2 and a half year old waking up at 5.30am every day!

[IA71]

Is there anything I can do to make him sleep longer? He does go back to sleep but only after I have got up to reassure him. This then wakes up my 6 month old so I am very tired! Any tips? He has a fixed bedtime of 7.30pm.

Thanks in advance.

Set the groclock to activate mr sun at a time before he's likely to wake. Even if that means 4am. Huge praise (+/- treat or sticker, our DS got one chocolate button) for waiting for mr sun. Advance by 5/10 mins per day.
If wakes before mr sun, return to room and either wait with him or better still leave and keep returning to wait for mr sun. Whatever you do don't let him have milk/tv/go downstairs til mr sun is up. If he has a hideously early one and you can't cope with waiting then do a sneaky advance to mr sun just don't let him see.
Took a month or so.
Also, do make sure the light is on the minimum setting, it's very bright.
My DS still has the odd morning where he wakes silly early and its horrific. Keep trying and stick with it.

It seems to be working! The last 2 days he has waited for the sun to come on the Gro Clock and got up at 6.30am! So much better. I think we will have to drop his afternoon nap which seems to help. Thank you so much for your advice you have all been a great help.

Yes - drop the nap too. He might still go off in the car if you are out in the afternoon and if he does, don't worry. But drop it as a regular thing. We had this stage, left loads of books out in his room and told him not to come to us until the first number in the clock was a six NOT A FIVE. After a while we could tell him not to come until it was a seven, but I remember the early days only too well.

Popped on to this thread to recommend the Gro Clock, but everyone beat me to it! It's great.