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Parenting

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3 year old early(ish) waking

6 replies

cheesychips15 · 11/10/2025 22:54

I'll start by saying I know this isn't really that early and there'll be loads of people on here with 6 year olds who have never slept past 5am and you of course have my sympathy...

Anyway, my three year old (will be 4 in January) has always been a great sleeper. There were times as recently as July when I'd have to go in and wake him up because it was nearly 9am and he was still snoozing.

Sometime around the end of July/early August he started waking up around 6.30-7am and immediately shouting for me or his dad. We used one of those "ok to wake" clocks and although it made no difference at first, he's now mostly staying quiet until 7.30 when it changes colour, thanks to a reward chart.

However he's still waking at the same time, he's just staying quiet in his room. But he's constantly really tired. He goes to bed at about 7, asleep for half past so he's getting 11-11.5 hours sleep. He refuses to nap, although we do generally manage to get him to nap for 45 minutes on a Sunday which seems to help a bit.

He started pre-school last month and that's made him more tired. He previously did two non-consecutive days in nursery and now does 4 consecutive, albeit sightly shorter, days at pre-school, so by Thursday evening he's ruined. We thought this might make him sleep longer in the mornings, but it doesn't seem to have made much difference.

Has anyone's children done anything similar and did they ever go back to sleeping in again? I'm not really that worried about how it affects me, I'm up by that time anyway either for work or with his younger sister, I'm just worried he's going to be tired forever if he's always up early.

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Tree6543 · 12/10/2025 03:00

My 3 year old (4 in May) sleeps either 7-6.15/20 ish or 7.30 - 6.45/7 ish depending on when I’ve cracked in the evening! No naps.

She’s tired too especially after busy nursery days but I always just think that’s because she’s young. She has a very active outdoor lifestyle, her room is pitch black etc so there’s no way of making her sleep longer that’s just what she needs.

we could keep her up later for a later wake up but she’s very tired in the evening and I like my evenings. She’s bright as a buttton at 6.30!

I think you had a very unusual child to be sleeping 14 hours a night and what you have now is much more normal, and they just do get tired at this age :)

Tree6543 · 12/10/2025 03:02

also, I would change the clock to 6.45 or at the very latest 7 bless him. Unless he’s allowed to play quietly and is happy to do so. Thats a long time to just lie in silence (I understand what you were trying to do)

cheesychips15 · 12/10/2025 07:34

He is allowed to play quietly and he does. Some days (like today) he wakes after 7 so I think the clock is set ok for him.

He wasn't waking at 9 everyday, most days was 7.30-8ish but he would have the odd day where he was just asleep for ages!

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cheesychips15 · 12/10/2025 07:38

He also complains of being tired at breakfast time, it's not just after nursery days (although it's far worse then!)

If we offer him the chance to go back to bed though he just messes round upstairs and doesn't actually sleep.

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MCF86 · 12/10/2025 08:18

It's very rare that my son ever had more than 11 hours sleep so I think it's pretty normal. Now (6) he wanders through in the morning straight to the sofa and gets under a blanket until I tell him he needs to get dressed for school, so I think he's just not much of a morning person! I don't think feeling tired at breakfast is a concern if he's fine at preschool, it might just take him a while to feel ready to get going.

Overthebow · 12/10/2025 08:33

I think it’s a very normal time for a 3 year old. My almost 2 year old and my 5 year old wake up at a similar time, but when they were both younger the time fluctuates. I think they just end up settling on a pattern like this.

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