2.5 yo sleep, early rising, gro clocks, star charts - help!

[sleepcrisis]

DS has been a good sleeper since he turned one, sleeping 12 ish hour nights (bar illness, holidays etc) and 1.5-2 hr naps after lunch.

The last few weeks have been pretty hard for him - he was ill, I was in hospital, his daddy was away, now we have builders in and he's moved into a different room temporarily.

So I know he probably has his reasons, but 5.30 am is just not on!!! Also he just doesn't seem tired come bed time, despite spending all day moping around with bags under his eyes. Everyone comments on how tired and quiet he seems. Until 5 pm when he turns into the duracell bunny. So not only is he waking early but he's taking up to an hour to settle at bedtime (I put him down at 7-715, but he can be awake mucking about until 8, calling me in, chucking his comforter out etc.)

We're exhausted and I'm suffering a not very enjoyable pregnancy.

So I have drawn up a star chart and told him if he goes to bed nicely and sleeps until the sun comes up, he'll get a star, and after the first 5 stars he'll get a small car of his choice. I know he understands all of this, its well within his comprehension, but he just refuses to engage in conversation with me about it and either ignores me or changes the subject. Or says 'Later later'. Like a bloody teenager!

Anyway bedtime didn't really go to plan, he threw his comforter out 4 times before settling (I think he might be asleep now) and on the last time I told him he wouldn't be getting his star but if he can stay lying down asleep and quiet until the sun comes up then he can have one then. I know he just won't care and still call for me at 5.30. When I say 'its not morning' he says ' but I'm awake!' and jumps up and down. Or asks to sleep in our bed. (not something he's been bothered about historically but seems to be a latest obsession)

So what the hell do I do!? I was wondering, if I have to go in at 5.30 but remind him of the rules, as long as he stays in his cot without screaming, should I give him a star on the first morning or two? I feel like until he gets one or two stars he won't get the meaning or excitement of it. He's also likely to do a poo as soon as he wakes at 530 - his usual pattern - so do I change his nappy and put him straight back to bed? and remind him of the star?

I have set the gro clock to 630 for the first few days although his old wake up was much closer to 7.

Also I do think he still needs a nap. Even before this early rising he was shattered by 1230, asking for bed and falling asleep wherever he could, esp. in or after a car journey!

So, any tips on star charts or gro clocks?! I haven't used either before and am feeling panicky already at the thought that they won't work and I'll have to find another plan !

No answers but ds is very similar at the moment ao watching with interest.
I really wouldn't mind (much) if he wasn't so tired during the day!

He's too young to be bribed with star charts. I suspect come 5pm he's ready for bed hence the Duracell bunny - classic overtired behaviour.

And if he's pooing on wake up that's probably why he wakes.

I'd put him to bed for half 6 and sit with him to see if that calms him to sleep. I'd also look at his dinners to see if he's having too much fruit hence the am poo.
It's also cold in the mornings so make sure he's warm enough. I usually chuck a blanket over ds when I go to bed.

Yes I did suspect overtiredness. I also was inclined to agree with him being too young but I have a couple of friends who swore that 2.5 was a good age. And his understanding/communication is very very good.

Yes also to the pooing on wake up. But the thing is, he was waking and pooing at 7 and its now 530. Nothing has changed re diet. I think its more like his routine (and mine!) I think he feels like pooing when he wakes rather than it actually waking him.

He does eat a good amount of fruit but I have tried restricting it at dinner and he ends up waking with a hard constipated poo instead! Or not having one, but then needing to go later in the day and despite being potty trained (dry) he only likes to poo in his nappy. SO he ends up holding it in and doing it as soon as I put him to bed! argh!

Re fruit, is this too much? todays intake:
1x satusma at breakfast
kiwi and satsuma afternoon snack
blueberries after dinner

thanks!

No advice here- I had a 5.30 riser for 4 years despite trying everything.
No need for you to be tired though- you said your child sleeps from 8pm until 5.30am- so you have 9.5 hours available to sleep.
A 5.30 am start demands an early night.

Sounds ok to me. Maybe up his water intake in the day to counter poos in the morning. Also try a blanket on him when you go to bed, especially if his rooms cold. Temperature drops quite a bit after midnight.

In regard to the gro clock, I think you are being unrealistic setting it for 6.30 if he currently wakes at 5.30.

I think the idea is that you slowly move to the time you want in 5/10 minutes increases as an hour will just be too long for him to wait for the clock to change.

So try setting his clock for 5.40 (I know that too early...but if he can do that for a few days then move it to 5.50 etc etc so that gradually you are encouraging a later morning

He's not too young for a gro clock (necessarily!) ours works wonders and we've had it on the go for over a year - my DD is 2.7. And personally I think lying quietly until the sun comes up is absolutely fine. The star chart thing doesn't work that well here though - been trying it for good tooth brushing with zero success, and to reward poos in potty - makes no difference to what happens (which doesn't surprise me) but at least gives her a treat when she does one because she doesn't really like it. I feel quite bizarre knowing that the has done 48 poos in the potty since the beginning of September! But that's a touch off topic ;)

I agree with creeping the time slowly forwards by 10 mins from 5.30am. We give loads of fuss when the sun is up on the clock. If dd2 calls before then we just pop our head round the door and say sshhh suns not up. It does seem to be working.

llama - I'll try that, but do you think given that only 5 days ago he was waking at 645 I still need to start at 549? Will do that tommorrow I think if tonight is a massive fail.

I will definitely put a blanket on him, good idea.

And miggins - am very disorganised by nature, have crazy mad active boy who runs me ragged, builders in the house, decorating to be done, DH out of the house between 730 and 730 - there is no way in a million years I could be in bed at 8pm. 930 is occasionally possible, 10-1030 more realistic. And I'm a 10hr a night girl so I know I'm always going to be tired, I just need to try and minimise it! I know DS is capable of sleeping til 7 and hopefully I can crack the habit before it becomes too ingrained.

x post, thanks for the last 2 comments. Think I'll
Go earlier with the clock tommorrow. Will let you know how it goes!

I am such an idiot! I set the bloody clock for 530 instead of my planned 630 and it woke him up! Its so bright!
I have it set as totally black in the night as he wont sleep with any light in the room, an even at the lowest setting it lights up all his toys! Anyway sods law he wanted to sleep more so I convinced him that the clock was broken and told him to go back to sleep. He couldn't tho and ended up getting up to do a poo at 6.10. So then we changed his nappy and told him to stay in bed until morning, went in at 630 and switched the sun on manually. And he asked for his star! I did give it to him as he stayed in bed til then, but obv wasn't very restful for us. I told him tommorrow would be more difficult to get a star as he needs to stay quiet til the sun comes up and I think he understood. I am just kicking myself as I really confused matters this morning.

I am impatient and want it to work immediately but I suppose I new to accept it might take a few days.

How long did it take for those for you who have had some success?

We started using it v young (15months?) so it took a fair old while, but I wanted her to know what was expected as soon as she was old enough (she always woke about 5am until about 18 months so we were pretty desperate)! Sorry, that's not terribly helpful but it does sound like your DS is going to get it :)

Just to update you, we have had some success! It's been 5 days and he has had 5 stars. He has woken up early every day but gone back to bed after a pooey nappy change and stayed there (sometimes gone back to sleep) until 630. And today, miraculously, he didn't wake at all until 645. SO I'm hopeful we're on the right track.

I've told him the next 5 stars will be harder to achieve as he won't get one at all if he isn't completely asleep or quiet until sun comes up at 630. Not sure how that will go down as I've been using the promise of a star to get him back to sleep if he does wake at 530...