18 month old 5am waking up

[betty10k]

I was just wondering if anyone could give me any advice on this - i know it's common but it doesn't happen all the time so was hoping someone might know why?

My son generally sleeps well, he goes to bed happily although he may wake in the night around 2am and i have to go and resettle him but he always wakes at 5am every morning - at least this was the case - We've just had 2 weeks off work/nursery over Christmas and he started sleeping much better, 2-3 hours at lunchtime and around 12 hours at night (no nighttime waking at all), when he woke in the mornings around 7am he would even play in his cot happily for up to an hour. I work full time and he is at nursery 4 days a week, Grandma's for 1 day.
On Monday i went back to work and he went back to nursery, we had to wake him up at 6.30am Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday he has gone back to his old ways of waking us up at 5am and screaming from the moment he wakes until we go in. He has also woken a few times in the night.

Now i'm not sure if this is because he needs more sleep? (not sure how we can achieve this as the earliest we can get him to bed is 7.30pm as we don't get home until 6pm and have to give him dinner, bath,bed etc) and he sleeps for 2 hours at nursery at lunchtime) Or because he needs us as he's not seeing so much of us or if there is something i'm doing wrong? or if it's just life/babies. I'm not moaning i'm just wondering if i'm missing something?

Ps he loves nursery and ran in on Monday morning so he isn't unhappy

Thank you in advance!

My DD is nearly 17 months and has started doing this aswell?! She has always had 2 hour nap in the day and then will sleep 7-7 every night. For a week she suddenly was sleeping 6pm - 8am, but then stopped and now wakes up a couple of times in the night (for a cuddle) then up any time from 4:30am. This morning I ignored her and she went back to sleep until 7 but usually she gets louder and louder until I go in to her. What I have read is that toddlers typically need less sleep at night, but when they sleep so well in the day and usually at night too like ours, surely thats not the case?? Whats yours like if you wake him from his nap early? My DD needs a good 2 hours in the day or she is so miserable I can hardly feed her dinner and want to rip my hair out by bedtime!!! Im not going through that every day!
I considered it being teeth, and maybe the pain is disturbing her and because she has been asleep nearly all night she wakes up fully. x

Thank you for replying!!

I tried leaving him for 15 minutes this morning because he didn't sound upset - just moany crying and i thought/hoped he might go back to sleep, but when i went in there were proper tears and he put his arms up and said mama - i felt awful! He then wouldn't go back to sleep and i ended up taking him into bed with us - he had a cuddle with me for 5 minutes and then decided he didn't want to sleep he just wanted to terrorise us (little monkey) - this is what normally happens pre our 2 weeks off.

I have rarely woken him from his nap but when i have he normally just gets up and wants a cuddle then after 10 minutes is raring to go. I don't think it's teeth with my son but i just find it annoying that i have to work but if i didn't we'd possibly (judging on the past 2 weeks) have a child that slept perfectly. You can't win though can you.

My daughters exactly the same if I bring her into my bed, results in her waking up more and grabbing anything she can and forcing me to get up!! I am going to be stricter with her day naps, and only let her sleep 11 - 12:30 and see if that makes a difference. I know it's hard if your sons at nursery to control that sort of thing, have you asked them for advice? Good luck, let me know if you find anything that works! X

My 2yo had just done much the same - waking anywhere between 7 and 8 while we were off over Christmas and new year, and now we're back to 5 \ 5.30 wake ups.

I can't tell if either (a) the excitement of December meant he needed more sleep, and we just have to lump it now he's back to normal, or (b) he's either under- or over-stimulated at nursery and therefore waking early.

We've had this since he was maybe 14 months old, so I'm afraid I've no solutions for you. We count our blessings if we actually sleep until the alarm goes off at 6am. I really can't do another year like the one we've just had!