18 months, he’s woken early and this is often around 530. Tweaking bedtimes and naps doesn’t seem to make any difference to this. Sometimes he’ll have a spate of 630-7 wakeups but then will start waking earlier and earlier until you’re back at 530, or earlier.

It was miserable enough last winter but now we have a baby as well. Last night I woke to express milk at 230. Then DD woke at 330, I got her settled again at 4, then bloody DS woke at half five.

DH does take him when he can but if he’s working away or even if he’s in the office he has to leave at just before 7. It’s the longest morning ever before we can go out then we go out somewhere then DS gets really tired and stroppy in the afternoons because he is so tired.

No point to this, just a moan. I do love DS very much but I hate this particular habit he has so much, and I worry about DD as it inevitably disturbs her and the last thing I want is her being in this awful pattern too.

Poor you, I remember those mornings well. Went through it with both (16month age gap) like you I also worried that my 2nd got into the habit of this from our 1st.
My DH would help till he left for work at 5.30AM as their wake time was from 4.30AM at times but as you said it is an extremely long day from then on!
Again we tried every combination of bed times, nap lengths etc…nothing worked. Both children dropped nap early through their choice and us not being able to get them down for a nap anymore. So they were often grumpy.
We do use gro clocks (don’t worry this is not the part where I tell you they will save your life) they do now follow them at 4 and 3 mostly.

Though DS would always wake me when he woke still to tell me it wasn’t get up time and if he wakes very early before his clock (set to 6.30) he on occasion just shouts for me and tantrums that it’s not get up time. They only have so much patience.
Sorry basically just a ramble to say I feel your pain and I agree that sometimes it’s just the way it is and it sucks! They do eventually grow out of it if that helps but we are still on a max of 6.30. Though they now go to bed well and sleep through!

In fairness to anyone saying gave him nap (sleep begets sleep etc) him being tired and stroppy is indicative of him not getting enough sleep!
money weird thing that worked to get us slightly better sleep - Epsom salts in their bath apparently the magnesium content is super good at improving the melatonin level- so worth a go surely? (Also recommend this for dehydration not drinking it having them play in a warm ish bath with the salts!)
oh and my child won't go down to sleep before 10/11pm if she's not been running and playing and super physical/ mainly outdoors for at least 3-4 hours a day! Like at least! So fresh air makes a huge difference to some kids!
that said some kids do just have low sleep needs and it's hard to find a pattern that works for them but isn't hellosh for mum and the rest of the family

Also you said : Waking 530 and going to bed at 930 and no nap - that’s way too little sleep even for toddlers who don’t need much sleep!
so when someone comments asking why he goes to bed at 9.30 that's why! They're taking that comment to mean that's his bedtime!
if its 7.30 -5.30 thats actually a pretty standard amount of sleep at his age especially with an hour nap all you could do is see if pushing bedtime back 15min every few days would push mornings a bit later too !?

No I didn’t say that @Kathryn1983 . Sorry, but it’s so exasperating and exhausting when people don’t read the thread and then impatiently tell you off.

Thank you so much for the other posts who get it, though. He’s a great sleeper, he just does wake early and I think it is who he is.

You said it here!
that's why people have mentioned it
just to highlight it was confusing and to defend those who assumed he was mega tired 9.30 - 5.30 would be a crazy short sleep for a child of his age!
also in the opening statement you do say he was tired and cranky mid morning and for a low sleep needs child getting all they need they'd be fine mid morning and only tired cranky an hour or so before bedtime

My child has weird sleeping and feeding queues sometimes she acts mega tired when she's hungry (even as a baby! - so confusing!) and visa versa so just a thought mid morning is he peckish?

I was going to suggest the same. Possibly rewards as well. And get as much activity as possible during the day, get good waterproofs and get outside

It’s not confusing at all. It’s only one poster who made that mistake, and that particular poster is quite insistent on giving people a hard time everywhere.

Thanks for suggesting a Gro clock @PinkRoses1245 . I don’t think anybody else has yet 😏

We had a 645 wake up today but that’s countered by an hour and a half wake up middle of the night as he was sick. So I do think he just wakes early 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think it might just be how he is with his sleep. Hopefully he grows out of it soon.
My 1.5y old wakes up 5am if she goes to bed 7pm, 6am if 8pm and 6.30am if 8.30pm and that's just how she is. It's tiring for me but I just try to get through it to one day when she grows out of it.

Can you try a Glo clock? Tell him he has to stay in his room/ bed until it turns yellow? Depends on understanding but if you encourage with a treat if he can stay to start with might work?

Sorry just read a gro clock won't work. I think some grow out of it or some just learn to be quieter when they wake up. My eldest wakes up for a wee around 6 every morning and is then normally awake for the day but he does stay in his room until his gro clock is yellow. Youngest in the other hand anywhere from 5

If your little one is an early waker there may be a reason. Was your LO checked for tongue or lip ties as a baby? These can be a cause of poor sleeping and early waking.

I understand your pain, our first child was always an early riser 5/5:30 every morning. And we had another when he was 2. Its tough, but it does get easier. Our Son started sleeping later as he got older. We also do a slightly later bedtime which can help. Also if you can do a high energy activity in the late afternoon even if its just dancing around the living bg room I think that helps too. Hopefully you'll get a bit more sleep soon

No advice, I heard it all too(!) my first never napped more than 25mins at a time, didn’t sleep through until 12m, spent the first year waking every single day at 4.30am and never really slept past 6am when little. I thought I was doing something wrong all the time and hated those long dark mornings when tea and tv are your only friend and it was certainly a struggle when the next one came along BUT I think that’s just the way some kids are made (mine are now both at school and still wake before 6.30am most days). It really does get better, you are totally in the thick of it and as they get older they may not sleep later but will likely get better at entertaining themselves. Best thing to do is have a moan, drink tea, eat cake and tell yourself ‘this too shall pass’ x