Dirty protest nightmare.

[Belleende]

I have a 2.4 year old. She is an early riser, usually between 5 to 5.30, now even earlier with the clock change. When she wakes I go in, give her a drink and change her nappy and then I go back to bed. She has taken to then having a poo, taking her nappy off and it ends up all over her and the bedroom. It is vile. We have been delaying potty training as I am about to have dd2 and the advice seems to be to wait. Is there anything I can do to stop this that doesn't involve getting up at 5am?

[badg3r]

Do you know when she does her big poo? I would be tempted to change nappy then hang about till she did her poo, going back to bed after changing a second time to leave her for her 30-40 min play... might that work? Can you and DP take it in turns in the morning so it is marginally less depressing?

[minipie]

..what you need is a swimsuit (( the shortie type with a zipper )) on back to front and a onesie on top.

But not at night surely? Would be super sweaty to sleep in a swimsuit.

OP if it's been caused (or made worse) by the clock change then hopefully it will revert soon.

I think it's reasonable to try to teach your DC to play quietly in the am (using gro clock sticker chart etc) and normally would suggest that but that doesn't really work with the poo issue.

To give you a few minutes to get there before she takes it off:

• backwards grobag or onesie
  
• extra nappy on backwards over her nappy
  
• gaffer tape (!)
  

To sort the poo timing - try getting her into a cycle of pooing after dinner? Maybe plenty of fruit after dinner and then sit her on a potty 15 min later?

[barnacharmer]

OP. I also have a toddler who likes a chat with herself first thing, or her soft toys or to read her books. She will do that for up to 45 minutes. I think it is good that she is happily independently occupying herself. Why would I jump out of bed immediately at her waking up if she is happy? Some people are being incredibly harsh. How will she learn to sleep later if you get up with her in the middle of the night? I wouldn't be able to function at work either if I had ever up at 4
DD went through a period of opening her nappy during the night so would soak through at 2am and the whole bed would need changing as well as her. We put her in a backwards babygro and did a really simple sticker chart.

[TheEagle]

No way could I leave my 2.5 yo DTs alone in their bedroom, in fact I can't really leave them alone in any room because of the chaos, destruction and personal harm they cause when alone.

However my older boy would have happily played alone in his room at this age, just not in the morning.

Could she drop the nap entirely? My DTs don't nap at all during the week any more, mostly due to childminder's school runs, and this definitely helps with their sleep. We still have to be up at 6.15 on the days I work but it's much more civilised than the 5 am starts.

Cutting out the milk might stop the poo so early as well.

DTs were taking off their grobags for a while so we put them on back to front and they can't get them off now. That might help contain her until you can change the nappy?

[Belleende]

prosecco sanctimonious much? By what definition is 4.30 a lie in?
Read the thread, we had changed her routine, the clock change screwed that up.

And if a toddler is perfectly happy to play on their own, in fact even chooses that over coming out of their room, what is the issue exactly? (💩 aside)

[ProseccoMamam]

Am I really the only person that’s going to suggest a change of routine? A 4am start clearly isn’t working for you so it needs to be changed, it’s going to be a lot more stressful when you’re up every 3 hours in the night and then have to get a toddler up, dressed, changed and fed at 4.30am. Also shocked that people think it’s perfectly fine to leave a toddler in a room by themselves to play while mum has a lie in. No wonder your child is smearing shit on the walls, that’s what happens when you don’t watch your kids but yeah the obvious solution is to ziplock your child’s shitty nappy on them to the tune of mr tumble so you can go back to bed

[SatansLittleHelper2]

Owner of a smearer here, this is my forte......what you need is a swimsuit (( the shortie type with a zipper )) on back to front and a onesie on top.

And leave both doors open so you can hear her and stop it happening. Yes I know the early mornings are painful but lets face it clearing up shit is even worse.

[Ledkr]

Just take it in turns to get up.
We got up for years at 4.30 but alternating it made it just about bearable.
Try looking at nap timings and late in the day excercise to try and get her sleeping later.

[ImSoExhausted]

Jesus. Maybe it's because my DS has SEN, but I couldn't imagine him being awake whilst we're asleep/dozing! his room only has his bed in and a beanbag - complete with baby gate, and I still couldn't bare the thought of leaving him to his own devices whilst we're awake!

You say you can't handle 4am wake ups? Go to bed earlier, try drinking a berroca (think it's safe in pregnancy) I think she might be telling you she wants attention in the morning time. Could you maybe lie on her bed for the 40 minutes or so?

Definitely yes to the pp who said no milk, it definitely causes poo!

For what it's worth, DS is a poo smearer and it's awful. Be thankful yours is contained to just the bedroom! (The dining room was the worst one 😷) what helped with for us is just being there (NOT in the other room!) and the minute we heard a grunt, praising him and continuous repeating that we were changing his nappy (we also used an object of reference as DS is non-verbal, so it should be even easier with a child who understands)

I know early mornings are hard, ours vary from 3:30am to 5:00, mainly the 3:30 ones if I'm honest. It's just something you have to do, especially if you have a child that can't be left alone for 40 minutes, which you obviously do now

[Newmanwannabe]

Have you tried not giving her the milk? That's probably what is making her poo as it's getting her gut moving. What would she do if you just changed her nappy?

[chloechloe]

Morning everyone! The clock change is indeed evil but just get up and get on with it!

