One Tired Dad

[Mossysgiants]

I take my first tentative steps to posting on here, I'm sure i'll end up regretting it. I wonder if anyone may have a gems of wisdom to share with me as I'm all out of idea's and stamina. My daughter is 2 1/2 years old and since the move from her cot to her bed about 3 months ago, her early waking is killing me. She's a very active young thing and as soon as she is a tiny bit awake, she's up. 4am, 4.30am, the other morning it was 3.45am. After her early morning burst she is so tired, and looks terrible that it is impossible to consider she's had enough sleep. I,ve tried taking away day time sleep which is usually between 12 and 1ish. I can't put her to bed any earlier either, she goes at 6.30pm. If I keep her up any later, she just gets up earlier. The room temp is ok, about 19c, there is no light and very little noise so I'm not sure what to do. I try and coax her back to sleep but once she's awake her brain is alert it's mostly impossible. Her diet is excellent so it's not a sugar rush. Sorry i've gone on so long. Can anyone suggest anything, I'd be most grateful. One tired Dad.

Would she understand a bunny clock? Ive heard great things about them.

Thanks Unmentioned, it may well be worth a try. What do you do, set a time and a light comes on or something?

I don't have any answers, Mossygiants, but I did want to post so that you wouldn't end up regretting having started a thread!

It sounds really tough, what you're going through. My own daughters are much younger than yours but I have found the help of this sleep clinic absolutely invaluable.

Thanks Exi, appreciate your support.

Yeah pretty much so for the 1st morning you might want to set it for 445am, then 450, then 5am, then 515am and so on, she isnt allowed to get out of bed until the light goes on.

or the bunny wakes up or something, you get different versions.

Ok, i'll definitley give it a whirl. If she does get out of bed do I gently coax her back in her tell her off for being naughty? Sorry for all the questions.

Can't help, but sympathise. Our two-year old wakes about 5-6am, but also several times in the night when he requires a lot of settling. Last night he was ill so slept in our bed and DH slept on the sofa, and it was the best night's sleep we've had in ages! DH saying he felt so much more human today - but him being on the sofa isn't a long-term solution!

The bunny's eyes stay closed until a time that you have set on the clock. The idea is that the child looks at the clock and understands that if bunny's eyes are closed it is still time to be in bed and when bunny opens his eyes you can get up!

Just explain to your dd that if the bunny's eyes are closed then she must get back into bed and cannot come out of her room. If she gets up and you hear her then persevere at putting her back into bed - low music on (we found story cd's helped - go for some long stories!!).

No coaxing - be firm - no pleading - back into bed - it is not time to get up - no toys in the room. If you are consistent with the message then eventually she will understand that there is no gain from getting up at this time and hopefully will learn to put herself back to bed.

Brilliant, thank you Sam, I really appreciate your help.

The No Cry Sleep Solution for toddlers has some ideas, one I remember is a reward system based on tiny packages wrapped up, they get one each day they manage to stay in bed until the designated time. You actually show them the little wrapped things in advance so they can understand there is a concrete reward.

i've heard the bunny can be quite noisy when it changes. we have this

Thanks again to you all for your advice ladies (and hents, not sure), the bunny clock is on order. Someone gave me some advice yesterday to ensure that she wakes up in the same conditions that she went to sleep, ie if the light was on slightly when she goes to sleep, make sure it is still on when she wakes. I don't understand the thinking personally but anyway, I heard the little patter of her feet at 6am this morning so maybe just maybe.......

the conditions being teh same is so that she knows it is time to be sleeping.

i.e; if teh light is on slightly when she goes to bed she will associate the light being on with going to sleep. so if she wakes up during teh night and the light is on, her brain will tell her it is going to sleep time. if she wakes and teh light id off, tehre is no trigger to send her back to sleep.

Thanks hohoho, that does actually make sense.
Fingers crossed to a few more morning of 6ish and daughter and I might start feeling a bit more human!!!

i really feel for you. i am a night owl so I'm used to surviving on a few hours sleep but i hate it when it's forced upon you and when you have been un=bjected to it for a prolonge dtime you literally can't function.

subjected

I'm not drunk i promise

is she in a bed or a cot? what do you do when she wakes up early?

IMO any wake up before 6am needs to be treated like a night time wake up and for them to be trained back to sleep.

My ds1 did this at same age. We got a kidsleep clock (he still loves it at 4) and basically used a supernanny approach and kept putting him back to bed when he got up. Eventually, we resorted to a stairgate in front of his door because he just wanted to come into our bed when I had a 6 mth old and had started back at work full time. It took around 3 weeks to get there but we did.

Now he sleeps from around 8pm to 6.45/7am. He got a lot better when he dropped his naps and went to school.

Hi Amijee, thnaks for posting. She is in a bed. Since the advice last week about leaving her light on, we do seem to be getting somewhere now, I've had 4 mornings of very near 6am so we are both starting to feel a lot more human. I also redress her when she's a sleep and put her furry bed suit back on as quiet possible she was just cold too. But the sleeping rabbit turned up so I shall keep him on standby.