How do I get 17 month old dd to stop waking at 5.30am...?

[AllieBongo]

Got the black out curtains, tried the later bedtime, but she's exhausted. I can't leave her to cry as it wakes DS up (6) and then he's worn out at school. I'm so tired and work late shifts. HELP!!!!

IME - this was just phases that mine went through from time to time. Used to last about 2-3weeks then settle back down again.

DH and I would take turns at getting up with them, often lying on the sofa dozing while they played:)

We've had a few mornings like this recently but struck lucky one morning when I went in and gave him a book and a car to play with which he did for a while and then he dozed off again. (Thats not to say it will ever work again though!)

(DS is nearly 2 by the way)

DS is 19 months and is doing the same thing at the moment. Could have written your post myself, except for the bit about having to go to work.

No solutions, hope it is just a phase, but all sympathy!

I've got the same problem with my 12 month old. Don't really understand it because her older brother (3.5) sleeps until 8:30/9am.

I am a bit more flexible with her naps during the day than I ever was with ds and I'm beginning to wonder if that's one of the problems. With ds naps at home were number one priority, but with dd she bascially has to tag along to playgroup/music group/supermarket whenever and I guess she misses out on daytime sleep every other day. I'm wondering whether she's overtired at 7pm and sleeps so deeply that she's awake far too early.

Her room has a blackout blond and blackout curtains as well as towels along the curtain pole so it's DARK. But every morning she's up ready to start the day at ten to six and I'm knackered.

Much sympathy

thanks guys. She's been doing this for about a month. She has regular nap times, usually about 1hr 30 mins after lunch. She's in bed by 6.30 as she is so tired. If i give her something to play with she lobs it and cries even more. DS never did this, was always 6am which is fine, just before 6 and i get the hump...

mcmudda, Junie greetings. I don't think it's the napping problem; we are slaves to ds' nap times and he is STILL waking at 5:15, it is a nightmare. Am having to go to bed by 9 in order to be vaguely functional.

wish i could. i work til 11 3 nights a week, and then catch up on housework etc the other nights. if she gets up early tomorrow she's getting the silent treatment off me

I think 6.30 would have been way too early for mine to have slept through to a decent time. Bedtime here was 8pm and if not in a 'phase' they'd usually wake sometime between 6.30 and 7am.

Could you try moving the day time nap slightly later so she is awake for longer in the evening. Say naptime 2.30-4pm, then bed at 7.30???

tried it. she's knackered. Can't nap later cos of school run and it gets to 6 o clock and she stands at the stair gate saying bed. She used to sleep from that time until 7am but for some reason hasn't for the last 4 weeks. aaaarrrrghhhhhhhh thanks for the suggestion though. There probably isn't a solution, i just wanted a whinge!

I have and autistic 3 year old who never sleeps past 4 am no matter what bedtime or nap pattern i have introduced. He shares a bedroom with his 7 year old brother who needs his sleep. This may sound awful but the odd time I have strapped him securely into the baby's highchair and stuck him in front of a dvd while i slept on the couch. His sleep problem cannot be fixed so I just have to find ways of coping with it.

Bloody hell aaronsmummy, sorry to go cross-thread but you are awake by 4 a.m. every day and your dh is complaining about you wanting to get a cleaner?!?!?! Arrrghhh.

AllieBongo, massive sympathy to you as well, I guess you are not getting to bed before midnight at the earliest when you're working lates, and then up again at 5:30, that is brutal. Is there anyone who could help out with the school run for a couple of days so you can see if adjusting the nap makes any difference? Or even trying it one weekend.

Alliebongo - I am up anyway with DS - come round lol we can take turns.

I got blackout blinds for the same reason but she still woke

the woman in the curtain shop suggested sticking blackout fabric to the window frames with sticky velcro as light can come in round the side of the blinds

it worked

We blacked out the room for few nights - it got worse, plus she screamed hysterically when she woke - fear of the dark? They do grow out of it. My 9 year old has just strted to sleep in

Just wanted to add another sympathy vote, my ds (17 months) is doing the same except this morning he slept until 6.30am so of course dd woke up at 5.30am instead
Ugh, you have my empathy and sympathy!

Maddie
x

aarons mummy poor you. get a cleaner and someone to do your ironing also! I think i will pop in and put a towel over the window too. Her room gets hot also so we have the window open so i don't think little tweeting bastard birdies help either

Just a thought but my ds1 had major problems with sleep until we painted his bedroom - before he had had quite busy wallpaper. Too much stimulation made him unable to get to sleep.

magnolia walls!

DD2 is 15mths and wakes any time from 5.30am - 6.30am every morning. I just can't face getting up at this time so we bring her into bed with us. Sometimes she fidgets and crawls around the bed but more often than not she will fall back to sleep again and not wake until we do. Even if she doesn't go back to sleep at least we can doze a bit while she's fidgeting!

I do give her a breastfeed at that time because she usually seems starving but tbh I don't think that this is what is making her go back to sleep.

hi Alliebongo..ve got two sleep books here if you want to have a look..easy reads?
just p&p will do

having more or less the same problem, dd was awake at 4.55am this morning!! we brought her in with us, infact whole night was awful as she woke up screaming (she is one in 2wks ) and i seriously thought it was night terrors but then i think she is abit young for that, she does have another tooth coming thro so that could also have been the problem. I'm hoping that its a phase and she will eventually sleep later

5.39 again this morning. she has also taken to wedging her chubby little leg between cot bars so had to liquid soap her leg to get it out whilst she screamed the place down. she's dead on her feet already. glad i'm working today, 5 hours break [nasty mean mummy emoticon]

Hiya, my asd son had the same problem with his leg in the cot bars so I put him in a Grobag - solved the problem completly. Just another few probs to tackle lol.

ds (now 19mths) has periods of sleeping badly when he's not eating so much, which happens regularly as he's a very fussy eater. When he hasn't had much supper I sneak upstairs and give him a dreamfeed - I rouse him slightly and stick a bottle in and he drains it without waking. This seems to help him sleep longer and more restfully, so maybe she's waking cos she's hungry could that be it?

she's going back in a gro bag tonight. you're a genius :)