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Original poster

OK so the early waking thing...well he's 4 years old now and I'm getting mighty sick of it

131 replies

katierocket · 13/10/2005 09:32

DS has always always been an earlier waker but having just had his 4th birthday I am getting very fed up with regular 5.30 starts. Sometimes it is 6 or 6.15 but this morning was 5am.

He's got a bunny clock, we've tried sticker charts. It makes no difference what time he goes to bed i.e. if he goes to bed at 7 he wakes up early and if he goes to bed later he still wakes up early but is just more grumpy.

If anyone has a magic cure or at least some suggestions of what could help I will gladly sell you my soul. Or even if someone can say "heh, give it one more year and when he starts reception he'll you'll be dragging him out of bed in the morning...."

OP posts:
pinotgrigio · 21/10/2005 22:21

NEWSFLASH. It's 7.15am and DD isn't awake yet!!!! I have no idea what happened.

I am a new woman. I'm sitting here with a cup of tea, logged onto mumsnet. Feeling refreshed!!!

I won't have to keep her occupied for 4 hours before the shops open this morning. Joy Joy Joy. /Dances in kitchen/ (quietly of course)

Fingers crossed that she does the same tomorrow.

Original poster
katierocket · 21/10/2005 22:22

Whhaaaaaat??!! well you need to shaaare the secret lady.

OP posts:
pinotgrigio · 21/10/2005 22:33

I know!!!! She woke up 5 minutes ago and is now playing in her room.

Somebody swapped her overnight. I swear.

Original poster
katierocket · 29/10/2005 08:24

This is just ridiculous, every DAY it's 5.30 now, the other day he tried to get up and get dressed at 4am. I am seriously thinking of going to the GP and seeing if they will give me some phergen - perhaps that will break the cycle. He's permanently tired and so are we and nothing at all works.

Absolutely dreading the clocks going back tonight.

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crazydazy · 29/10/2005 08:54

I have been reading all these posts and can totally sympathise, my DS is 3 and always wakes early. I (not DP) have to get up early with him because he shares a room with DD (5) and she is not such an early riser and will be crabby all day if she has to get up early!!!!

The one thing that kills me most is when you have been out the night before and they drag you up at 6.00 and you still feel drunk!!!! I just lay on the sofa with him and put a DVD on for a couple of hours so I can come around a bit!!!

Don't make DP get up with him as he has insomnia and so has trouble sleeping at night but can sleep well on the morning so feel bad making him get up.

bossykate · 29/10/2005 09:32

my sympathies. we have this too and have tried everything to no avail. christopher green says his best advice to parents on this is simply to go to bed earlier - so even the experts don't have a magic answer

cod · 29/10/2005 09:35

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tassis · 29/10/2005 09:36

ds has been 5.55am this week and it's doing my head in.

i'm dreading the clocks changing tonight - will it suddenly become 4.55am?

do you think 2.5 is too young for a bunny clock?

crazydazy · 29/10/2005 10:22

People reckon I shouldn't complain cos DS always wants to go to bed at 7.00 and sometimes asks me if he can go to bed before that!!! He loves going to bed but because he goes to sleep early he also wakes early, can't really complain as I have some peace at night when he's in bed!!!

DD was different, she got up early up to being about 3 and then it stopped and she gets up after 8.00 most days now.

cod · 29/10/2005 17:19

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Original poster
katierocket · 29/10/2005 17:31

no cod he doesn't drink squash. BK - I read that from Christopher Green, he says that "some children are just naturally early wakers and it's normally boys" - oh joy.

Am dreading the morning - clocks and all

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Original poster
katierocket · 30/10/2005 06:46

well it was 4.30 this morning and that's BEFORE I'd turned the clocks back....

He just cannot get himself back to sleep.

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spooklymieow · 30/10/2005 06:59

OMg, I wasup at just before 6am, (that was after the clocks went back. I have the same problem with dd1, once she is awake, she can't sleep again!!

Original poster
katierocket · 30/10/2005 07:30

indeed so assuming I have to try and keep him up until normal bedtime i.e. the time after the clocks have gone back, he will have been up since 3.30am. It's just ridiculous but I am at an utter loss as to what to do about it.

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mumbee · 30/10/2005 07:52

It does get eaiser my Ds 4yrs is also a poor sleeper and an early riser but since the summer and starting reception has learned that it is okay to wake early but play quietly until you hear the rest or the family. Dd is 6yrs old and a better sleeper at weekends when she wakes at about 7am she goes to his room and they often go downstairs shutting doors behind them often it is gone 8 before we wake and we do not hear them.

On school mornings Dh is up at 6am so Ds is allowed to go down with him and Dd and I come down when we wake ant time after 7

So it does get easier with school life effecting us all

spooklymieow · 30/10/2005 08:08

I wish that would work with my kids, but I have to get up as soon as I hear them, as otherwise I have to deal with flooeded bathrooms, nail varnish and makeup poured and smeared everywhere. And they fight as soon as they wake up, and start screaming at each other, god knows what the neighbours think

Tillysmummy · 30/10/2005 08:24

I sympathise with everyone as we have had nearly 8 weeks of 5.30 and a couple of 6's now. I'm sick of it. If anyone has a miracle cure then please share it. Re Dr Christopher Green that is v depressing. My dd was an early waker but now (4) I think given half the chance would sleep later - of course ds (19 mths) has no intention of letting anyone do that. He is now at 8.24 walking around looking like a zombie. He's been up since 4.45am.

edgetop · 30/10/2005 10:20

i used to have this problem with my ds he will be 5 in december this time last year he was getting up about 5.30am ,i had to get up with him as he would be in the bathroom turning on taps etc.all i did was tell him it was too early to get up for poor mummy & daddy, & kept telling him to play in his room & not to come out until we got up. it didnt work like magic but slowly its worked he gets up between 7.30 & 8.00.he stays in his room til he hears us.

Original poster
katierocket · 30/10/2005 15:04

edgetop - you give me hope!

It's 3pm now and he's like a zombie - well not surprising since he's been up since 4.30 (and that was before clocks went back)

OP posts:
cod · 30/10/2005 15:10

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cod · 30/10/2005 15:10

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Original poster
katierocket · 30/10/2005 18:53

oh Cod I am vile vile vile in the morning, yes I have shouted and been mean and he says "I'm sorry mummy" and of course that makes me feel awful. Story tape is a really good idea.

OP posts:
cod · 30/10/2005 20:12

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cod · 30/10/2005 20:13

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roisin · 30/10/2005 20:35

Katierocket - my ds2 has always been an early riser. For me I turned the corner when someone suggested I should just accept it as a fact, and try and work around it to make it more bearable, rather than trying to change it.

So we gave ds2 clear guidelines as to what he could and could not do in the mornings when he woke up. The primary one was he couldn't do anything that would wake anyone else up!

He has always shared a room with ds1, but from a very early age learned to get up without disturbing ds1

He still (6.5 now) gets up very early sometimes, but I think he just does it because he enjoys the peace and quiet and privacy!