5am waking - officially at the end of other tethers!

[Zoeb1982]

Can anyone offer me some advice...anything at all that could stop my son waking at 5am EVERY morning. I am so fed up of feeling exhausted and going to bed at 8.30pm!
He is 2yo and very strong willed. This has been going on for more than a year. He's waking out of habit, not out of hunger or anything else, and never goes back to sleep. He (& the rest of us, including his 4yo sister) are totally knackered.
We've tried everything we can think of and have read about - ignoring him, staying with him, rewards, Gro clock, wake to sleep method etc.
He is in a bed, but can't get out of his bedroom. We dont want the earth, just 6am! If we leave him to cry he wakes up the whole house (boy, can he cry) & has started kicking the door etc.
ANY advice will be so gratefully received.

Just bumping for you. I hate when the day starts with a 5.

I have no advice but masses of empathy and hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel.
My son did this for about 18 months. I can't remember when it started or ended but he would start the day anywhere for 4am onwards. Nothing I tried worked. I honestly got to the point where I was driving around looking for things I could jump off.
Then as suddenly as it started it stopped! Now he's 3 1/2 and will sleep from 7.30pm until 8.30am an often has to be woken up in time for dd school run.

Thank you. We often have days starting with a 4 too! I work part time, and can hardly keep my eyes open on these days. Ive never even looked a these posts before today, but feeling so desperate. Fingers crossed Santa will bring me a solution!

I know it's not reassuring at the moment but our son used to do this and it has become much better as he's got older. He is 3 and a half and happy to potter around in his bedroom if he wakes early. Also is he still napping during the day? My son started sleeping much longer at night when he dropped his daytime nap just before he turned 3.

He still naps for an hour or 1.5 at around 12.30pm. He doesn't turn 2 until Jan 1 and also I don't think he'd make it though the day without one - I struggle to get him to lunchtime without falling asleep!

This wouldn't win any parenting awards but when I was in the same position I bought a stab for my bedroom. DS would come into our bed and watch some DVD of something whilst I got a bit more kip. Best money I ever spent.

TV!!! Not stab

Thank you - at least I know Im not alone. I'm more worried about my 4 yo being woken up by him every day as she's totally knackered and doesn't nap or even rest.
We have a TV in our bedroom but the boy ain't happy til he's downstairs running round! He absolutely rules the roost!

What time does he go to bed?

My 2.5 was doing this we now have cut his nap to 45 mins (one sleep cycle) ride out the grumpiness for an hour and now we are getting 0645 wakes ups from 0400-0430

My friend's DD has always woken at 5am. She's now 6. Nothing has changed it. Nothing. Some kids are just larks.

It's really hard - I feel your pain OP. I hope it's a phase in your case. My DS is 3.5 and has always been a 5am-er - now the baby is waking with him. Gah. They are just full of beans. Unfortunately dropping the nap made sod all difference in his case, as did moving his bedtime later - it just means he now has a later bedtime and no nap... This is a really crap post but actually I'm happy it was trying to fix it all the time that we found hardest

the boy ain't happy til he's downstairs running round! He absolutely rules the roost!

And herein lies your problem.

As long as he's going to bed at a sensible time (7-7.30ish) then when he wakes up at 5 you tell him it's still night time and to go back to bed.
If he continues pestering you then get cross.

You are the parent. Just because he wakes up at 5am and demands you all get up too, you don't have to. Just tell him no. And DO NOT relent!

My ds suddenly stopped waking at 5am when he was about 2 years 4 months. No reason just started sleeping til 7. We were making minor progress with gro clock before that so maybe stick with it?

I would keep putting him back in his bed until 6am. Don't relent, even if you're doing it every morning for 2 weeks without result.

The approach you choose needs to be consistent for a long period of time to be effective, don't give up after a couple of days.

I'm not saying leave him to it, I'm saying continually put him back in bed

Restrict daytime nap and move it earlier and be resolute that life is boring, very very boring until you decide it is morning.

He is getting enough sleep because he's getting a nap.

2 of mine gave up naps at just 2, the other 2 loved their sleep and was much older.

Truly sympathise: our youngest did this at 21 months for nearly 2 years. His poor older brother age 5 had sometimes been awake for 4 hours by the time his school day started.
Absolutely nothing we tried worked. We grabbed sleep when we could- often in shifts!
It will pass. Just look forward to digging him out of his pit when he's a teenager. Revenge is so sweet.

Feel your pain I'm up at 4.30 every day with 4 kids, DS1 is 2, DS2 is 1 tomorrow and DSD's are 5 and 8, they are all practically in the same bedroom as the boys share a room and the stairs for DSD's attic bedroom goes from the boys room, so it's all open. The boys wake between 4 and 5 every day and we can't leave them there and not get up because they wake everyone else in the room 6am would be bliss, I am exhausted

I'm sorry I know it's meant to be helpful, but to the posters saying just take him back to bed, make it boring, be consistent etc etc

3 years, we have tried it all, consistently. I would love for you to come here one morning and see for yourself what it is like.

Some kids wake up v early and will not play independently.

I really do not think it is our fault.