Early waking revelation

[Raggedy]

My DS (19 months old) has had various stages of waking up at an unreasonable hour - 5.30am or so. I've tried all sorts of different methods - earlier bedtime, later bedtime, wake to sleep, etc without much success.

However, I recently read a report about trying to alter their circadian rhythym by taking them outside for a walk/play/etc later on in the evening. He usually goes to bed at 7pm so I have been taking him out for a walk/play about 6-6.30pm just before bath/bed. And it has had a fantastic effect - he is now waking routinely between about 6.15 and 7.00am which I find much more reasonable.

So I just wanted to let any mothers of early risers know in case they wanted to give it a try!

[Zimm]

LOL at 7am lie-in! Working up the courage to try this..

[MovingAndScared]

I have been trying it - and last night longest night sleep for quite some time 5.50 -

[chrisonabike]

I am going to do this tonight - teatime in the garden sounds like a marvellous idea.

[ExistentialistCat]

Bah. I'm apparently the only one IN THE WORLD (melodramatic sleep deprived emoticon) for whom this technique has not made a blind bit of difference. DD2 continues to wake at 5 and complain that she's tired. It was my last hope as we have covered all the other possibilities - blackout blinds, temperature, naps, self-soothing...

I suppose I'm going to have to resign myself to the fact that this is just how she is. Sigh.

[matana]

Don't know what's going on here. DS slept through the night for the first time last night - 7pm milk and bed - and i had to wake him up at 7.30 this morning! He now has a blackout blind which has helped so much, but i'm also trying to give him loads of daylight in the evening - even if it's just playing in our conservatory.

[GoingLoopyLou]

DD woke as usual around 5am this morning but then dozed back off till 7.10am! I'm off out into the garden again shortly!

[EveryonesJealousOfGingers]

I am most definitely trying this, starting tonight! Thanks OP will report back.

[GoingLoopyLou]

3 successful mornings in a row can't be coincidence can it? I really hope not!

[lazzaroo]

I have read this thread with interest as the original post describes my DD exactly! Decided to give it a go tonight. Went outside for little play at 6.30pm. Will see what the morning brings! Not being too optimistic. I think our little one is designed to survive on just 10 hours sleep a night. Which is why when the clocks changed we kept her bedtime at 8pm. She has black out blind etc etc. She's happy enough with whatever sleep she gets...it's us that struggle with the early wake ups!! :-)

[matana]

It all went wrong today, after such a good start! 5am.... i left DS babbling to see if he'd go back to sleep. He didn't.

[GoingLoopyLou]

Worked again for me! Nice lie in till 7.10 am!

[Ktay]

Sorry, this fell out of my 'threads I'm on' so have only just come across these encouraging success stories. I haven't tried this in earnest yet but DD does get exposure to the great outdoors when I bring her back after tea at nursery - with no obvious benefit to her sleep. Have just bitten the bullet and hired a sleep consultant - sod's law this trick will start working for us as soon as I give them my credit card details!

[lazzaroo]

Sadly it was a 5.45am wake up for us so I am back to resigning myself to the fact that she's just an early bird!

[Lotkinsgonecurly]

dd has always woken between 4.30 and 5.30 EVERY morning since she's been born. She's now 4. I have to say I have tried this when she was younger and it didn't work with her but it may do with some.

Would love to hear of any new thinking!

[SeaShellsHasSandInHerShoes]

This sounds really interesting given that 5.30am is a lie in to Ds!!

Off camping this weekend but will be interested to see how
It works on a normal night!

[GoingLoopyLou]

7am again here. 5 in a row after 2 wks of 5am's can't be coincidence can it?!

[practicallyimperfect]

I have to say it hasn't worked for us.

[mdavza]

My DS (now 2.3) started waking between 5 and 6 for the past 5 months, sometimes better, sometimes worse. Will give this trick a go, can't do any harm to try?!
And then I had a colleague who told me that she severely scolds her 3yo if he dares to wake early, and sends him back to bed, and that I should be more strict. Aaarrrrrgggh - that's not helping?!!!

[GoingLoopyLou]

Mdavza This is still working for me and I have no other explanation as dc slept in till 7ish following the first morning I tried it and have done every day since, this was following 2-3 wks of 5.30ish starts.

[Raggedy]

Hi...sorry for delay in replying. We did evening walks about 6.00pm ish - after tea and before bath at 6.30. We carried on with the walks for about 2 weeks - as we were afraid to stop before that - and he has generally tended to keep sleeping in until about 6.30am. Not to say we don't get the occassional wake-up with a 5 in it!

[BraveGirl]

I'll give this a go tonight - DS is currently waking earlier and earlier (this morning it was 04.30) so will give it a try!
For those that experienced success - was it immediate or did you have to persevere for a few days before seeing any effect?
After 2 weeks - did you revert to normal?

[GoingLoopyLou]

BraveGirl I had success the very next day, which was now 12 days ago. I have taken them out to the garden from about 6.30-7pm then bath and in bed for 7.30 ish. They haven't woken before 7am any day and previously were waking around 5.30am.

The only thing is now I'm too scared to stop doing it

[matana]

I've come to the conclusion that my DS will do exactly what he wants, regardless of what i do to 'encourage' him! Last weekend he slept till 8am and i was gobsmacked. Yesterday evening i took him into the garden until his bathtime and today it was a 5am waking!

[practicallyimperfect]

Well I did it later- 6 to 6.30 and he slept til 6am! That is a lie in for me!

Will.be trying this every night!

[GoingLoopyLou]

Tonight I haven't done this for the first time I'm two weeks. Will report back tomorrow, hope it's not an early one!