1 year old waking up at 5

[Broucek]

Though I am repeatedly told that ?it?s normal?, I am at the end of my tether! My 1yr old DS keeps waking up between 5 and 5.15 every morning (and screams until we get him) and me and my DH are exhausted. And actually so is my DS, after being awake for 30 minutes he is yawning and rubbing his eyes (but will not sleep). He will sleep happily at about 9.30 and stay asleep for as long as we let him (we tend to wake him up after 45 mins max). He will also sleep in the afternoon for up to an hour and half, having about 2 hrs nap time in total. I had some advice about not letting him nap in the morning and did this religiously for a week but it made NO difference whatsoever. When we do keep him awake he is miserable and will fall asleep after lunch at about 12 and still gets his 2 hrs or so. But he can?t quite last until bedtime and after 5 is grumpy again. I don?t put him down before 7 but he normally falls asleep straight away and without any fuss. This has been going on for about 3 months now and we?ve tried what seems like everything! I tried going in and tapping him when he wakes up at 5 (which normally works for naps) but his sleep is so light that unless I stay there and tap him he wakes up as soon as I stop. I tried to let him cry (admittedly not for long as I can?t bear to listen to him). I am back at work now so can?t even get my sleep back when he?s napping and I really am totally knackered. Any ideas - please please please?

have you tried letting him nap longer in the day? sounds bonkers i know, but worked for us with both ds's around this age. the more they sleep daytime, the better they seem at night.

yep, same here - the better naps during the day, the better sleep during the night.
I know you won't want to hear this, but some children just are early wakers, whatever you do. Ds3 never used to sleep beyond 5.30am and only started sleeping longer once he'd started preschool.
A friend of mine has a dd who still wakes at around 5.45am and she's coming to the end of her reception year at school.
Good luck whatever you choose to do.
Bump for you for other ideas too....

I agree, more sleep during the day worked for us, too, in improving sleep at night. Also, can you put him down later at night? Maybe let him have a short nap at about 5 and keep him up until 8 instead of 7? My DD goes to bed at 8.30 and has done since she started having a proper bedtime and never wakes before 7am which is just about bearable for a night owl like me. It does mean you don't really get much of a child-free evening but it was worth it for me not to be woken at the crack of dawn like most of my friends seem to be.

They are all so different aren't they? My dd (15 months) never naps in the day but goes to bed like a lamb at 7pm and sleeps until 7am.

DS is the same. So different to dd who used to wake for the day at 8.30/9. We now have a little box of breadsticks/mini weetabix/raisins etc and a drink for him in our bedroom along with a box of toys and just hand that over-means we at least get to lie in bed for a while longer even if we aren't actually asleep.