can anyone help me get ds2 to sleep longer than 5.30am?????

[purplerainbow]

ds2 is 3.8. For the last year he has been getting up between 5-5.30. He stopped his naps when he turned 2. He is asleep by 7pm. He is tired in the day so i know getting up this early isnt right for him (let alone me!) before anyone kindly suggests its the sun/birds, hes done this for a year so all through winter he did this when it would be dark and quiet at 5am. We also have black out blind and curtains.

If we drive for a length of time in the day he will fall asleep in the car, but wont transfer into the house, plus he is very grouchy when he wakes and i just up later at night and still up too early. Have tried putting him to bed later but that hasnt helped, that just makes him more grouchy during the next day and STILL up too early.

Any ideas?? Am desperate and very tired!

Have you considered more exercise? My Ds (2.11) is usually up around 5.10 - 5.30 but slept in until 6.45 this morning after we had an afternoon charge around a local wood, paddling in the stream etc. He got more exercise than usual (plus it was the end of his nursery week so was tired from that) and it seems to have knocked him out.

It doesn't work all the time but I am amazed at the ammount of exercise that DS can take.

Oh, and how does he eat? Ds is still a bit fussy with food so I'll often offer him some weetabix or similar as supper if he hasn't eaten well at tea, to try and ensure he sleeps better. He's also in a fluffy sleepsuit at night because he keeps uncovering himself overnight and waking up in part because he's cold. This has started to help as well but I don't think there's a permanent solution to this.

Have you considered getting a groclock? You set the time for the sun to come up and teach them to stay in bed until that time. It requires a bit of training and perseverance, start slowly by setting it for the time they usually wake up and then gradually move it back by 5 mins each day. Lots of praise and small rewards when they manage to stay put until the required time. It took DS about a week to realise I was serious as I kept putting him back to bed calmly saying the sun wasn't awake and it wasn't time to get up yet, but it worked a treat in the end. We still use it to this day and he is 6 now. Good luck

He eats well and he literally is on the go all the time. Does preschool 9-3 3 days a week, when we are at home he is always charging around and we are always out and about. I thought about the groclock (which didnt work with ds1) but when i put him back into bed he kicks off which then wakes up ds1!!

i feel like the only thing left is to fly him to australia and back and totally screw up his body clock to see if i can re-set him!!

My ds2 was an early bird and it was a killer! He's 4 now and wakes between 6-7 so don't panic too much he may grow put of it! We tried sleep clocks- they were helpful in explaining when it is ok to get up but didn't change his sleep pattern! Can he have access to some toys and books so he can get up and play quietly without disturbing Anyone else? My ds will just go and play with his cars now if he gets up too early. I think some kids just resist the sleep even though they're tired and manage without it. Like your ds mine is on the go all day and an survive on little sleep! Good luck!

he shares a room with 6 year old ds1 and as we have the black out blinds/curtains theres not enough light to play plus obviously would wake ds1. ITs frustrating that i know he needs more sleep as he so tired and grouchy by 5pm! Really hoping you are right missdeelite, and he'll grow out of it..

Can he go to bed later?

iv tried putting him to bed later but he still wakes at the same time and just ends up more grouchy as even less sleep?

It is probably because 5:30 is his meal time now. You need to treat the 5-5:30 wake-up as a night waking (lights stay off, no eye contact, no milk, shh and a hug and back in his bed he goes) and not let him out of his room before 7 AM.

I think the difficulty in trying to put this right is your DS1 as obv it's not fair on him if DS2 kicks off and wakes him - can he go and stay with someone for a few days while you do as others have suggested and tell him it's not time to get up etc

Also, if he's 3.8 why do you have to get up with him? Can he go down and play on his own maybe?

I do feel your pain - if either of mine had been early risers i wouldn't have coped at all!!!

yes ds1 is the main issue, esp as i really struggle with him (undergoing dealings with camhs, possible adhd, asd) so i really cant have ds2 kicking off and waking him. if i put him back to bed ds2 would def kick off. He comes into me so i put him in my bed, cuddle him tell him to have a little nap with mummy but he wont. Hes wide awake 'can we go downstairs mummy' and that just goes on and on until i drag myself downstairs, sometimes he'll just lay there and ds1 doesnt wake a great deal later so when he gets up ds2 will go down with him, he wont go downstairs and stay downstairs by himself.