To think there’s not much you can do about early wakings

[Toooooearly]

DS woke at 530 for a year and it nearly killed me. I tried all the gro clock, treat as a night waking, later bedtime and so on and it didn’t work. He sleeps slightly later now but not much. Now the second one has started. AIBU to think some children just do wake very early 😴

Nothing you can do.

Just roll with it.

Same. I was happy for them to keep their naps through the afternoon and go to sleep at 9pm and they've never woken earlier than 7am unless ill.

Dd always woke up ridiculously early as a toddler and was wide awake and ready to start her day around 5.

Then she started school and completely flipped. School wore her out and I had to start waking her in the mornings (always difficult as she was such a heavy sleeper).

Mine both went through a phase of a 430 wake up for about 6 months when they about 3.5. Nearly broke me

My 5 year old is up between 5-5.30am every day, the 9 year old varies but usually about 7am.

She has slowly started waking up later so there's hope for the 5 YO!

Nope - mine have only ever woken early for very brief periods. They have never been early to bed types (no matter what we did) though so evenings were hard when they were toddlers!

This was me too. Not a single parent, but hate early starts.

My DD was an early riser 6am. And putting to bed later did not mean she would sleep later. She wake up was 6am. My DS was a good sleeper and was not an early riser. He slept through the night from 6 weeks. So they can be different.

I think you can minimise early wakings with most children - if they go through a phase of waking up early, don’t let them get up properly (I used to bring mine into bed with me, keep lights off, talk to them but definitely no screens (light will give the brain the feedback that it is ‘morning’), playing, etc.) BUT I also believe that there are early risers where you won’t be able to do anything about it. My husband is like this - apparently he always woke at 5.30 no matter what, and waking early persisted through his teenage years (though not quite as early). He still is up early at the weekend and on holiday (very useful!), though struggles a bit more on a weekday…

I think you know if you have one of those - my ‘keep them quietly in bed with you’ just does not work. I think people should try though - don’t default to letting them get up whenever they want from the beginning (and nobody should be putting on the TV/tablets for tiny kids.)

Mine never did. After initial baby stage, got up around 7/8. And if he went to bed later, he got up later. He's a night owl though and so am I. I have to say I wouldn't (couldn't!) have tolerated a child waking at 5.30 for years though. If they couldn't sleep they'd have had to stay in bed until at least "the morning" which in my mind doesn't start until 6 at the earliest. 5:30 is still the middle of the night!

Wow, I would have been so happy if mine had slept until 5.30am!!!! Only just now they're sleeping through (7yr and 4yr)after many years of repeated wake ups in the night!!!

Nope, both mine love their sleep. Slept literally the first night home from hospital and scared the hell out of me. I remember crying on the phone to my mother scared something was wrong.

Doctor reckoned it may be something to do with size. Both were big, drank a lot, bottle fed and slept. Met all milestones, the first talked early the second walked early.

Now ten and sixteen so tenish is a possibility unless sometimes specific on. Seemingly I was similar.