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Original poster

18mo early waking. Please help am at my wits end

25 replies

catgirl1976 · 14/05/2013 05:28

DS keeps waking at 5ish. This morning was 4:30

I work ft so am just exhausted

He's too little for a groclock

He goes to bed about 7:30

He won't resettle - he's wide awake

Normally he naps about 10am - 12:30pm

Am just so exhausted. How can I get him to sleep longer?

OP posts:
Chottie · 14/05/2013 05:54

Just to hold your hand and promise you it will get better.

Could you leave some toys in his cot when you go to bed? would he play with them for a bit? and let you sleep a little bit longer?

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 14/05/2013 05:56

He won't play with toys :( tried those....he just throws them and howls :(

thank you for the hand hold...........it is needed this morning Thanks

OP posts:
OrangeMochaFrappucino · 14/05/2013 15:40

I think it's a really common phase - ds did exactly the same (at 2.5 now sleeps til 6.30 - a veritable lie-in) and I didn't find much that helped except to ride it out - it won't last forever! Have you tried black-out blind, offering a drink of water, going in and saying the same thing e.g 'it's sleepytime, go to sleep' and then leaving the room repeat ad nauseum? Could his daytime nap be shortened? DS always wakes up thirsty but helps himself to sippy cup of water by his cot and goes back to sleep (I sometimes hear him slurping!). It will pass but I remember the torment - honestly, I dealt with it by going to bed early, 9pm most nights!

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 14/05/2013 20:56

Thanks jelly

We have blacked out his window tonight (a fetching and temporay contraption of 2 wardrobe doors, a travel cot mattress and some black towels :) )

He wouldn't settle as it was too dark Hmm so I have left his door open a bit and he's gone down. I will close it later when it is fully dark outside any way and he is asleep. Black out blind and night light are en route from Amazon.

He has only had a 25 min nap this morning and a 30 min nap this afternoon as he has been at nursery and doesn't nap well there, so I am hoping this and the blackout will help.

I will try the sippy cup idea.

I am going to watch the Apprentice and then I am straight to bed

OP posts:
PeteHornberger · 15/05/2013 06:51

Just wanted to sympathise-my 20 month old DD is going through exactly the same at the moment and it's rubbish!

She sounds the same as your DS, too young for the gro-clock, won't entertain herself etc. Normally wakes at 5, this morning 4.30...

No point to my post really, other than sympathy and to let you know you're not alone - fingers crossed this phase passes really quickly for both of us Grin

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 15/05/2013 07:53

Pete - we have had a miracle this morning

I have just had to wake him up at 07:50!!

Have you tried a black out blind? I am going to say I think this may have saved my sanity, so if yo haven't please do try it!

Really hope you either find a blackout works or your DC sleeps soon

Thank you for the support and fingers crossed for you Thanks

OP posts:
Luxnuova · 15/05/2013 08:59

Sounds like you've solved it - well done! Just in case, though, my first thought was that is quite an early nap and leaves quite a long time without sleep before he goes down at night. Is it possible he might be overtired? My 17mo DD can usually make it to 11.30am or 12pm before her nap (2 hours on average), and goes to bed earlier - usually by 7. We usually get a 6am or 6.30am waking with this. Not fantastic, but bearable! Of course, it's trickier to push the nap time when they're exhausted from waking so early...vicious cycle, I know! Good luck!

PeteHornberger · 15/05/2013 11:55

Am so pleased for you Catgirl, hope you managed to sleep later too and that your body clock hasn't already adjusted!

You've inspired me to improve the blackout blind situation in her room -the one we have isn't great and it could be a lot darker, so we're going zero tolerance on light tonight and keeping our fingers crossed!

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 15/05/2013 20:14

Good luck Pete - got everything crossed for you! Let me know how it goes

Lux - today DH put him down for his nap at 11:30am instead as he wasn't as shattered. This is much closer to what he does on his 2 days at nursery too, so we are hopeful this will help him get a more consistent routine.

Fingers crossed for another proper sleep. This morning felt like a miracle! :)

OP posts:
PeteHornberger · 16/05/2013 07:25

Well, we weren't as lucky as you Catgirl but the super mega blackout construction that we cobbled together def worked - she woke at 4 and I nearly cried but she went back over, then woke at 5.30, so we brought her in with us and she actually slept in with us until 6.30, instead of just wriggling and poking us Grin

I suspect the sleeping with us was because she was up so ridiculously early yesterday, but 5.30 is a massive improvement so I'm gonna call this a win for the blackout blinds and see where we go from here!

How did catboy sleep last night, did he give you another lie-in?! Smile

Nini100 · 16/05/2013 12:02

Just been reading this and feel your pain.....my 16 month old was waking at a bearable 6/630am.....now she starts singing at 5.20am!
We have used a groblind in her room but I'm beginning to think its not as effective in darkness as we have used it so much and think it may have fade???
Time to reinforce the darkness especially seeing the success cat girl has had.
I just want a normal time to wake up plllleeeeaaaseee.

