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Parenting

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Original poster

Anyone else have an early waking 3 year old?

13 replies

beatie · 16/02/2006 07:54

dd1 goes to bed at 7pm and wakes around 6:10-6:20am. It's kind of irritating on the weekends.

She doesn't come into our room but instead sits in her bed and whines until one of us goes to get her and take her downstairs. We try and ignore her but she's persistent and this morning she carried it on for an hour!

Is it ever possible to change the 'natural' wake-up time of a child?

What strategies have you used?

Please help! With a new baby in the house who doesn't sleep through the night but will sleep in come a morning until 7 or 8am, the 3 year olds early awakening is doubly horrible.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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throckenholt · 16/02/2006 08:00

no answers - just a bit of solidarity - I have 3 year old twins who wake up between 5.30 and 6 most days - usually heralded by their door creaking open (must remember to oil the hinges ).

MINIMAX · 16/02/2006 09:37

Don't want to panic you, but I have a 5½ yr old who wakes up daily at 5.30am - no idea what to do with him, he just says he doesn't like sleeping!

Gemmitygem · 16/02/2006 09:42

I'm not a mum (yet) but this is what my mum used to do with me:

I used to wake up early when aged 3-4, but I had to stay in my room and shout 'Mummy! Is it time to get up?' If the shout came back 'No it isn't!' I knew I had to stay in my room and play.

Now maybe this is a bit freaky or it only worked cos I was an only child so no one to make mischief with, but it seemed to work for her. Anyway best of luck with your little one!

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omega2 · 16/02/2006 20:18

leave a little basket of toys by the bed for when your little one wakes - tell her they are only to be played with when she wakes in the morning and she is to stay in bed quietly until mummy gets up. Also you could try putting an alarm clock in her room set to say 7am the first morning and tell her she can come and wake you up when it goes off not until. This way you can gradually move the time!

RedRidingHood · 16/02/2006 20:34

My dd went through something similar a few weeks ago - the whining drove us mad.

In the end I went in to her - she stays in bed as she has just gone into a bed from a cot and has the bed guard - gave her some toys and a book and said mummy has to get ready.

After a few days of this I went in and (thank god for dark mornings) said it was still night time and she went back to sleep.

She mostly stays asleep until 7-7.30 now.

Hope this helps.

kid · 16/02/2006 20:48

My DS is 3.10 and wakes up every morning between 6 -6:30. I have tried telling him that if I'm not up then its too early for him to be up and that he should roll over and go back to sleep.

He has now decided that when he wakes up, he sneaks downstairs and puts the TV on. He will quite happily sit there for over an hour before getting bored and then will come and wake me up.

HellyBelly · 18/02/2006 11:07

Our ds is 3 in March and has been getting up in early hours (anything from 1am - 3am) since we put him in a bed. He says he doesn't like his bed and wants to come in ours. We keep taking him back to his bed but unless we stay with him till he goes back to sleep, he ends up coming back in over and over It's so tiring! He has little toys by the side of his bed but he just grabs them all and brings them into our room!

05becks · 09/03/2007 21:47

My son is 3 in June and wakes up 6 - 630. We have tried everything...blackout blinds, clocks, bribery!!, reducing his lunchtime sleeps, later bedtime, reward charts, but nothing has worked. I'm not asking much but 7 am would be nice!!!
What we do get him to do is play in his bedroom when he wakes up but the times he does this varies from 10 mins to 30 mins. I also have a 5 month old son so don't want him disturbed as he often sleeps until 7/730. Like you I would love any 'new' suggestions on getting my toddler to sleep a little bit longer in the mornings!

LilyLoo · 09/03/2007 21:50

Same as 05 my Ds now 5 and luckily he at age where he can come downstairs and leave us and his DD to stay in bed till more civilsed hour. Am now resigned !

Othersideofthechannel · 09/03/2007 21:58

Mine are early risers and want breakfast or milk straight away.
Brother used to be a really early riser. I remember when he was about 6 or 7 he had to do all his jigsaw puzzles in his room before waking parents. I bet they used to buy him new puzzles all the time!

Nemo2007 · 09/03/2007 22:01

My DS is 3.4yrs and exactly the same. We have tried putting him to bed later etc but makes no difference at all. It is just him and the amount of sleep he needs. You have my empathy as also have a 14mth old and a 2mth old. Although the 14mth old sleeps 6.30-8am.

nikkie · 09/03/2007 22:09

I have a 5 1/2 dd who wakes very early and goes to sleep late, she is 'trained' to be quiet so we can rest now and she plays quietly in her room if she can't sleep.I couldn't cope if I slept her hours

mankyscotslass · 10/03/2007 10:08

All my 3 are early risers, the youngest being the worst. They all get up btwn 5.30 and 6.15. It's a nightmare but it's the way they are, I cant even send them downstairs in the morning, the middle one is only three and accident prone. So one of us has to be up. DH and i take it in turns at the weekend to stay in bed, other than that we are up and at 'em by 6.15 every morning. Roll on the time they are teenagers and wont get out of bed.

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