EARLY WAKING IN 16 MONTH OLD

[Welshmum]

My first request for advice on here, quite exciting!
My DD is a pretty top sleeper from 7pm through the night but recently she wants to start her day earlier and earlier. This morning it was 0515 and I just can't cope with that long term. Is it something to do with summer ? Do they sleep longer in the winter months? I don't want to give her a bottle of milk as I think it might just create an appetite. Has anyone got any tips? Thanks in advance.

Hi Welshmum, I totally sympathise, my ds, also 16 months has been doing the same thing. But I give in and give him milk, it's a bad habit I know but it gets him back to sleep.

I'm interested if anyone has any tips.

I'm afraid it may be just about her changing and needing less sleep!
DS2 (12 months) was consistently sleeping through from 7 pm until 6 or 6.30 am until about a month ago when he started waking at 5.30. No amount of milk/ cuddles etc would persuade him to go back to sleep, and he still went down for his naps at normal times (e.g. c 10 am & 1 pm) so I just think he was getting enough sleep.
We started leaving books & toys in his cot and seeing if he would entertain himself for at least another 30 mins or so, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Tried putting him to bed later, but that doesn't seem to work either - he's just grumpy the next day, but still wakes early.
New strategy (yet to be executed!) is to take him out for an early morning walk, since a) I can't seem to find time to exercise, and b) I hate being up 5.30 - 7.00 on my own with him!
Good luck....

There have been some threads on this subject in the past - try a search. DS went through a period of waking up around 5am for several months. Once we cut out his morning bottle (which he used to be desparate for) he started to wake up a little later. He now wakes up around 6.15am (he's almost 2), which is an improvement. To be honest, we've just accepted the situation as nothing else we did worked.

My ds wakes up between 5 and 6 and I am afraid I also give in and give a bottle. He then sleeps to 8-9 o'clock. I know this is a bad habit, but I do everything for more sleep......

Forgot to mention he is 2 years.

Welshmum are you using blackout curtains? I always said I wouldn't but when the summer arrived I did and dd sleeps 7 till 8ish.

Thanks for the advice. I've got a blackout kit now(curtains and some dark towels because I can't figure out how to construct a pelmet on a curved window!) we haven't had an 0515 start since - we're now being woken between 0600 and 0630. I've read a few more threads and I think we're just going to have to accept that this is how it is. I suppose it's bearable in the summer - do they sleep later in the winter because it's dark?