EARLY WAKING IN 2 YR OLD - advise needed please!

[Helsbels]

My son is 2 in September and for the last 2 months has been waking between 4.45 and 5.45. Always an early waker (6ish) this is now becoming ridiculous. He seems happy enough - he just wants to get up. He has between 1 and 1.5 hours in the day which he needs and he tells us he wants to go to bed at 7.30 -7.45. We do not really push the issue of you must go to bed - he is just ready to go himself. He will not settle back down anywhere. We have his room darkened and make any time up to 6 as boring as possible but he doesn't seem to care. Please someone tell me this is just a phase? We are planning number 2 but I remember how tired I was with this one and don't think I could face night waking and then getting up at that time. DH is marvellous help but has to work away sometimes. Any advice?

OOH, helsbels, I feel for you - its dreadful isn't it? My ds has just had his 2nd birthday, and we get periods of this every so often. Normally he wakes c.6.30, (v.occasionally we get a week or so of 7.15 - bliss!), but tehn sometimes for no apparent reason he just wakes up early. We have tried ignoring him screaming (which is dh's plan every time but which I hate - I'm not sleeping anyway if he's crying, so its dreadful lying there listening to it rather thanjust getting up) and getting him up. In my experience getting him up just results in earlier waking the next day,and the whole thing just creeps back by c.10 mins a day!! If I can bear to do the leave him thing (you have to wait until he is silent - even if he is just drawing breath - before finally going in, so he doesn't just think prolonged crying works...) it does actually work within a couple of days we've found. This morning ds woke at 5.30 and a blanket and drink of water quietened him til 6, which we thought was bearable (just) - but I have to say this is the first time that sort of approach has had any impact, normally the going in and saying something like 'its still night time, go back to sleep' just makes things far worse as he's seen you.
The other thing I think does make a difference is if you can get an ABSOLUTE black out. We haven't quite got this - need a pelmet to stop the light shining above the blackout blind, and haven't got round to it. When we have had him in an absolute blackout he does sleep til nearly 7 (I made a cover for his travelcot out of blackout material!!).
Bit rambly, sorry. Summary - advice is leave hm to cry, in practice this probably means leaving dp to listen and check nothing dreadful happens, while you lock yourself int he living room or somewhere out of earshot (preferably with earplugs)..

Our DD (2 and 2 months) has been doing this for a while. Can sympathise with you trying all the normal tricks - blackout blind (B+Q or Argos are fairly cheap), low noise levels, quiet time before bed etc. etc. We still haven?t cracked it but do try to cut out the day time nap (or limit it) as much as possible as this does help. If he is waking up thirsty (my DD does), we keep a drink by her bed to quickly give her a few mouthfuls and try to settle her down again. If hungry, try increasing eve. meal to get him going longer? If she does have a daytime nap, I allow her to stay up that bit later (as long as she isn?t getting over tired) and this helps to delay waking - easier to cope with an extra hour at night than up an hour earlier!

Now I resort to having a stack of books ready in our room, the computer switched on next door set up with her favourite games and her crayoning kit at hand. Then, when she wakes early and I know she is far too alert to settle back down, I can set her off on several activites in my line of vision while being able to creep back to bed and still see her! I might not be getting any more sleep after she gets up (5am ish) but at least I am resting! Good Luck HTH

If he's happy when he wakes, I'd leave him in bed. It might just be a phase. I certainly wouldn't get him up unless he was yelling. My son's the same age as yours (2 on 17 Sept) and he sometimes wakes up early, sometimes much later. If he wakes early I (or dh, depending on whose turn it is to get up) just lie in bed until he's sqawking very loudly and crossly/unhappily. I feel for you. BTW recently ds has woken at 7ish for me and 6ish for dh, which makes me laugh!

Thanks for letting me know we are not alone! It doesn't stop me being exhausted at work but at least I am reassured that there is nothing 'wrong'. I just keep hoping he will grow out of it.