advice required on early morning waking please

[poppypops]

Morning, my nearly 4 year old has always been an early waker. We got used to the 5.45-6 wake up. Over the past few weeks she has however been waking earlier, this morning 4.40!

I am shattered. It is 8am and I have a grumpy, demanding little girl on my hands. This morning at 4.40 she was demanding to go downstairs for breakfast and to watch telly. This was obviously not allowed. She was frog marched back to bed to read a book/look at pictures in the book as there was no chance of her going back to sleep.

She returned 10 mins later, crying and making the same request over and over. She is relentless. She goes to bed at 1900- 1930. Have tried stretching it later but she still wakes at the same time. Reward charts don't have any effect.

I am 31 weeks pregnant, dreading to think how I will cope with new baby, night feeds and grumpy sleep deprived child.

Any tips/advice wolud be warmly welcomed. TIA

Sorry to hear this.

Have you tried locking the bedroom door a Gro clock?

He he!

No, was considering that this morning actually. A similar, pink princess one was advertised on telly recently and it did catch her eye. I suspect because it is pink and pretty. Not sure how she would respond to it. Any tips on introducing it?

If she was to still get up before set time, what do you do then? Silly question but not sure how it works.

I've not actually used one, sorry. Just heard very good things about them. A friend of mine used one with both her DDs with great results.

Maybe start a new Groclock-specific thread to attract the experts?

Good luck

Definitely try the gro clock. It comes with a story book. My ds has had it a long time and pretty much ignored it. However, for the last 6 weeks he has gone straight to bed at night and does not make a peep till 7 am when the clock wakes up. The changing factor was chocolate!!!! He gets a chocolate button if he stays in bed quietly till 7am...not everyone's parenting choice but it works and the whole family are well rested (I am 28 weeks with dc3 so really appreciate the 'lie-in'!!). Good luck.

don't do it...that's my advice

Also, ds has just started to be dry at night in last 6 weeks (he is 3.3) and I have always been adamant that a lot of the early waking was down to a full bladder and wetting his nappy in the early hours. Since really cutting back on liquids in the evening (and making sure he doesn't drink bath water ) he wakes later because I am convinced the full bladder doesn't wake him till later on. May be worth considering?

DD has a GroClock, and although she understands to stay in bed till the sun comes up it's made no difference to her waking (4am this morning) - nor have changing/dropping her nap, going to bed later, eating later/earlier - anything. I've just resigned myself to going to bed at 9 until she's a teenager.

Of course on the rare mornings when she sleeps in till 6 it's me awake at 5am because I'm trained.

I spotted the title of this thread and came her to talk about the clock! We have a very similar clock which I introduced when DS was 3yo, and it has been the best best best thing I have ever bought!

We set the light for 7am now, and my DCs (now 5 and 4yo) aren't allowed to make a sound before 'the green light is on'. I should say at this point that I am a fierce and nasty person if I get woken up too early so I have been VERY strict about this.

To start with, we set the time for the time that DS was waking - about 5.30am. Then we gradually shifted the time back by 10-15mins every couple of days until we got to 7am.

He nearly always wakes before 7am, often to get up to go to the loo, which is fine. But he does observe the rules. Like your dd, he's always been an early waker, and a later bedtime has never helped - it just makes him grumpy. Even school exhaustion hasn't made him sleep in, but at least with the clock he is quiet and resting - and everyone else gets sleep!

I'm 28 weeks pg with DC3 too ChocolateBiscuitCake! Bribery and fierceness works equally well, imo!

Our 4 year old has a lava lamp that it is on a timer switch. She only comes in once it is switched on so the first thing I hear every morning is 'Mummy my lava lamp is on' followed by 15 minutes cuddling in our bed. That will all change I expect when the next one arrives in a few weeks...