How to deal with one early waker when dc are sharing a room?

[silverfrog]

dd1 & dd2 share a room.

they started sharing earlier this year for a variety of reasons: dd1 (ASD) was having sleep issues, and we thought it might help her (it has, a bit) and also we go away a LOT (friends, family, holidays) and the dds share a room then - due to dd1's ASD she doesn't like things that are different, and so we thought sharing would help with this too (it did, massively, and we are able to go away a lot more easily now)

dd1 is 5, dd2 is coming up 3 (in Feb)

All was fine until recently, when we moved dd2 into a bed.

she took to ehr bed well, and sleeps ok. she has slept in with dd1 a few times, but we are talking to her about this, as dd1 is Not Keen (and won't stand up for herself, so ends up having a really uncomfortable night)

dd1 needs more sleep than dd2 it would appear. dd1 would sleep 8pm ish til 7am ish, i reckon, if left to her own devices.

dd2 seems to want to sleep 8.30pm ish until 6am or even 5.30am

we cannot separate out the bedtimes, with dd2 going later, as dd1 would freak at the thought (not the unfairness - she has no concept of that - but the break in routine) and anyway, dd2 would most likely wake dd1 when going up and settling as well

so, what to do?

we have bought a bunny sleep clock for their room, and it seems to be a hit with dd2. we have explained that she should stay in bed while the buny is asleep, and get up when the rabbit wakes up. it went reasonably well this morning - they stayed in their room until 6.10 or so, but dd2 was shouting at dd1 to wake her up from just beofre 6

so, how do I stop dd2 waking dd1? they have toys/books in their room. dd2 is able to open the door if she feels the need (usually one of the things she is shouting for her sister to do)

we will probably be moving house within 6 motnhs or so, and we have thought that if all is still awry then we will put them in separate rooms again.

but they do enjoy sharing, it's jus tthe early mronings and the associated chaos (they flooded the bathroom yesterday) that I don't like.

what to do?

My boys share a room. Ds1 is 8 and ds2 is 5. Ds2 wakes much earlier than ds1. Not what you will want to hear, but it has taken until recently for ds2 not to wake ds1. He was just too young before. Now, at 5, he can understand that he has to stay in bed and quiet until the time on the clock is 7 (or until ds1 wakes).

We have similar aged dds who also share. (dd1 is almost 6, dd2 is 2.5) dd2 needs far less sleep than dd1, and thinks that 5.30 am ish is a great time to get up. Unlike your situation dd2 is still in a cot (I can't face moving her yet)

Basically she wakes up and squawks for daddy. He nips down and gets her and she stays in our bed until 6.30 ish. I know we need to break this habit, so will be following your thread to see if others have any good tips.

Just wanted to add support really as we are going through some similarities!

thanks for the replies.

I meant to add that the situation is further complicated in that as soon as dd1 wakes, no matter what the time, she HAS to open the door.

before, when dd2 was in a cot, this was ok. dd1 would opent the door, and then settle down in the doorway/just outside but in view of dd2 until I came to get them up. she would go in and out a bit, but mostly curl up on the cushions just outside their door.

this is not somethign I am goign to be able to change eaisly, and it makes training dd2 to stay in her room/bed that much harder.

if i try to do it by time, then there will come a time when dd1 will wake earlier, open the door and dd2 will freak because the rabbit isn't awake (or similar). I am getting ahead of myself here, as this situation is probably a good way off yet, but it does complicate the situation a bit.

and I thought that having no sleep issues when they were babies emant I was going to be let off

well, this morning wasn't TOO bad, considering.

they were awake before 6

but they were happy to be taken back to their room, and to play "quietly" unitl the bunny woke up (currently set for 6.15)

they did stay in their room nicely (occasional excursion into the corridor from dd1) until I went to get them at about 6.45

there is some confusion form dd2 re: the bunny clock as she can see both pictures, so she is getting confused as to when the rabbit is awake and when he is asleep!

I think dd2 is waking to poo.

any ideas on how to get her pooing later?!

Is your eldest trustworthy? My DD1 (6), wakes way before DD2 (or anyone else for that matter) and she is allowed to go downstairs and put on a DVD or watch TV. But she is very trustworthy (I sent her on an errand the other day, and she asked me if she was allowed to skip on the way round!). If she wasn't trustworthy, I wouldn't allow her to do that.

If DD2 wakes early, she comes into our room and watches a DVD / Cbeebies in our room (she's only 3, so not trustworthy yet!).

Alternatively, Nintendo DS Games are great for keeping them quiet! Reserved for the sat morning lie ins, keeps them occupied!

We've got a gro clock which is a bit clearer than a bunny clock - it also is completely silent when going from the moon and stars (night) to sunshine pictures and it shows either one or the other.

here

thanks, biscuitstuffer. I saw that one after we'd bought the bunny clock - d'oh!

The mixing up of pictures doesn't seemt o be troubling dd2, though, and she is happy to think that the rabbit is asleep all the time, which might work to uor advantage

They were really good this mornign, and although awake, did stay in their room until 6.15 (current bunny wake up time), and so maybe we might be getting somewhere...

unfortunately, dd1 isn't trustworthy, ellokitty. well, she is, up to a point, but she is autistic, and so proper common sense is comletely absent. having said that, she used to be fine when dd2 was in a cot - dd1 would open the door and sit and wait for us nice and quietly. it is only since dd2 has been in a bed, and able to follow dd1 out of the room, that the trouble has started. dd2 instigates it all, and dd1 follows on and joins in merrily! so we are hoping that if we can get dd2 to behave nicely in the mornigns, dd1 will revert to her default of being mostly good too