How do you get a bouncy 15mth old to stay in bed in the mornings?

[PregnantGrrrl]

4.30am is taking the p**s TBH!

It's usually between 5-6am, more often towards 5am. He's not even really upset- just awake and bored, starts shouting and talking, leaping round his cot until he bangs his head etc.

Any ideas? I was thinking about making a 5.30am 'rule'- unless he's ill / wet, he has to stay in his cot until then, regardless of the hollering.

He does also go to bed earlier than some kids- between 6-7pm, usually more likely 6.30 most nights. But he's impossible to get down later...unless we want an hour of wailing and grumping, and him pointing at his nappies to show us he wants changing for bedtime.

[NannyL]

sounds like a good idea.... then the 5.30 rule can become 5.45 then 6am etc

[PregnantGrrrl]

well, from tomorrow DS is getting a rude awakening! he gets up so early it's daft...he'll have to get the picture eventually (won't he?)

[Razian]

Any chance of a later day nap so he'll go to bed later?

(of interest to me cos ds is a bit of an early waker but fortunately doesn't have a habit of waking quite that early (more like 6ish))

[PregnantGrrrl]

doesn't seem to make any difference...and he's not had any nap today, so it's going to be fun around 5.30...aaarrrggghhhh!

[bluejelly]

nowt you can do I reckon, unless you start putting him to bed later

[bluejelly]

sympathies though!

[krang]

Dunno if this is any help but my normally perfect sleeper DS (now 19 months) went through this a few months ago.

So we devised a plan: Me or DP went in, got him out of his cot, kept him in his grobag, didn't turn the light on. Then I'd sit in the rocking chair next to his cot and give him a lovely cuddle and calm him down. More often than not he'd drift off again for a bit and so would I! I also kept a blanket in there to put over me. It was quite nice sometimes. If this works it means that at least you're nice and comfy for a bit and might even get a bit more sleep. Of course, after about another hour or so he'd start wriggling frantically and I'd have to take him downstairs, but hey, an hour's sleep is nothing to be sneezed at...Also it was useful cos it taught him that no, you do not automatically get to go downstairs and play when you wake up...

By the way, DS just stopped doing it after a few weeks and is now back to normal. He goes to bed at 7 as well. Altogether now...it's just a phase..

[Nip]

my Ds goes to bed at 8pm and is getting up at 5am-5.30am - and that is a hugely unreasonable hour!

I dont have an answer but wanted to let you know that i have a little devil too!

[JolieGirl]

Hi PregnantGrrrl - I could have written your post word for word! My 14 month old is exactly the same. He also is in bed 6.30pm every night and has been for months. It is just the best time for him, anything beyond that and bathtime is horrendous. And I really appreciate a full evening of peace!
He (on a good run) wakes 6 - 6.30am but over the summer we had a few 5am starts. A few things I have done that seem to do the trick and break the habit if he is waking early are:

• put him in a grobag. No idea why this works but it seems to limit the amount of leaping about he can actually do
  
• make sure the room is really really dark - his early wakings seem to happen most when we have stayed elsewhere from home and the room he is in is lighter - and then once we are home the early habit has stuck
  
• Once a month or so if it is a particularly early start I do use a form of very mild controlled crying although like yours he is never that cross. I go in, pick him up, give him a quick cuddle and a few shushes, then put him straight back down. I close the door and leave him. 2 or 3 minutes later if he is protesting a bit I will do it again. The most I have ever had to do this is three times in a row and he will fall back to sleep, and hey presto the next morning we are back on track until after 6am.
  
• does he have milk first thing? You could try delaying that so he is not waking up expecting it immediately.
  
  I will watch this post with interest...good luck!

[PregnantGrrrl]

Hi JolieGirl.

He's just outgrown his grobag- well, a few weeks ago. To be honest, it never really stopped him launching himself at things anyway!

He does have a drink of milk once we're up and have made ourselves a cup of tea, maybe we could try delaying it a bit.

Hope it's just a phase...new baby in 5wks and he's stopped sleeping through the last week

[Chirpygirl]

DD does this but I have started loading up her cot with toys in the night.
When I go to bed I put in a non-spill cup of water, some board books, a couple of noisy button pushing toys and a soft toy. I can stil hear her through the walls chuntering away to herself but it is quite enough for me to go back to sleep for an hour or so before she starts shouting.
It's also handy in the night, she has woken up before, had a drink and put herself back to sleep numerous times!

[warthog]

how much sleep is he getting during the day? could be he's not getting enough sleep and therefore isn't sleeping well. i had this with my dd. i made sure she got a good nap at lunchtime, and started putting her to bed earlier in the evenings.

[warthog]

yes - agree with cg - definitely put a bottle of water in the cot. before i go to sleep i check where she is in the cot and put the bottle next to her hand so if she wakes up she can find it easily.

[LadyTophamHatt]

gaffer tape him to the bed.

[Chirpygirl]

LTH