HTF do I stop ds (4) from waking up at 5:30 ish almost every day?

[geekgirl]

He's got a clock he can read and knows full well he mustn't get up until 7am, he goes to bed as late as he can manage between 7:30-8pm, and spends all afternoon being a tearful, grumpy little sh*t.

I am so very, very fed up with this. He frequently takes it upon himself to go downstairs and do things 'by himself' - e.g. eat all the yoghurts in the fridge, or deal with the dead mouse the cat has brought in overnight.

It's a real problem. Dd2 is a terrible sleeper and we really can't afford to have another one . To add to this, my dad is coming to stay for 10 days at Easter and the guest bedroom is below ds's room - he always gets woken up by him at some ungodly hour when he's here.

Ds has a blackout blind on his window which he just pulls up when he wakes up, telling me 'but it's daytime!!' in protest when I put him back.

We've tried bribery, threats, praise, and losing the plot completely with shouting etc. . He cries and is always very apologetic but just does it again the next day.

Help please

Could you make a big deal out of having a special toy/book/(or even snack?) near to the bed especially for playing with/reading/(eating) when he wakes up?

And thenreward him with a special treat later if he manages to entertain himself until a target time?

My ds (3) gets up anytime between 5.30 and 6.30 and has been like this for nearly a year. At first it killed me and made me really mad. When my dh had about 5 months off work we would take it in turns to get up with him but now dh is back to work the majority of the week is down to me. Generally he watches a dvd and I make dd's pack lunch, have a cup of tea, maybe do a bit of work on the computer, mumsnet or read the paper. I am just having to accept that he is just wired to be an early riser but it has taken a very long time to accept this. This week he has got up really early despite being really busy during the day and getting lots of fresh air and no naps. It doesn't make sense.
I also try to go to bed early myself to make it bearable but sometimes I can't or won't avois a late night just because of ds.

My ds did this. Will he lie in your bed and watch a dvd for a bit while you snooze? You have my sincere sympathy - but he will adjust eventually!You may have to just live with it (we did) and just go to bed early yourself for now.

we already go to bed early because dd2 is such an atrocious sleeper am usually in bed by 10 at the latest. Granted, I could go to bed even earlier but then life would seem like an endless grind of childcare IYSWIM.

Dh is being a complete dick about this and reacts by completely losing his temper with ds.

DS (4) has always been an early riser 5.30-6 ish. Drives me mad because I hate being up early but I think after 4 years we have finally come to accept that its just the way he is, he can't help it! Makes no difference how much exercise he gets and as you have found out, putting him to bed late just makes him more grumpy! He's does it more when we're on holiday (what holiday?!)or if theres something exciting happening. At least he goes to bed OK in the evening, lots of folk have trouble with kids refusing to go to bed.

Our rule is, if he gets up before the bunny is up (Kidsleep clock), he has to stay in his room and read, listen to tapes or other quiet things and is not allowed to come through to us until waking up time. I used to be so angry at getting woken up that I couldn't get back to sleep and I would be really knackered but now that I've got a more calm, accepting frame of mind, it doesn't bother me so much and I can doze off again.

Sorry to not give you a solution but I think some people are just morning people!

DD1 (4) does this when she is over tired. I try to make sure she has a sleep 2/3 afternoons a week for at least an hour. If she is realy tired and will not sleep then she goes to bed at 6pm rather then 7pm.

It may take a week but she then starts sleeping from 7pm to 6.30am (woken by dd2 (6mths)).

She has a nightlight and a cd player in her room which she can put on, but she know she can not come out of her room until she hears me getting up to see to dd2.

DS is like this, and I am getting to like the early morning time to get things done. DH and I alternate who gets up though, even though DH is at work in the week. After all, I work too and I do the night shift all night too.

I have heard tell that if you wake them up about an hour before they normally wake and then put them back to sleep, they might sleep later. This has happened with DS - lately he's slept till 6.30 two days this week and both times he's been fully awake at 4am. So you could try that, but don't know what the long term success is.

Have you thought of putting the heating on so that he stays super sleepy cosy ?

Or put a stairgate on his door so that he can't get downstairs?

just don't adjust his clock for summer time (or whatever it's called here - "daylight saving" down under). Should be good for at least a few days, anyway.

Ds (2.10) has blackout linings to his curtains, no nightlight etc. He has a tendency to wake up at 5 / 5.30 as he wants a wee. So he has a wee then is put back to bed. He knows that its not time to get up as the light on the landing (on a timeclock) has not gone on by then - that is the trigger that allows him to tell us that its time to get up (weekdays anyway).

Another early riser here, and nothing will solve it! DS is a little bugger in the morning - he knows that he is meant to stay in his room until we are awake(I'm up by 6.30 myself!!) but he often sneaks down for food or puts the TV on. We have got a lock for the downstairs rooms now so he's nowhere to go! He's been like this for nearly three years now We have even resorted to tripping the upstairs lights on the fuse box so he can't see to do anything, but he still doesn't go back to bed!! Had hoped that full time school would help, but no change at all.

Told my DS he wasnt allowed up until heating is on. He also gets up about 6 for a wee. We were very naughty and put a telly in his room. He knows that when he wakes up he can put his telly on very very quietly but he must get back in bed and watch it. Its working, but I'm a bit worried because I dont actually know what time he wakes up and puts it on!