2 year old early riser

[pepapig12]

My 27 months old DD started to wake up early. By early I mean 4.30 and is refusing to go back to bed. I'm going crazy as I tried everything.I guess it is the same thing as refusing to go to bed in the eve.Which we don't have problem with. Perhaps she is ready to faze he nap out. I did try to shorten her nap to max 1 hour but over a week she became so unberably cranky, knackered and therefore full of tantrums and most of all still waking early. By lunch time she is soooo pooped out that I have to put her down so there is no way I can just try to keep her "alive" till bedtime. Any suggestions are welcomed.

It might well be the nap, but if you still think she needs it how about a sleep training clock? I started using one a few months ago with my DS (just turned 3) as he kept waking up at 5.30ish, thinking it was time to get up. This is the one I got him and it's worked a treat. I set it for 7am initially and have actually moved it forward by 15mins for an extra bit of time in bed in the mornings:

www.amazon.co.uk/GroCompany-HJ008-Gro-Clock-Sleep-Trainer/dp/B002APJCNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295198595&sr=1-1

Oh, also tried talking to him about 'sleep fairies' who bring him a very little gift if he stays in bed until the right time. It worked but it got a bit expensive, but if she's old enough to understand concept it might just break the habit!

Good luck!

Thank you so much. Did try to bribe her but it didn't work. Had better morning today. Woke up at 3.30 but managed to settle back to sleep till 5.30. Which I guess it's better then 4.30.Looked up the clock on Amazon and the reviews are great. It is worth of trying. Anything for extra sleep.:-)
Thank's again!

I think (crossing fingers) I have just solved this problem for the time being with my 18-month old, so thought I would share in case it helps.

In our case, DS had got into habit of waking around 5, having some milk, and then going back to sleep until 6.30-7. This was just about tolerable, but then the milk lost its power to get him back to sleep. Then 5 became 4.30 and I decided enough was enough.

I basically did controlled crying/cry it out. So if you're against that in principle, it may not be for you, but it worked. At 4.30 I went in and said 'it's still night time, go back to sleep', patted him and handed him a drink of water and left. I then didn't go back in to the room at all until 6am. For the first two days, he shouted non-stop for 1.5 hours, and didn't go back to sleep. At 6am, I went in to get him, was very jolly, said 'it's morning, time to get up' and turned on the lights. Third day, he woke at 4.50, went in and told him to go back to sleep, and he did so after only 15 mins of shouting. And since then, he has either slept through until past 6am, or if he's woken up, he's gone back to sleep immediately after I've gone in and told him it's still night-time.

So if you think you're tough enough, it's worth a try. I was just not willing to start my day before 6am and was determined to nip this in the bud. He may well revert at some point, I'm not confident that this is it forever but I want to establish the principle that he gets neither milk nor entertainment before 6am.

I had real problems with my DS's sleep from about age 18 months. He started waking earlier and earlier ending with wake ups for the day at 4.30am. When I got pregnant with my DD I decided enough was enough and I spoke to a sleep consultant on the phone and we worked out that in fact he was chronically overtired. And as I started combatting the tiredness I realised he really benefited from going to bed early. I brought his bedtime forward from 7pm and eventually he started going to bed at 5.30pm! He would then sleep through almost until 7 which he hadn't done for his entire life. He is now nearly 5 and still goes to bed at 6.30pm!

I really think that early waking is, admittedly bizarrely, a sign of overtiredness. I also strongly believe that sleep breeds sleep. My DD who is now 28 months goes to bed at 6pm and sleeps through until 7.30am. And then she has a nap from 1pm-3pm or even later. I wasn't going to have another sleeper like DS so encouraged her to sleep a lot from birth (ie she has always spent a long time in her cot!).

So, I really wouldn't cut down her nap and I would seriously consider bringing her bedtime forward. If you try it and she doesn't go to sleep for ages then you can stop. But if she does go to sleep at the earlier time you will know that she was tired and ready to go to sleep.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you agree with any of this at all / would like some more advice. I have been there, done that and really like helping people who are going through it as I know how awful it is.

PS I thought I'd tell you a funny story that happened when I tried a clock method with my son.

I had this one, which works on the same principle as the one mentioned in other posts

www.amazon.co.uk/KidSleep-Globetrotter-Sleep-Trainer-Clock/dp/B000VVIHPS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295288414&sr=1-2

When I went it to my son to ask him what exactly he was doing up when it was still night time he said to me - 'Shhhh mummy, bunny is sleeping!'. I had to laugh!

Gro-clock PLUS bribery worked in our house. In a few days.