I have "msiled" Kip... Here is the GF stuff - it wasn't under "other"... I did find it useful (and my son has made progress within days). The 2nd and 3rd questions are the most relevant one.
The core of the answer is this :
When they wake up and get out of bed, I take them straight back to their bed, apart from saying schh schh it night time I never get involved in conversation. I usually have to repeat this procedure dozens of times each morning for a couple of weeks until they realise that they do not get up until the light is on. With some I would sit on a chair next to the bed until they went back to sleep even if it took an hour. I can't stress the importance of being consistent with taking them back to bed and not getting into a conversation or putting on the light.
But here is the full set !
Early waking - what can you do?
Choc: The time that my baby (10Months) wakes up bears no relation to the time that he goes to bed, or the amount of sleep that he has during the day. When he is at home with me, he follows your routines, but when he is at nursery his sleep is a bit more random. His wake up time is consistently between 6.45am and 7.00am - I am desperate to find a way to make this a bit later on special occasions (such as New Year's day!)
Gina: With eighty per cent of children still waking once or twice a night at one year of age I think your little boy is a star sleeping until nearer 7am every morning. All I can suggest at this age is that you arrange to leave him over night with his grandparents or close friends if you need a longer lie in. Once he gets a bit older most children can be persuaded or bribed to play in their room until the parents get up.
More early waking...
Cath: My 21 month old son Oliver goes to bed at 8pm-10pm every night depending on whether he has had his 1 hour nap through the day. Great routine. But he wakes up at 5am every morning and that is it he just wants to be up. However, within an hour he is asleep on the lounge floor for anything from 1-2 hours. My husband and I are wrecked. Any suggestions?
Gina: I find that toddlers who have such a late bedtime as your son's tend to wake up very early and not go back to sleep. I think it is probably due to the fact that when they are tiny they learn to only sleep when they are exhausted instead of when they are tired. Falling asleep through exhaustion, they tend to go into a very deep sleep in the earlier part of the night, waking fully refreshed and raring to go at 5am. I have solved this problem on a number of occasions but it does take a great deal of determination. When they wake up and get out of bed, I take them straight back to their bed, apart from saying schh schh it night time I never get involved in conversation. I usually have to repeat this procedure dozens of times each morning for a couple of weeks until they realise that they do not get up until the light is on. With some I would sit on a chair next to the bed until they went back to sleep even if it took an hour. I can't stress the importance of being consistent with taking them back to bed and not getting into a conversation or putting on the light.
More early waking...
Pop: I read and often referred to your first book. My son is 15 months old and has a regular bedtime of 7.00pm. He often wakes at 5.00 but obviously does not want to be awake. He will not, however, go back to sleep however long we leave him. We have tried controlled crying etc. but he seems to be in such a light sleep by this time that anything wakes him and he will not go back to sleep. He has a nap after lunch of about an hour and a half. Do you think these early mornings will stop when he is walking? Have you any helpful hints on how to combat them?
Gina: The fact that your son does not want to be awake at 5am and sleeps later some mornings means it is very possible that he may start to go later when he begins to walk. In the meantime I would suggest that you keep a 24 hour diary of everything your son eats and drinks detailing quantities and types of food and the times they were consumed, also the times of his bowel movements each day.
It will also be helpful to list his social activities as you may find that he sleeps longer in the days he has been more physically active. With many children of this age I find that the early morning waking is related to their diet. Listed below are some examples of what I have found to be a major cause of early morning waking with children of your son's age.
- Although parents are advised to abandon all bottles by the age of one year I find many parents continue to give a bottle last thing at night and first thing in the morning. At this age a very large bottle at bedtime could result in a very wet nappy in the morning, causing him to be unsettled when he comes into his light sleep. You do not mention what you do with your son when he wakes up but if you are immediately giving him a bottle or a drink of milk, then you are teaching him to be hungry at that time, which could be another reason for the early waking.
- If your son is waking up with a poo in his nappy, or does one very shortly after he awakes that could be the cause, as it indicates that his digestive system is starting to work in the middle of the night. I often find that too much fruit in the late afternoon or protein at tea-time can cause this.
How you deal with these early morning wakings could also be the cause of the problem. Any wakings before 7am are best treated the same as middle of the night wakings, no lights and very little or no talking. If you are taking him into your bed or talking to him, then he is bound to associate his waking with starting the day.
If you are sure you have tried the controlled crying properly I would suggest that you use the same approach that I suggested for Cath. Because he is still very young I think it would probably work but you must allow at least two weeks and be consistent in your approach.