Need him to stay in bed longer than 5.30am

[boxofshells]

Ds goes to sleep between 6.30 and 7pm. He is 18 months. He's always gone down easily but has never been a good sleeper. We did crib by bed and co sleeping when he woke for year and hen he went into his cot he always work about three times. Until about three months ago when he started waking once or sometimes sleeping through until 6.30ish.

He has one nap a day ranging from 40 mins (in which case he goes to bed 6pm) to two hours.

But even if he is well napped and goes to bed late he always wakes up at 5am.

Giving milk doesn't help not does bring him into my bed. I've tried to let him cry it out but he just screams and wakes my other children.

Help - I am going crazy.

Anyone?

I would love to, but our 2yo is the same! I send DH in with him, and he sometimes sleeps in til 6.

weve tried earlier bedtimes, later bedtimes, no naps, but nothing really helps. I'm just used to getting up early, but i'm sure that's not what you wanted to hear!!

Some kids are just early risers. I know someone whose 5 and 3 year olds still both do this.

That said, there are few things.

Have you tried blackout blinds?

Have you tried a later bedtime by inching it back 5 minutes at a time over a couple of weeks. One or two nights of later bedtime isn't enough to reset a body clock. He does go to bed really very early. All the children I personally know who go to bed that early are up by 6am latest (or live in the books of SWMNBN)

Would black out blinds help. When the clocks went back my DS started waking at 5.30 instead of his normal 6.30. Black out blinds sorted it. You have my sympathies, early mornings are horrendous.

Sorry, my DS has always been an early riser. Today was 5am (with a 3am cry too) but usually it's 530-545am. Anything after 6am I consider good. He's 2.4 now. He can go to bed at midnight and still wake at 6, so it's just ingrained and nothing I can do to change him. DS is usually asleep by 7.45pm and we start bedtime routine around 7pm.

DS did this for a long time , but slowly got better, at about 4...

Oh my days! This is the very same thing for me, every morning without fail with my son 14months. I don't know what I can do to change this. I keep him up later and bath him before bed it just makes him get up earlier. I have taken him out for walks in the morning to get him back to sleep but no he's up for 4hours then goes back to sleep for 2 hours I wish he could do that at 5 in the morning. Any tips please post me thanks.

we have to have a 7.30-8pm bedtime to get a 6.30-7 wakeup. He obviously only needs X hours sleep. You need to decide on later night and later morning or early night and early morning.

You do have to keep up any change in bedtimes for a good fortnight though to know whether it will help. For lots of children a one off late night will not do anything - much like some adults can't help waking at 7am even at the weekends.

I don't think it's that early a bedtime; ds goes down at 6.30 and has done since 6 months or so by his instigation. He's 2.9 now and only recently became an early riser (5.30 or 6 if we're dh is lucky) But for ages he'd wake at 8ish oh how my mummies of poor sleeper friends were jealous and are gleeful now!

We've recently employed the gro clock to seemingly good effect, but your ds is a bit young for that I guess.

Not any children will sleep 13.5 hours though... If you have a child who needs 11-12 hours, 6.30 is going to contribute to early waking.

Not *many...

It's an early bedtime. I found that ours slept better after good long naps in the day.

At that age they would have a long nap after an early lunch (sleep about 12-2pm at least).

If he then goes to bed a bit later, you may find that he'll sleep a bit later. Note the may

Ours both had phases of early rising (between 5.30 and 6). It was just a phase, but not one of my favourites!

Oh I had this (and worse - 04:30 sometimes!) and I sympathise - it's horrendous. I was so tired I'd bring him to bed and feed him, which I think encoursged it. That doesn't help you though, sorry.
He's over 2 now and one morning recently I had to actually wake him up - couldn't understand why that wasn't in the red book as a major development milestone!
Sorry not to be more help, but just to remind you that they'll grow out of it...eventually...

Sorry, I should have said, it is an early bedtime judging by friends children, but I don't think it's too early. My friend's little boy goes to bed at 8ish and still wakes up by 5.30 most mornings. Luckily, unlike me, she's sensible and goes to bed early too :)

Not ideal I know, but when he gets up can you take him and yourself and a duvet into a child proofed room full of not too noisy toys and doze yourself while he plays? (I do this every day pretty much. DS usually manages almost an hour of self entertainment, but if left in cot even euth toys it'd be 5 mins and lots of screaming). CBeebies should start at 5am I think.

I do this. There's a double bed next to DS cot so I bring in the iPad and he watches teletubbies or something. He's just started to want to watch it on his own without me. I don't manage to doze but at least can rest or mumsnet.

The bedtime is early. If shifting that doesn't help I'm afraid I think you just have to lump it, it is common in young children & he's a bit too young for a Gro clock.

I'd try shifting bedtime back. It works when the clocks change.

If that doesn't work I'd limit his nap to around an hour.

A lot of people I know swear by the Gro Clock for keeping little ones in bed in the morning. He may be a little young for it but it might be worth trying!! Anything for another hour or so in bed!!

Our son is nearly 18 months and has just gone out of that 5-5.30am wake up. Perhaps he just grew out of it but we found that a slightly later bed as he seems to only want 10 hours a night, plus a decent, lunchtime nap, improved things. Lots of little naps, or late evening naps were a definite no-no for us. GOing on holiday and having very late bed times for a week seems to have helped too! Hope it settles down. It is a form of torture, especially if they are up during the night as well. I work full time so used to at least be grateful I got to spend such a long time with him in the morning before work…..

Both my two have always woken at 5.30am every single day. No matter whatever I tried. Dd is now 11 (!) And still wakes at 6 am at the latest even if she goes to bed at 9/10pm. I think some children are just early risers unfortunately and especially in the toddler years 5.30/6 am wake up is actually very normal. Sorry!