To always be tired when getting up at 5?

[wantingspringtobecolder]

It doesn’t seem to make any difference what time I go to bed; the next day I’m so bloody tired when I wake up!

And I hate not having an evening to speak of either. Has anyone conquered this or am I stuck with it for the foreseeable future?

Are you getting up at 5 for work?

I did this for a few years as I had a commute and was tired regardless of how early I went to bed. I ended up looking for a job closer to home. I just couldn’t do it long term. You haven’t said why you are getting up at that time ?

Sorry … child!

I have two children. DC1 did the ‘waking up at 5’ thing for a year, from about 18 months until two and a half, then he dropped his nap and it ended, thankfully. Now DD has started. It absolutely kills me, I hate it.

Six is fine. I am fine at six. Five … no.

Solidarity. My oldest did the same at the same age and my 2 year old has been an early riser for quite some time and naps are still definitely needed, not seeing an end to then soon. This morning he actually slept until 6 as the clock change has helped, but I had been awake since 4 and couldn't go back to sleep!

The weird thing is that DD has started with the clock change so I’m praying it’s temporary. It’s brought back bad, bad times of freezing cold dark mornings and way too much screen time as what the hell else do you do at that time!?

I have often have to get up at 4:30 for work. I just work backwards, so if I’m getting up at 4:30, I subtract 8 hours for sleep plus half an hour for nodding off/settling down. So 8pm bedtime.

You say you hate missing an evening. What is it specifically that you miss? Assuming it’s not alcohol, can you do it in the daytime instead? Try to carve some time out for yourself to read/watch tv/whatever you would do in the evening?

Would they go back to sleep if they could get in with you for an hour? Worked a treat with DS. Whenever he woke be that in the night or early morning he got in with me.

Failing that, have you tried putting him to bed later. When DS started school one of his friends mums was always complaining about how early her son got up, but he went to bed about half 6!

Do they have complete black out curtains/blinds on their windows?

I tried everything during DS’s reign of 5am wake ups. Later bedtimes and earlier bedtime, no nap, reduced nap, longer nap, nap earlier in the day, food, milk, no screen time, all the hacks. The only thing that worked was when he dropped his nap, but it seemed it had to come from him if you like, it coolant be engineered.

Neither sleep with me. It is frustrating as I can see DD is still tired but I tried for an hour this morning and she was not going back down.

No screens. (Why would you give screens?!!! Terrible idea). No talking to child. Total darkness in child’s room. They have to learn that it’s simply not time to get up.

It doesn’t work @ClaudiusTheGod . It may with some children but it didn’t with DS -
would just cry until somebody got him. DD seems the same. As for why would you give screens followed by numerous question marks and exclamation marks - because I’m fucking tired!

In with you, when I'm up like a zombie we're watching TV. Then I'm getting myself ready enough to parent. This morning when I was up before ds I didn't put TV on.

Also, we got a toddler clock. It's not magic but it helped a bit. We did a sticker chart if he stayed in bed until the sun came up and occasionally he fell back to sleep. Sounds like it could be a phase, growth spurt or molars coming in? We're definitely not a phase!

I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions but went through this with mine and it eventually got better. I would bring them into bed with me and when they got too wriggly would go downstairs and stick them in front of the TV whilst I had a cuppa. DH and I took it in turns so make sure you're doing that! When they were too young for TV I used to try and set up an activity the night before so we would come downstairs and I would put DC in front of it - a basket of random household items or a pile of blocks for example. We might look at books although I prefer not to have to do anything until after tea! DH and also had long weekend lie ins - him on Saturday and me on Sunday - where the parent up with kids had to keep them out of the bedroom!

Solidarity OP. Toddler DS goes through periods of 5am starts and it breaks me. 6 is fine, 5 is awful.

We have also resorted to large amounts of screen time while mummy or daddy lie slumped on the sofa. DS is another one who just wouldn’t be taught that you lie quietly. We have begrudgingly accepted that the phases are shorter if we hold our nerve and don’t take him downstairs for TV. We have found that a gro clock has helped a bit. It’s not magic by any means but DS was very quick to learn about the clock turning yellow and what it means. It doesn’t stop him lying though and shouting that the clock has turned yellow when it definitely hasn’t!

YANBU its gruelling. Mine are all teens so I thought the early starts were long gone but no, one does sport that require 5:30 starts. It’s not even like I can go to bed that early to compensate as the others have evening clubs that finish late or just need time with me in the evening too.
I’m lucky to be able to have a nap during the day or I’d be ill I think.