OrangeMochaFrappucino · 16/05/2013 20:29

Ds was in with us at 4.45am this morning. Blackout blind went up tonight!

InsanelyBrainDeprived · 16/05/2013 21:08

My youngest was a nightmare for night waking. Until we established a daytime nap routine, the better he naps through the day the longer he sleeps.

He has 2 - 2.5 hours unbroken nap now at 19 months and sleeps 12 h

InsanelyBrainDeprived · 16/05/2013 21:09

12 hours a night

InsanelyBrainDeprived · 16/05/2013 21:11

Ffs! My brain still isn't working, I hadn't finished my post.

Perhaps if you work on one long nap through day it will encourage a better nights sleep

batteryhen · 16/05/2013 21:36

My DS wants to start his day at 5am too. So tonight we have taped his blackout blind to the window! He used to sleep until 7 so o am hoping he might revert back!
He has 2 naps a day and is in a nice routine, but still wakes so early!

Original poster
catgirl1976 · 16/05/2013 22:24

Good luck with the blackout blinds everyone!

Am wishing you all 12 hours sleep :)

catboy did pretty well.....slept to 6:45am which is fine, so I am happy. Just got everything crossed it continues.

He does normally have just 1 nap a day. Sometimes he does 3 hours. I often wonder if I should wake him, but generally the peace is just so lovely Blush

Thinking of you all tonight and hoping we all get a lie in (can't believe I would now call 7am a lie in!)

OP posts:
omama · 16/05/2013 23:22

Agree with lux the nap is probably too early. I wouldnt worry so much about cutting it back at this stage, but just slowly & consistently push it later by 15mins/ week. Aim to get the nap starting after lunch eg 12.30 & you should see an improvement in the EW.xx

PeteHornberger · 17/05/2013 11:37

Nini, Jelly and Battery, how did you get on last night? Catgirl, glad catboy is still sleeping late for you, how lovely!

Well, we had a 6am-er this morning which would have been amazing had she not been up in the night because she's teething...she's got some biggies coming through so it's no surprise she can't sleep really-but I wish she would Grin

So the later morning might have been due to the night waking but I can't help but think the blackout is working as when she's been up in the night before, she still woke around 5.

6am is fine for us as I suspect she'll be an early waker naturally, as my husband is. Which is great, as it means he can take her downstairs for brekkie at the weekends so I can lay-in!

batteryhen · 17/05/2013 11:59

Not good here! He woke at 2.45, 4.15 and 5am when I brought him in with us. I have a feeling his top teeth are coming in though. I shall persevere though, I wondered if his room was actually too dark, but he had his nap in there this morning and I had to go and wake him after an hour and a half so I think he does like it. I will report back tomorrow morning!

abigailj · 18/05/2013 13:08

We had this for almost 9 months.

Groclock (wait for "yellow"), blackout blinds, a cuddly toy and some sleep training for a couple if mornings worked at around 19 months ish. Still works and ds1 is almost 3, though he is nw bribed with chocolate buttons to wait for yellow ( the clock).

Ds2 now wakes at 4.30am every day. Urgh.

PeteHornberger · 18/05/2013 19:30

AbilgailJ, did the gro-clock work at that age? I've been considering it but I keep thinking DD is too young at 20
months, but maybe I'm underestimating her Wink

Also, what type of sleep training did you use? She was up again at ridiculous-o'clock this morning again so I need a better plan than the blackout blinds, it would seem...

abigailj · 18/05/2013 20:13

Pete, I just checked with my husband, it was some time about 19 or 20 months it worked. We tried it earlier and it didn't work. It was working well before the 2years they recommend. That said, our little boy is reasonably precocious, and knew his colours, hence we called it "mr yellow". I vaguely remember 2mirnings of hysterics when I would go in and tell him to wait for yellow repeatedly for over an hour. gave him hs favourite soft toy and it calmed him down. Possibly the third morning he went back to sleep, and then we slowly moved the clock later to a 6.30 wake up. Blissful. We had been up before 5 for many many months, so stressful. And he was overtired every day, clearly needed more sleep. I was the bad guy who did the sleep training, but we were at wits end.

You coud try not getting your daughter out of her cot til te clock comes on, but staying with her, til you figure she understands the meaning. Might be a gentle way of approaching it.

PeteHornberger · 18/05/2013 21:50

Thanks Abigail, that all sounds very doable - I like your idea about staying with her and not getting her up until it's yellow until she gets it.

We're currently in the process of mastering colours at the moment too, so hopefully that will make it all a bit easier.

A 6.30 wake up would be amazing...hope you manage to work your magic on DS2, 4.30 is no fun.

bigkidsdidit · 18/05/2013 21:55

I successfully sleep trained with Andrea Grace but IME and that of my friends nothing you do changes waking time. DS wakes in phases - a month at 7am, a month at 5.30. It's an arse Grin

I just go to bed earlier.

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