How to fix 18 month early wakes?

[Chocolatebox34]

My 18 month old has been waking between 5-5.30am for months. On a bad day, it’s even been as early as 4am! I don’t know how to fix it! His schedule is:

5-5.30am wake up
12:30pm nap for 1-1.5 hours (but can be 30
mins on a bad day!)
6:30pm bedtime on average although it varies a lot depending on what time he woke up for the day/how tired he is. Normally approx 4.75hours from end of nap time. He wakes more frequently when overtired at bedtime.

I’ve tried shifting his bedtime later between 7-7.30pm but it doesn’t seem to make a difference to wake up time but perhaps I need to try it more consistently? On days he wakes pre-5am, he’d be so upset with tiredness by 7.30pm and then wake loads at night 😭

Give it two months and the clocks will be changing and if he sticks to current schedule his wake up time will be a more acceptable 6-6:30am!

Something you could try is more activity in the day. Lots of clambering and lots of brain engaging.

Maybe try a small bowl of porridge and banana just before bed in case it's hunger waking him up.

Is he in with you or in his own room?

I used to ignore DD (in her own room) when she woke up too early and she'd just shuffle around her cot or put her music mobile on most of the time but I appreciate that I was lucky that she wouldn't get grumpy and cry out for me!

@INeedNewShoes I did think about clock change too! But wonder if it’ll end up shifting back to 5am once he’s adjusted to new time 😅

We do a bedtime snack if we have time although often it’s dinner then straight to bed.

He's in his own room but unfortunately screams until we get him up. We normally try to soothe him back to sleep until as close to 6am as we bare before giving up but it never works!

Any changes to a schedule you need to consistently be doing for a couple of weeks to see whether or not it’s worked. I’d try the later bedtime for a while longer and see if it helps. But as PP said the clocks will change and it’ll all be different again!

@INeedNewShoes @Moonshine160 do you always go with a static bedtime regardless of nap length/wake up time?

No, my little boy would usually nap for 1.5 hoursish but today he’s only had 45 mins and was really tired this evening so put him to bed half an hour early*

*same little boy also wakes numerous times per night so I probably have no idea what I’m talking about