Early mornings - am I getting this all wrong?

[BotBotticelli]

My 2.3yo is waking up really early and I feel really anxious that I am dealing with it all wrong.

Typical morning today: he wakes at 0550 shouting for us. DH goes straight in, tucks him in and says shhhh it's nighttime and leaves room.

He settles for 5 mins and then starts sobbing hysterically. We rush straight in cos we don't want him to wake up his older brother in the room next door (4yo just started reception, knackered as it is, does not need 6am wake up).

We bring him into our bed and cuddle/shhhh him but he is in some kind of weird toddler rage and won't stop angry crying.

DH and I have a whispered row about how best to deal with him and then at 0615 DH whips his phone out and puts swashbuckle on for him to watch and lo and behold he calms right down.

I feel really anxious that he is playingus like a fiddle! I don't want him watching CBeebies on a phone before 0630 BUT he wouldn't calm down, I didn't want DS1 being woken up early and then struggling at school and I refuse to take him downstairs before 0645am! I work 4 days a week in a stressful job and am constantly knackered.

What would you have done differently if anything? Should I stop/limit his daytime nap and see if that improves things? He sleeps for 1hr after lunch each day and still seems to really need it (no fucking wonder when he is up before 6!!).

His back teeth are cutting through so it might be that? But if he was really in pain I don't think swashbuckle would work would it??

Can't escape the feeling that we are fucking this all up. Not helped by the fact that I stayed at my friend's house last week and her 4yo and 1yo sleep like angels and need to be woken up in the morning for school/nursery 😡😡

What is she doing right that i am getting so wrong??

He’s waking at a normal time. Get used to it. It’s not for ever although it seems bad at the time. Just get up with him and he can start playing. No need to show him videos or anything on a screen.

Let me know know if u find down. My first is now 6 and 1/2, and Beeb waking up at 5:30am since she started sleeping through the night ( about 8 weeks old) she doesn't nap since started nursery, no matter what time she will go to bedshe still getting up at 5:30 am, she annoys everyone until we give her the iPad to play or watch something. I have to tell her the night before to not get up of her bed before 6am.

If he's up for the day at 6am, he's just up for the day. He's not sneakily trying to get a couple of episodes of swashbuckle out of you, he's just awake. There's no sense trying to put him back to bed. He's done sleeping.

It's no use comparing him to your friends kids. Being different to other children is not a sign that yours aren't as intelligent/well behaved/'normal'. Its not a sign you're doing something wrong. That person got lucky, that's all.

I don't really see why you "refuse" to go downstairs with him. Why not? You can have a tea/coffee and chill on the sofa while he plays with toys. Its not like you have to be the life and soul of the party, just be present to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

It does sound like you're holding yourself and your DS to some impossible standards. Some cbeebies on the phone in the morning is not going to hurt him, it really isn't. Just relax and stop overthinking it.

5.50 is not bad for a toddler. I don't think he will understand 'it's not 6 yet' at 2 yo so I wouldn't push that for the sake of 10 minutes, and when you don't want to wake DS1. I'd just take him into your room and put Swashbuckle on. Don't sweat it too much, you're doing OK.

A GroClock has helped us immensely, may be worth a try. And when DS1 wakes he only expects to go down to have some breakfast, tv or playing always comes after that. If it didn't he'd expect to as soon as he wakes.

You're not doing anything wrong. It's all a great big crazy ride!
Time to get up and get the morning going, is all.
Between 2-3 years, DC3 did this. I was up every morning from 5am, then 6am. Always with a screaming, miserable toddler. Now he's 3.5 years and rises at 8am, chipper and perky. Never, ever thought I'd see the day!!

I think, for the time being, start your day sooner, get to bed earlier. He probably won't be a lark forever but it's terribly common to wake up with a miserable lark at this age.

Seems like normal time to me, my youngest woke anytime from 4am to 5.30am until he was 5. He is still up at 7am most days. Surely you would be getting up at about 7am anyway for work/ school, why not just get up with him?

Sounds a perfectly normal time for a toddler to wake up. If he’s asleep by 8pm then he’s getting 10 hours a night which is average for his age, plus his nap. You can’t force him back to sleep if he’s awake - no wonder he’s upset. I would either just get up with him or let him watch stuff in the phone for half an hour whilst you come to!

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/sarahockwell-smith.com/2015/04/15/how-long-should-babies-and-toddlers-sleep-for-infographic/amp/

We all get up at 6... means the evening is short, but I don't feel like death now that I don't fight the early mornings and go to bed around now! Night night

6 am is not early.