[BrioAmio]

* Arf at the PP not starting her day until 7.30. Yeah that’s great if the kids are older but I can’t exactly abandon my 15mo early riser and leave him to his own devices!*

Neither did I when mine was a baby but since about 2.5 he has been perfectly happy to stay in his room, on his own, after waking up, at 15months he had only just learnt to put himself in a seated position unaided.

[BrioAmio]

Nope, it’s clearly just me and you that leave our children in childproof rooms to play!

Mine loves it although the clock change has meant he’s waking up and asking for the light on as it’s still dark, I’m debating the merits of a smart light bulb in his room!

[Belleende]

Just to be clear, she likes alone time in the morning, even given the choice she won't come out straight away. she gets up, has a chat with all her toys, tells off the ones who have been naughty (always mermaid, I think she may be a bit of a cow), has a bit of a sing song (recent favourite, Mary had a little man, which is so much funnier when your mum is called Mary and your dad is a wee man). This has been her pattern for months and it has worked for all of us. The dirty protest is recent.

For those who say just get up with her. I simply would not be able to function in work with a 4am start, which is her current wake up time. We used gro clock and reducing her nap to get us to 5.30ish before she asks to come out. That I can just about manage, but the clock change screwed all that up. She has always been an early riser and we have adapted to that, but 4am is just taking the piss. Hats off to you who can do that on top of a full time job.

I don't plan to lounge in bed whilst my daughter sits in her own shit, i just want her to keep the nappy on for long enough for me to change her, but she has it off in a flash. She tells me loud and clear at other times when she has pooped, just not first thing. I think she is ready for potty training, but all the advice seems to be don't start near a big event, like a new baby. And/or it is a bit of anxiety about new baby. Any which way it is no fun but getting up at 4am isn't either.

Also do people really not leave their 2.5yr olds to play on their own, in a fully child proofed bedroom? Mine on occasion takes herself up there just to chill. She stays there as long as she is happy to. I don't feel the need to supervise at all.

[Afternooncatnap]

Why can't you get up, change her, as you have been doing. Then instead of going back to bed, hovering around until she has the poo. Change her again, then stick on Mr tumble and go back to bed.

[flimflaminurjams]

Get up with her, get her to help make her own breakfast or other things that will be useful when baby comes along.

Sorry but you have a pooey early riser. I know its hell (I've been there) but you have to accept it. Best way.

One day you will sleep again.

[TheEagle]

And she may just be waking that early because she needs to poo. All of mine went through a bit of a phase of early morning poo and it did pass eventually

[TheEagle]

Co-includes?!

Co-incides

[TheEagle]

Echo everyone saying bite the bullet and get up.

One of my twins is an early riser and won't be placated with cartoons and a snuggle. As for "playing quietly" in his room with "quiet" toys, that's a non-runner too as his twin is usually still slumbering when this guy wants up.

It's exhausting and eye-numbing but it usually only lasts a couple of weeks and co-includes with a growth spurt.

I had 18.5 months between my older boy and my twins; the early mornings when I was pregnant and working were so so so tough. I do feel for you OP.

Tweak the bedtime and nap times if you can and see if that sorts the early rising. Good luck

[minipie]

Yes sorry I think your days of leaving her for 30-40 min are over. Especially if she's pooing at that time, even if you could find a way to keep the nappy on it would be awful to leave her in poo for ages. Go to bed early and take it in turns to get up with her.

Is she still napping? If so then ditch the nap and you may find it sorts the early mornings. If not, push her bedtime back a little each day.

[lornathewizzard]

To clarify my post suggesting popper vests wasn’t to say leave her in her shitty nappy, just if she’s quick about whipping it off it’ll buy some time.

Arf at the PP not starting her day until 7.30. Yeah that’s great if the kids are older but I can’t exactly abandon my 15mo early riser and leave him to his own devices!

[ducktale]

😂 at all these people that start their day at 5am as soon as their toddler does, if only they we could all be so virtuous

Wtaf, it’s not being virtuous it’s just being a parent. Independent play?! She’s smearing shit all over the walls. The solution is not to straightjacket her into a shitty nappy for 40mins while Mr tumble plays on a loop on the background.

[BrioAmio]

😂 at all these people that start their day at 5am as soon as their toddler does, if only they we could all be so virtuous.

DS has always been an early riser and he is perfectly happy to sit in his room ‘reading’ books, id much prefer that to him watching TV downstairs, independent play is a great life skill (for me anyway!), I don’t see any problem with it what so ever and I will certainly not be starting my day before 7.30am (until the next one arrives)

I would either popper her up in a babygro or maybe pop a pull up over the nappy to deter removal.

Maybe consider potty training? I highly recommend the Oh! crap! Method, read the book and you might be pleasantly surprised!

[JigglyTuff]

You just get up. Your eyes feel like someone has taken a nail file to them and your brain feels like mash but that’s what you do. You can’t leave a toddler alone

[UserThenLotsOfNumbers]

I’m sorry but I don’t agree with you leaving her for that long alone.
I get it, it is hard when they get up so early, and on top of that you’re pregnant, but that’s what young children do. The nappy thing sounds like anger/attention seeking. If so it’s worked so far hasn’t it? BUT if she’s had a poo and has to sit in it for like half an hour, do you think she might be doing this because she’s simply uncomfortable?
My daughter (who is younger) gets up early too, but I just go to bed earlier to accommodate this. It won’t be forever.