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2.6 year old up at 5am....

11 replies

pettyprudence · 07/10/2013 08:34

Ok so I know this can be perfectly normal BUT he is not happy and alert when he starts the day at 5am, he is over tired and prone to meltdowns every 30 seconds. You can see he is still exhausted but he fights sleep like his life depends on it.

DS has gotten up at 5am every winter, since his first winter at 6 months. In the summer, he more or less sleeps through til 7am each morning, occasional lie ins and the rare early start. September hits and that its then through til march - 5am (sometimes 4.30am or yesterday a lie in until 5.30am!).

DS has always gone to bed at 7pm-ish - goes down well and generally you don't hear from him until morning (he has been stirring more since going in his bed)
He has a day time nap of about 90mins. We aim for after lunch but since he moved in to his bed he messes about for up to 90mins before sleeping (not too bad at bed time) so sometimes he doesn't go to sleep until 2pm-2.30pm and wakes about 3.30pm-ish. He will still go to sleep/bed at 7pm. Since his 5am wake ups his naps have moved forward and hour or two. Sometimes though he doesn't nap at all.

We have tried:
Putting heating on earlier
Putting heating on later
Going to bed later (spectacular meltdowns)
Going to bed earlier (but we never seem to achieve it)
Later tea
Earlier tea
Co-sleeping (just jumps around our bed)
rapid return at 5am
Shouting (well I have, I don't have much patience at 5am)
Grow clock - he was at least quiet until the sun came out but now he just hits all the buttons until he MAKES the sun come out at his will.
Toys in the bedroom
No toys in his bedroom

We are only a month in :( I am due dc2 in Feb and not sleeping great but I do know that once they arrive I will be wishing I was sleeping in until 5am Grin

What else can I try????? I can be bloody stubborn determined and go the distance is something needs persevering with, I don't expect overnight miracles (but would love a lie in til 7 tomorrow!)

OP posts:
WorrisomeHeart · 08/10/2013 06:11

Desperately watching. 5.10am this morning. Argh.

mamij · 08/10/2013 06:16

Have you tried dropping his afternoon nap, or is he too tired? If it's taking him that long to settle, maybe try to drop the nap and do something "quiet" like reading together instead.

Monkeyandanimal · 08/10/2013 06:19

Also watching. Ds2 does 5.30 regular wake-ups, and wakes his big brother up too, so both overtired.

VinegarDrinker · 08/10/2013 06:30

You know you can lock the gro-clock? We have a rule that he can do what he likes in his room (books, quiet toys etc) but he can't come out til the sun comes up. Current problem though is that he wakes us by shouting that he's done a poo in his potty and needs his bum wiped - argh!

We had to drop the nap about 3/4 months ago. Super early mornings have reduced since then and bedtime are loads easier.

pettyprudence · 08/10/2013 11:19

HOW DO I LOCK A GRO CLOCK- this could change my life???? DS was up at 4.30am this morning He kept lullling me into thinking he had gone back to sleep but kept popping up every 15 mins.

I did silent rapid retreat a few times (he used to come into our bed but this over stimulates him and he never slept there so have abandoned this tactic) and while he did stay put in his room, he spent most of the morning sat at his bedroom stair gate shouting "get me mum" every 10 mins but not upset. At some point I finally dropped off to sleep (6.30-7.30ish), which is highly unusual as I cannot sleep if he is awake. Maybe he went back to sleep too? He says he didn't Hmm

He only managed 2x 10min naps yesterday :(

Its only for day time naps that he takes forever to settle - bedtime he is very good and is almost always asleep within 10-30mins max of me tucking him up.

OP posts:
VinegarDrinker · 08/10/2013 11:29

Press and hold the down arrow! It comes up with a little cross type thing on the clock face.

pettyprudence · 08/10/2013 16:07

Thanks Vinegar I will try that tonight, although our buttons are a bit knackered from ds' constant jabbing of them to make the sun come out! Does it just unlock itself after the sun has come out?

OP posts:
VinegarDrinker · 08/10/2013 18:19

I think so, but you can unlock it too, I think you do the same again

pettyprudence · 08/10/2013 19:58

I think I figured out the lock tonight! It might be easier to demonstrate to ds that its still the middle of the fucking night if i can show him the stars instead of the sun! He used to be a gem with the gro clock until he outwitted it! Keeping my fingers crossed that he will either miraculously sleep tomorrow morning or at least go back to sleep.

OP posts:
VinegarDrinker · 09/10/2013 07:43

How did it go OP?

pettyprudence · 09/10/2013 14:50

Well not sure I locked the gor clock (it made a beep and a cross symbol briefly came up) but ds slept in until 5.55am this morning! I never thought 6am would feel like a lie in and we are all feeling refreshed this morning!

I would have pushed him to stay in his room but dh just got back from working away so ds was excited to see him.

Off to look more at locking the gro clock

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