Early Risers

[RAYH25]

My 17mo DD has always been up for the day between 4.50-5.30, I can't quite remember when it started but I want to say around 10ish months. I'm now reaching the point where I'm at breaking point with these early morning EVERY day. She goes down to her bed at 6.45-7pm. Naps completely vary, we have no set routine some days she naps 2hrs some days she naps 15 mins. She goes to creche 9.30-1.45 3 days a week and this completely throws everything off. Some days she will nap before creche, other days she won't and will take 20mins at creche and other days no naps!

She will be starting with childminder at end of July, 8.00-4.15 so I'm hoping in this environment she will be a bit more 'homely'. But I would really like to get her into some sort of a routine now.

We have tried cutting naps short, we have tried later bed times for weeks on end between 7.30-8.30pm and she STILL wakes up at the same time. Tried going in and giving her dummy/cuddles, milk/cuddles. She will be okay for a maximum of 10 minutes speaking to her slothy toy then she becomes upset.

I'm now at the point where I just want to get up, get myself ready for work, have a coffee and maybe put a load of laundry on before she gets up because everything is getting on top of me.

It's almost like her body clock now 😪 I know no-one will have the answers but does anyone have any tips and tricks to try? Is she always going to wake up this early even when it comes to school time? It gives me the fear 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

Sorry no tips or tricks but it doesn't last forever! My day started at 5am for a couple of years. They would never go back to sleep and wanted breakfast straight away. Youngest now 8 and will still wake around 6:30 am but will keep herself entertained. Eldest now 13, I can't get out of bed!

No tips but solidarity! DS is an early riser. He had a long phase of 4:30am, probably around a similar age to your DD. He's 4 now and currently his wake up time is around 5:45am. We have compensated by trying to go to sleep earlier ourselves, so 10pm latest, to get the sleep we need.

But he woke me up this morning at 6am by singing to me. So it's not all bad! 😆

I also think it's quite normal and something that DC gradually grow out of.

My DD is 10 and the early waking gradually normalised a bit around the age of 6 or 7 (sorry).

She woke at 5.45am on the dot for years and years. Including (with a time difference) waking at 12.45am on a trip to Canada when she was 5, in a pitch black basement! Thank fuck for 24 hour coffee shops!!

I suggest going to bed earlier yourself and a rota with your partner if you have one.

My 14 year old voluntarily gets up at 6am (no alarm clock) to excerise with me some mornings....

They will either start sleeping later (this is typical, I think) or get to the point where you can tell them to stay quiet and let everyone else sleep until 6am. Now, they don't even wake me, but get their own breakfast at the weekends etc.

@LouLou198 it seems there's no in-between it's either one or the other.

@StaySpicy I hear ya - I am always in bed before 10pm but past 2 nights have been constant wake ups so I suppose that has a knock on affect. I just find by the time she's down, we've done housework and showered I am absolutely exhausted that I don't even get a chance to sit with husband for an hour and just zen. Its super difficult in the moment to realise its not forever 😢

@Phineyj oh my goodness that must have been difficult, although I wish we had those 24hr coffee shops here in the UK. I go to bed really early most nights but since birth my energy levels are just zero I could sleep 12hrs and still not feel great (but I suppose I am not alone in those feelings). The rota thing sounds like a good idea and something that might be worthwhile trying at least that way one of us is getting decent sleep at a time.

@CatsOnTheChair that sounds like bliss 😆😍

So this morning she was up at 4.50am and she has just gone down for a nap now at 9.50 (although she didn't seem keen). There were points where she was looking tired at 8ish but then she just gets a zing of energy. So, maybe the trick is keeping her up for longer but...then she had a huge wake window before bed time😳I won't lie there's part of me that is starting to regret not having a 'routine from early on...oops!

Hi , they might grow out of it , they might not . I have a 10 year old and a 7 year old and still to this day they get up at anywhere between 5:30-6:00 . It’s been 9 years me and my husband worked out we’ve been doing these early wake ups !! I tried it all later bed times , black out blinds nothing worked. Mine are old enough now to be up for a little while on there own so I can stay in bed sometimes at a weekend. But I have not slept past 7 am for nearly 10 years now . You do get used to it . X

Oops replied to the wrong post

No advice but total solidarity OP. My 4 yr old wakes up anywhere between 4.30-6 most days, the odd time he goes until about 6.30-7 but it’s rare.
I was just thinking this morning how difficult it is as I like to be up before him to have a coffee and get some things done but when he wakes so early that becomes almost impossible.
I also feel like I get no time to myself to just chill, I barely even put on makeup anymore because I feel like I don’t have time. Some days it really bothers me to the point I get quite annoyed about it (internally) but I see no solution other than hoping it will change.