To feel a bit ill at the thought of this starting again?

[Ohhelpohnonono]

I had a long year of DS waking up between 5 and 6, usually 530. 6 felt like a luxurious lie in. When he dropped his nap he started to sleep later. (I’d tried to force no nap but it didn’t work.)

Now it appears to be starting again only this time I have a baby who doesn’t sleep through to contend with so I was up 2-330 with the baby then got woken two hours later by DS.

I didn’t realise how horrible the early wakes were until I was out of them. I’m just lying here now worrying it’s going to start again, and feeling horrible about it. When he woke the baby stirred and I thought ‘I wish I just had you’ which is awful but honestly I do sometimes wonder.

How old are the children and do they have their own rooms or are room sharing?

Own rooms but the baby is still in with me. DS is 3.

Reading between the lines I'm guessing no partner to help - is there anyone else that can give you a break during the day so you can nap yourself?

No. Probably an overreaction but it’s just fucking hideous. It isn’t just the tiredness it’s the fact the day lasts forever.

3 might be old enough to try a gro-clock type thing. Kid friendly clock and teach him he can play in his room until 6 or 7?

Can your partner get up with oldest so you can sleep a little later if you're doing baby wake ups.

Can you put a toddler mattress in your room for ds, so he feels closer to you and you don't have to get up when he wakes? You will probably just have to accept that you are an early riser for a while. M eldest was up at 4:30-5 for the day when little. Certainly not anymore! It does pass.

I've had friends swear by Gro clocks. One was a bunny that when it was asleep it's ears were down/eyes closed then when the ears were up and eyes open they were allowed to get up/wake the parents. I think one had a sun/moon.

Dc1 was quite good at sleeping to a reasonable hour. Dc2 was not. But dh had to get up around 5:30 for work at that stage so luckily he would sort dc with breakfast then I could get up and hour later to start morning routine for me/dc1. Putting dc2 to bed later just made him grumpy because he'd wake up at the same time regardless (he gets it from his dad! Dh has always woken/got straight up around 6am).

Dh had to work away when dc2 was around 3.5/4. I tried embracing it and starting my day when dc2 did but I'm v definitely a night owl and not a lark. Helpfully I can't remember how I did it but somehow dc2 was persuaded he could play quietly in his room for a while before waking anyone else up. Sometimes it was 5 minutes but sometimes it was a couple of hours. Days after he'd been at nursery he slept in longer.

They're much older now and v v difficult to turf out of bed on a morning!

Jeez. That was an essay. Maybe you should read it to your ds so he'll have a nap?

Ugh I hated the early wakes. I've never put mine to bed early for that reason although I have friends who swear blind their kids wake up same time whatever time they go to bed so I know it's not one size fits all.

But if it were me I'd push his bed time back slowly. And agree on the gro clock my son starring using around age 2.

He does @NewmummyJ but DS is so loud in the morning that it makes little difference. Fucking hell I’m miserable, I wish I hadn’t had kids, I know that’s awful but I do.

This is a hard but very temporary phase in your whole adult life. I had two under two so was dealing with a bf toddler who had never slept through ever and an ebf baby so I can truly empathise. If you have loud enough white noise on for you and baby and your husband goes in the room with the toddler from about 3 (ie when baby wakes close to morning) you shouldn't hear them up at 5.

Whoops accidental post apologies .